Projects/Events

Department of Integrated Design - Annual Trip
	The annual trip of the Department of Integrated Design took place on the 26th and 27th of June 2016. In all 92 students with 4 staff members took part in this event. It was an invigorating experience for the students as well as the staff members, breaking-out from the mundane academic routine into a relaxing experience. The trip was to the Makandawa rainforest and Bomburu Ella and was filled with enthusiasm and recreational activities.
‘Adjoining Traditional Crafting, RAMBA 2016’
The project ‘Adjoining traditional crafting, RAMBA 2016’, the annual academic program of the level two students of the Department of Integrated Design was successfully completed as an eco friendly Banana Fiber products exhibition and Avant-Garde fashion show on 28th to 30th of May at the Trace Expert City, Colombo 10. The project can be identified as the fifth exertion in the same scheme after successful completions of previous projects ‘Refine Cane-2012, UNA-2013, TALA-2014 and Crafted Shell 2015. The project aimed to support rural economy by identifying and uplifting unseen entrepreneurs in rural areas and emphasizing the importance of design interventions to enhance the living standards and the project scheme is recognized by the senate research Committee (SRC) as a National Development endeavour. Thirty three student designers exhibited their creations at the final exhibition and fashion show. The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held with the participation of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ananda Jayawardane as the chief guest and Ms. Heshani Bogollagama, Chairman Crafts council as the guest of honour. The craftsmen were admired for their involvement in the project by offering appreciation certificates as a major event of the day. Prof. Lalith De Silve, Dean, Faculty of Architecture, Archt. Sithumini Ratnamalala, Head of the Department, Department of Integrated Design, Invitees from different establishments including the Ministry of Industry and commerce, EDB, Sri Lanka Institute of Packaging and Staff members of the department and students were participated for the event.
	Wining the Best Emerging Fashion Designer Award at The Colombo Fashion week 2016 CFW2016 Best Emerging Fashion Designer Award Anushika Perera; a current Level four student of Fashion and Lifestyle Design specialisation, won the Best Emerging Fashion Designer award at the ‘BrightSpark’ fashion segment of the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) 2016. Each year only ten most promising candidates were given the opportunity to take part in the CFW ‘BrightSpark’ programme and this year, four of them, along with Anushika were from the Department of Integrated Design. Vathsala Gunasekara, Nipuni Silva and Poorni Wijesinghe were the other three. They showcased their debut fashion collections at the event held on 23rd of February at the Park Street Mews.
Wisdom through journey: Reinterpret & Creating a System for knowledge ascertain at “Kaludiya Pokuna”.
As the opening design experience for the 2015/2016 academic year, the Level 1 students of the Department of Integrated Design are being assigned a history-based project named Wisdom through journey: Reinterpret & Creating a System for knowledge ascertain at “Kaludiya Pokuna”.A series of outdoor discussions, workshops and practical camps were organized as a significant part of this project at Anuradhapura related contexts, Mihintale proximate and Kaludiya Pokuna concerning contextual background, context adjacent, overall envision, context experience & realization, context experience, context composition and context documentation. The Project is to identify and formulate a logical interpretation & creating a system for transferring knowledge at “Kaludiya Pokuna” and the aim of this project is to formulate the design backdrop with scanning on historical context to evoke creative Logical imagination. A three-day practical workshop in this series was conducted beginning January 29 by Senior Lecturer Archt Prasanna Pitigala Liyanage, Lecturer Eng /Lndscp Archt Susira Udalamatta, Dr. Dhananjaya Gamlath, Mr Chammika Jayawardhane, Miss Anushka Weragama, Miss. Chathuri de Silva, Miss. Shauri Hettiarachchi and Miss.Vijani Bulumulla. The project was coordinated by the Lecturer Mrs. Ruwani Rathnayake under the guidance of Senior Lecturer Archt Prasanna Pitigala Liyanage.
	Tandemize - a collaborative workshop in-between Department of Integrated Design and London Motropoliton University, UK Tandemize Is… A set of travel fellowships designed to support student engagement in cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural creative practice. Tandemize 2.0 is a collaborative workshop done in-between Department of Integrated Design, University of Moratuwa and the The Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design, London Motropoliton University, United Kingdom funded by the British Council Sri Lanka and United Kingdom to enhance Bilateral cross-cultural exchange, Bilateral cross-disciplinary exchange and Bilateral international exchange. Tandemize 2.0 started in February, 2016 and participants - five students from the Department of Integrated Design accompanied by a lecturer went for a week-long residency in London, to explore possibilities for cross-cultural collaboration looking at the effects of migration (people, ideas, skills) on design, craft, Jewellery, fashion and architecture,. The participants from UK will go to Colombo, Sri Lanka in March 2016 to complete the reciprocal exchange before embarking on projects that will aim to take ‘design & craft practice’ out of the studio into public spaces to observe public participation; looking at how as designers they can become change-makers, and how the creative process and exchange can affect culture. The programme will continue till the London craft week 2016.
Appointments & Promotions within the University
Ms. Ruwani Thanuja Rathnayaka assumed duties on 01 February in the Department of Integrated Design, Faculty of Architecture as Lecturer (probationary). She earned her Bachelor(Hons Degree (First Class) from the University of Moratuwa. Mr. K.V. Kamal Deshapriya Wasala has been appointed as lecture (probationary) at the department of Integrated Design, Faculty of Architecture affected from 1st of February 2016. He completed his MA in Product Design at Buckinghamshire New University, UK in 2013 and obtained the first degree in Fashion Design and Product Development from the University of Moratuwa in 2009.
	Portfolio Examination and Exhibition Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 The Portfolio examination and exhibition of level 2 and level 3 students’ of the Department Of Integrated Design, Faculty of Architecture held at the Department’s Auditorium on 9th and 16th of January 2016, with the participation of students, staff and the board of External Examiners. The exhibition consisted of a collection of coursework done by the students and students represented three specializations of the department; Fashion and Lifestyle Design, Media and Communication Design and Product Design.
A book launch: “The Black Prince’s Chapel: The church built by a Sinhalese Prince in Portugal” by Senior Lecturer Archt. Sagara Jayasinghe
Senior Lecturer Archt. Sagara Jayasinghe, of the Department of Integrated Design, University of Moratuwa, has authored the book titled “The Black Prince’s Chapel: The church built by a Sinhalese Prince in Portugal”; published by Vijitha Yapa Publications. The four hundred year old church of “Our Lady of the Gate of Heaven”, Telheiras in the suburbs of Lisbon is historically unique in relation to the political and religio-cultural affairs of Sri Lanka and Portugal during the Portuguese overseas expansions of 16th and 17th centuries.