Publicis Singapore’s ‘1M Exhibition’ Turns Negative Spaces into Positive Ones

In partnership with Raffles Place Alliance and LASALLE College of Arts, the exhibition features 177 artworks from 105 design graduates

As offices reopen in Singapore, Publicis has partnered with Raffles Place Alliance and LASALLE College of the Arts to host a first-of-its-kind exhibition that transforms negative social distancing spaces into positive spaces for art.

Each artwork showcased in ‘The 1M Exhibition’ measures exactly one-metre across – the distance encouraged for staying safe in public spaces or mask-off settings. The exhibition masters the art of safe distancing by transforming empty spaces on benches into places for art and discovery.

A total of 177 artworks by 105 design graduates at LASALLE, an education institution specialising in the creative arts, are now being exhibited around Raffles Place Park using the unexpected medium of social distancing stickers, reaching around 180,000 people per day. This initiative bridges the gap between the next generation of artists and potential employers.

“Social distancing stickers have become commonplace in our lives. It’s also a stark reminder of the struggles the pandemic has brought on us, and in particular, for our young artists. They haven’t had a public forum to exhibit their work in almost two years, so as part of the creative community, it felt right to create this platform for them and their work,” explains Adrian Yeap, executive creative director at Publicis Singapore.

Running for three months from 5th April, the exhibition will showcase the works of LASALLE students from the School of Design Communication, the School of Fashion and the School of Product Design. To learn more about the students behind each work, visitors to the exhibition can scan the QR code located on each artwork and contact them for job opportunities.

“The pandemic has brought many challenges, but it has also given us the opportunity to try something new. We loved the idea of taking our students’ works to an unexpected location. This collaboration with Raffles Place Alliance comes at a perfect time as people return to in-person experiences, and it gives our graduates and students greater exposure and a more tangible connection with audiences,” says Ms Nur Hidayah, dean, faculty of design at LASALLE.

Developed by Publicis Singapore, ‘The 1M Exhibition’ was created in collaboration with LASALLE and Raffles Place Alliance. Raffles Place Alliance consists of 10 stakeholders in Raffles Place who work together to activate and revitalise public spaces.