AMBER PATTERSON-OOI
cultural anthropologist
E: [email protected]
M: +995 551 532 546
About
I am a cultural anthropologist whose research interests include anthropological approaches to built environment, material culture, affect, and narrative as embodied phenomena.Before turning to social inquiry, I spent a decade working across theatre, fine arts, and cultural event management — a background that continues to inflect my attention to narrative, performance, and the bodily dimensions of space. I hold a Bachelor of Arts (Anthropology), a Postgraduate Diploma in Production (Cultural Event Management), and a Master of Arts by Research (Anthropology).I am a PhD candidate within the Faculty of Design and Society at University Technology, Sydney. Concurrently, I am Principal Researcher at Wei Yap Architects, where I work with the design team to integrate ethnographic and cultural analysis into architectural practice — a role that reflects my broader commitment to bringing anthropological thinking into direct dialogue with the built world.
research
My PhD research project is titled: "Aqueous Terrains: Hydro-social Narratives of Contemporary Water Architecture."This research examines how architectures at the confluence of land and water mediate human-water relationships. Drawing from fieldwork in Sydney and Amsterdam, my research utilises comparative ethnographic fieldwork and photovoice methods to explore the relationship between domestic spaces and hydro-sociality. My project is supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.
WORKS & PUBLICATIONS
Master's Thesis: Love, Grief, and Materiality: Interior Narratives and the Making of Home in Singapore, Master of Arts by Research (Anthropology), La Trobe University 2026. Chapter excerpts available on request.Conference Presentation: Inter-Surfacing, Y-Conference, Yerevan, 2026. Available on request.Journal Article: Patterson-Ooi, A., & Araujo, N. (2022). Beyond Needle and Thread: Communicating and Contesting Identity in Haute Couture. M/C Journal, 25(4).