Yanni Chen

Interior Architecture

My name is Yanni Chen and I am 24 years old. I am an international student from the fashionable city Shanghai.

I study at Swinburne University of Technology, majoring in interior design. When I was in high school, I came across a work designed by Joyce Wang (Mott 32 Hong Kong). Since then, I have developed a strong interest in interior design. I admire and love interior design very much, and hope to become a designer like Joyce Wang in the future.

In the past few years of study, I have accumulated a lot of experience. Some progress has been made in the use of Revit, Enscape, InDesign and other software. Although I have a wide range of interests in these areas and have mastered the basic knowledge of this profession, I think work experience is also very important. I can currently do many simple and basic things. However, due to lack of sufficient work experience, I am unable to do professional projects alone. Therefore, I think there is still a need for further study to realize self-worth.

exhibition design 1

exhibition design 2

self-designed part (royal botanic garden)

library (reception)

library (chatting area)

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.