Lecture: Situated Sensing: Relational Ecologies and Nature-Based Solutions

This lecture explores localised and relational approaches to understanding ecological systems, from quantitative assessments and climate modelling to speculative cartographies and situated local knowledge systems. It brings together artist-researcher Zarina Muhammad and Assistant Professor Perrine Hamel, Asian School of Environment, NTU, to discuss their distinct methodologies to environmental research. While Muhammad draws on performance and participatory practice to engage more-than-human worlds in the context of ecological crisis, Hamel will share her research in urban hydrological modelling and ecosystem service frameworks, demonstrating how nature-based infrastructures can contribute to resilient and inclusive cities in the region. Moderated by Associate Professor Laura Miotto, the discussion considers how diverse research methodologies can shape new ways of perceiving, representing, and responding to environmental change.

Tuesday Lecture

4 November 2025, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

The Hall, NTU CCA, Blk 6 Lock Road, #01-10 Gillman Barracks, Singapore 108934

The Climate Transformation: Sustainable Societies Series is organised by members of the Climate Transformation Programme (CTP) Cross-Cutting Theme 1: Sustainable Societies research team, Principal Investigator Professor Ute Meta Bauer, research fellow Joshua Gebert, research associate Ng Mei Jia and research assistant Angela Ricasio Hoten.

Sustainable Societies

Principal Investigator, Professor Ute Meta Bauer (NTU ADM)

Principal Investigator, Associate Professor Laura Miotto (NTU ADM)

Principal Investigator, Professor Dr Thomas Schroepfer (SUTD)

This Lecture Series is supported by the Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 3 grant [MOE-MOET32022-0006] for the Climate Transformation Programme.

Speakers

Perrine Hamel is an Assistant Professor at the Asian School of Environment and Principal Investigator of the Resilient and Inclusive Cities Lab at Nanyang Technological University Singapore. She is also a Principal Investigator for the 'Cluster 4: Novel engineering solutions for climate impacts' research cluster under the Climate Transformation Programme led by the Earth Observatory of Singapore. Her current research focuses on examining how natural infrastructure can contribute to urban resilience and climate adaptation in the Asia-Pacific region. She holds a PhD from Monash University, Australia, and a Master of Civil and Environmental Engineering from Ecole Centrale Nantes, France.

Zarina Muhammad is an artist, researcher, and lecturer at LASALLE College of the Arts, where she teaches in the MA Art and Ecology programme. Her work critically re-examines oral histories, ethnographic literature, and historiographic narratives of Southeast Asia, spanning installation, performance, text, sound, and participatory practices. Informed by transoceanic and ecological research, her projects investigate entanglements between myth, material culture, haunted historiographies, and environmental phenomena, engaging with more-than-human worlds. She is currently artist-in-residence at NTU CCA Singapore’s STAR Residency, collaborating with Earth Observatory of Singapore scientists to explore the interdependency of environmental knowledge systems and nonhuman witnessing in the context of ecological crisis. Zarina has presented widely at international biennales and institutions, including the Singapore, Gwangju, Diriyah, and Lahore Biennales, and was awarded the 2022 IMPART Art Prize.

Moderator

Laura Miotto is an award-winning exhibition designer and educator. With 20 years of experience in design as both creative director and architectural designer, she has developed a wide range of permanent and temporary exhibitions. She is an Associate Professor (Practice) at the School of Art, Design and Media, NTU, and Co-Director of the MA in Museum Studies and Curatorial Practices at NTU/ADM. Her work focuses on heritage interpretation and design strategies involving sensorial experience in museums, thematic galleries, and public spaces. Her interests include environmentally informed architecture, conservation of zoological/botanical collections, and biodiversity in Southeast Asia, bridging culture and science.

About the Climate Transformation: Sustainable Societies Lecture Series

The series returns for its second cycle in the Academic Year 2025-26. Each session features researchers from the Climate Transformation Programme, alongside contributors from other academic fields, as well as artists, architects and advocates. In this second iteration, the lecture series is framed with policy relevance in mind, with respondents from various government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and other relevant industries offering immediate commentary.