02 Mar 2021
Genevieve Bryant from Wyndham College recently took out the 2020 Powerhouse Shape Award as part of ‘SHAPE’ - the Showcase of HSC Technology projects. The showcase was organised by the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences and the NSW Government as a way to celebrate and showcase exemplar HSC design projects from around the state.
Genevieve who studied Design and Technology, received the highest accolade and award for HSC Technology at the Powerhouse Museum, with her proud teacher Suzanne Szecsodi commenting that she was very impressed with Genevieve's work.
As well as being selected have her work displayed at the exhibition, Genevieve and her project have also been selected to be a Museum case study. Which involves the Museum generating video and photography of the project which is used in the Gallery and on the website to support the exhibition and detail her work.
Genevieve was selected for her innovative redesign of tactile indicators which help vision-impaired peopleo navigate public spaces. “If you see at the top of the stairs at the train station, you might see those bumps. They’re for blind and vision-impaired people to help them find geographical clues,” she said. “I redesigned tactile indicators to help make them more aesthetically friendly, cheaper and more effective in the hope they’ll be installed more often.” Ms Bryant’s indicators are made from eco-friendly concrete instead of plastic. She learnt to read and write braille a few years ago and started to look for ways to make public spaces more accessible.
Powerhouse Museum curator Campbell Bickerstaff, who helped choose the 42 exhibits, said he looked for “incredible execution” when selecting the works. Mr Bickerstaff said assessors from the NSW Education Standards Authority culled the works from 8000 to a top 200, before museum staff judged the best.
Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said was “so impressed” by the quality of work. “I just think it’s phenomenal, particularly given 2020 was such a tough year. What they’ve been able to create in trying circumstances is just amazing,” she said
Genevieve hopes to one day continue developing her project and hopes that the exhibition will give her the opportunity to make that a reality. Until then, she will be studying a Bachelor of Design and Technology at Western Sydney University, majoring in Design-led Innovation and Management.
The exhibition opened on the 26th of February 2021 and will run until the 9th of May.
