VCA DESIGN & PRODUCTION
GRADUATE SHOWCASE
The University of Melbourne

Faculty of Fine Arts and Music

University of Melbourne (Australian University)

PRV12150 | CRICOS: 00116K

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Peihan ZHU

Guess Italia!,2025
Guess Italia! is a card game inspired by iconic Italian architecture and culture. The project explores how our memories of objects or places can shift when described differently by others. The idea came from my exchange experience in Italy — during my travels, I realized that even when people visit the same site, their impressions can vary widely. Each description, shaped by personal perspective, language, and imagery, transforms the original memory into something new — a kind of simulacrum.

Through this project, I reinterpreted Italian cultural symbols and reimagined them within a playful and participatory context. The card game invites players to reflect on how “originals” and “representations” constantly blur and influence each other.

For me, this work represents more than just a design experiment. It marks a shift in my creative practice — from focusing primarily on image-making to exploring concept-driven and interactive forms of visual storytelling.

My Tutors:Willow Berzin and Kieran Boland

Guess Italia!

Guess Italia!

Guess Italia!

Guess Italia!

Eurydice, 2025
Eurydice is a story about hope and the courage to look back. In the play, love and loss intertwine across two worlds - the living and the dead - forming the emotional core that drives my design.

The main structure is composed of iron - framed, hollow platforms, symbolizing both stability and fragility. The framework suggests a boundary between worlds — solid yet transparent, echoing the thin line that separates life and death. The slightly reflective backdrop softens the rigidity of metal, creating an illusive sense of depth and distance.

The String Room is designed as a fragile sanctuary — built from colorful cotton threads and soft pom-poms, it represents the tenderness of memory and the comfort of love.

In the overall composition, dramatic structures and smooth, delicate materials coexist. The stage becomes a transitional space between reality and illusion — a quiet reflection on memory, loss, and the enduring trace of hope.

My Tutors: Christina Smith, Dale Ferguson, John Ford
, Peter Farnan, Romanie Harper, Sean Mee .

Eurydice stage design.

Eurydice stage design

Eurydice movement 3, Scene 1

Eurydice Movement 2, Scene 1

Eurydice Movement 2, Scene 1

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Eurydice storyboard

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Eurydice Costume Design

Peihan ZHU headshot

I’m a designer, travel and photography are essential parts of my life — they help me notice the subtle details, colors, and visual styles that make each place unique. I love observing how design reflects local traditions, and how different environments shape the way people think and communicate visually.

My creative practice grows from this curiosity. I enjoy exploring different cultural aesthetics and finding ways to integrate them into my own design language. Studying at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) has helped me develop a more mature and reflective design approach — one that balances experimentation with intention, and allows diverse styles and ideas to come together naturally.

Bachelor of Design
Performance Design, Graphic Design
Course
Bachelor of Design
Specialisation
Performance Design
Graphic Design
Madina GANIEVA
Rory WILLINGHAM