Our SEA*5 Team from five of the ASEAN countries represent a start-up collective for the co-creation of a network of Creative Responders in the global south. We are all alumni of the SEAD Arts Fellowship by the Mekong Cultural Hub and the British Council (SEAD 2 | 2019-2020).
Joanne Mun
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Joanne is an architect‐urbanist with fifteen years of professional experience in the fields of urban design, urban planning, master planning and architecture. As a registered architect with the NSW Architects Registration Board in Australia, she is also a heritage conservation advocate.
After living and working in Australia for many years, Joanne returned to Malaysia in 2015. Upon her return, she joined Think City, a non‐profit organisation focussing on community‐based urban regeneration as a Senior Manager and Team Leader of the Urban Design and Planning Unit to help rejuvenate the cities of Kuala Lumpur and Butterworth. After nearly 4 years of urban regeneration work in Kuala Lumpur, her passion for community empowerment remains unabated. Joanne began volunteering at YWCA KL (Young Women’s Christian Association of Kuala Lumpur) and Kebun-Kebun Bangsar community farm in late 2018.
At YWCA KL, she serves the YWCA KL board as the 1st Vice President and leads the Youth Wing Creative Recreational Program. The program is specifically designed for students of YWCA’s Vocational Training Opportunity Centre, a vocational skills training school for young women from underprivileged community. While at Kebun-Kebun Bangsar, she in deeply involved in the management and operation of the community farm aimed to improve access to healthy food for the poorer groups in Kuala Lumpur.
Zun Ei Phyu
Yangon, Myanmar
Zun Ei Phyu is a visual artist who has devoted most of her time to paper-cutting, installations and community arts. She is a medical doctor as well as a certified Art Therapy Life Coach – and was involved in various in-country and overseas art projects since pursuing a career in the arts.
She strongly believes that art can bring peace and mindfulness; and utilizes it as a platform for interaction and connection with people as it opens to an emotional journey. Her works are research-based whose primary interest is public participatory art works and community art projects – with themes including social and ecological issues related to children and the elderly. Since 2019, she has conducted art therapy workshops; and also created projects/workshops for the youth – in places like the rehabilitation centers and children in monastic education with topics like waste management, child labor, access to education, and poverty.
Zun Ei had successfully presented three solo exhibition to date in Myanmar, Japan, and Malaysia. She participated in many international art festivals, art fairs and artist residencies. She was a fellowship of SEAD (2019-2020) program from Mekong Cultural Hub and the British Council. She was also featured in more than twenty group exhibitions in Myanmar, Austria, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Email me: zunei55@gmail.com
Gayatri Nadya
Jakarta, Indonesia
Gayatri Nadya born and breed in Jakarta, Indonesia. She works in the film industry since 2009 – and started as volunteer for Jakarta International Film Festival and Festival Film Konfiden. Since then, she went from radio producer in Cosmopolitan FM to distribution and exhibition officer in Kalyana Shira Foundation; to marketing and activation strategist in KLN (Kapanlagi Network) under the establishment of Muvila.com – a new media focusing on films.
After nesting in KOLEKTIF for almost six years, an initiative distribution where the goals to meet both films to more audiences in the country, she holds a new role of Program Manager of Cipta Citra Foundation – focusing on the whole ecosystem of film distribution, exhibition along with capacity building such as film lab and workshops.
Since 2017, she is part of Motion Picture Ambassador of Luang Prabang Film Festival; and jury for several film festival competitions. Apart from the professional work, she also host a film podcast called “Cinema Paradisco” for the past three years under the Podluck Podcast Network while enjoying other pop-culture products along with her activity as BTS ARMY.
HENG Samnang
Phnom Penh , Cambodia
Samnang is from Kampong Thom province and graduated from Pannasastra University of Cambodia (PUC), majoring in Environmental Studies. Samnang has been working with Cambodian Living Arts (CLA) and combining her passions for the environment, arts and culture for many years. This has been both through volunteering and through her work. Between 2014 and 2016, Samnang and friends organized 11 community projects around Cambodia focused on environment and art education. They called the whole program “My friends & I” and activities included building a library and toilets in schools. Samnang also volunteered for the Heinrich Böll Stiftung foundation in Phnom Penh on project Women and Environment. She first started working with Cambodian Living Arts in September 2012, then left CLA for 2 years to work for Wildlife Alliance in Eco – tourism program. She returned to CLA again in 2016. As well as working with the KMMB, Samnang has taken artists on tour to Australia, Europe and the USA.
In 2020, Samnang left Cambodian Living Art and started her new career as Project Consultant for Magic Flute Festival and Program officer for Caritas Czech Republic in Cambodia on the Covid19 Project. She currently works with Chef Nak company as Content and Production manager and freelance translator (English-Khmer).
Email: hengsamnang738@gmail.com
Raz Salvarita
Lambunao, Philippines
Interdisciplinary creative activist and community organizer.
Founder of Baryo Balangaw Creative Initiatives.
Project SEA*5 