Ruoxi recently completed a Bachelor of Design at the University of Melbourne.

Throughout three years of study in the Performance Design major, the distinct disciplines of Sound, Light, the Figure and Space in Performance are examined in detail through separate core subjects.

The culmination of this program is the capstone subject Performance Design Studio, in which students combine these scenographic elements holistically in response to a play text. These capstone projects demonstrate their ability to utilise design as a dramaturgical tool, with these skills being both valuable and transferrable across the wide variety of design disciplines that students will pursue upon completion.

The graphic design major provides students with practical and conceptual skills to undertake professional graphic design work.

Graphic designers work within print and digital based mediums to present information in ways that are both memorable and accessible. They are visual communicators—assembling illustrations, typography, images and motion graphics to create a piece of design.

Bachelor of Design (Graphic Design & Performance Design)

In 'The Tempest', the theme of perseverance is central to the character of Prospero, the exiled Duke who has survived and endured in isolation on the island. 

My stage design for "The Tempest" encapsulates an alluring world of broken grandeur. It combines the decaying Elizabethan-era buildings with elements from both Renaissance and Gothic architecture, creating a setting that mirrors the fractured state of Prospero's world. 

The play offers the opportunity to make a profound impact with the design by juxtaposing the crumbling, looming ruins with the dreamy, fantastical presence of marine essences. The design takes a supportive role by enhancing the narrative, reflecting Prospero's once-lost, now-magical realm, and the internal and external struggles of the characters. 

My proposed design employs brutality to depict the harshness of exile and perseverance to signify Prospero's resilience. The ruins are evocative of the past, while the fantasy elements evoke the dreamy, magical aspects of the play, ultimately creating a visually captivating and emotionally resonant stage.