Top New York Show for UEL academic and alumni

Innovative designs for portable kitchens for asylum seekers, initiated by University of East London Senior Lecturer Cláudia da Palma Romao and designed by a group of former UEL MA students, have gone on show in New York.

They are part of the exhibition, Our Practice: Eleven Women in Interior Design at the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID), one of the top-rated interior design schools in the United States.

Ms Da Palma Romao was present for the opening of the show, which showcases residential designs by prominent, women-led, contemporary interior design studios from around the world.

She developed the idea of the portable kitchens with her former students from UEL’s School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, Tatiana Bacca, Beth Hooper, Himani Ravuri, Ed Chelsea Rimando, Aysha Farhana, Ayca Aydin, Yuan Shiqi and Senuri Peththawadu, who formed the design collective Soup International.

The kitchens were designed for the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers to provide a multifunctional space that could be used for workshops, classes, and talks in addition to their primary function of serving food. They also pack down small enough to fit into a van for easy transport elsewhere.

Ms Da Palma Romao praised her former students, saying

They are a group of brilliant, motivated and dedicated young women ready to make a change in the complex world we live in”.

Their project was featured in a wide variety of influential architecture, interiors, and design magazines including Dezeen, Frame, and ArchDaily. Dr Paul Marshall, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Careers and Enterprise at UEL, said, “Making positive and lasting change is at the heart of the University of East London and it is fantastic to see our graduates doing just that.”

After the success of the kitchen project Soup International was contacted by Frame to develop a project called “post-pandemic schooling.” Their concept, PlayDaze focussed on younger school-age children, weaving together multiple play areas into a labyrinth of corridors, tunnels, bridges, and open classrooms. It was featured in the magazine’s November 2020 issue.

The New York School of Interior Design exhibition opened at the school’s gallery on 14 September 2023 and will run until 26 April 2024.