Please tell us about the cultural insight that inspired the work

Every day, more than 400,000 Malaysians cross the Johor-Singapore Causeway to commute to work for employers like McDonald’s. When the border closed, many were unable to lose the crucial income needed to support families back in Malaysia and chose not to return home. The hardship of this indeterminate separation is felt most acutely at Ramadan, which is a time for family, and gratitude. Ramadan is also a time to think of those less fortunate. By recognising the pain of separation, the My Happy Table pop-up resonated with the wider Muslim community AND struck a chord with a broader audience in Singapore, many of whom were also longing to be around a table with their loved ones again.