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SingaPlural Design Installations: Connect the Dots

Singapore, 17 February 2015 – SingaPlural returns for its fourth edition from March 10th – 15th at the iconic location of 99 Beach Road, within the arts and cultural heritage district, to showcase the best design elements from the multi-faceted creative spectrum – advertising, architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, as well as interior, furniture, graphic and fashion design. This year’s theme ‘Process’, will highlight the commitment and work put into each creation by bringing light to the journey of design undertaken by the various designers, makers and retailers, through the various installations, exhibitions, forums and activities. SingaPlural aims to create a more approachable and relatable edition for the masses – allowing them to immerse themselves in design’s most basic form and follow the train of thoughts in design. For the first time, SingaPlural has engaged a local team of curators – PLUS Collaboratives and GOVT to bring cohesiveness to SingaPlural through a well-defined festival construct. SingaPlural 2015 will be shaped around a set of six festival pillars that streamlines the design installations targeted at engaging the design and non-design affiliated audience in a conversation about the said theme. SingaPlural Design Installations: Connect the Dots Featuring a total of 60 installations by designers, makers, manufacturers, builders and design schools alike, a curated route through the design installations demonstrates different perspectives and voices, expanding the possibilities and mind-sets towards the theme, “Process”.

Introducing the various collaboration and installations undertaken by the participants, one can

expect a variety of diverse installations at SingaPlural 2015. Some of these installation ideas present

the significance for this year Singapore’s 50th (SG50) celebration, which build on our national identity

and love for Singapore. From the most memorable places that are close to our hearts to visual

showcases which reflects on the creative play of national identity, the audience are treated to both

experiential and interactive installations.

“With this year being the meaningful SG50, there’s no better time to fly the design flag high and

share the evolution of our very creative design scene through the various projects from SingaPlural

2015. Beyond just encouraging the designers, with our festival construct pillars, we also look

towards how design can be applied across different business industries,” says Mark Yong, Vice

President of Singapore Furniture Industries Council and Chairman of SingaPlural.

Your Hood - Singapore Urban Inspired Stories by SAMKO x LTG

Growing up and spending the formation years in various parts of Singapore, every corner of this

island is unique for its nuances, icons and cultural aspects. In many ways, it reflects who we are, our

values and our behaviours.

Participating in this project is Samko Timber Limited (SAMKO), an engineered wood manufacturer,

using only wood from sustainable plantation and eight designers (Jane Tang, Alvin Sitoh, Lee Chang

Tat, George Soo, Andrew Loh, Rodney Loh, Leonard Bahroocha Tan and Chan Wai Lim) from Little

Thoughts Group (LTG), a design collective. This project seeks to rethink engineered wood that

challenges, excites and inspires the contemporary culture of Singapore through design. Each

designer is tasked to create an installation that will be inspired by places, icons, culture, people,

memories and urban landscapes of Singapore.

The installation uses “Heveatech” an eco-friendly product, made from 100% rubber wood, suitable

for outdoor use and its more superior than typical solid wood. This project is also made possible

through partnerships with Cheng Meng Furniture Group Pte Ltd, Renovator Hub Pte Ltd and Yang Ah

Kang & Sons Pte Ltd as production sponsors for this installation.

ABC Brickworks By Rodney Loh As a kid, Rodney used to be intrigued by the word ‘ABC Brickworks Markets’ when he visited that place for breakfast. It gave him the idea of how the flats were stacked in many layers of cubes, hence giving it the name ‘Brickworks’. Gaining inspirations from this word, he envisions the typical heavy-tech’s wooden strips as three dimensional bricks and structural blocks that can be used to construct outdoor furniture, from a sofa to even a lounge chair. Magnets will be used to simplify the assembly process where the structural blocks can be snapped together quickly to create a piece of furniture. Brickworks Sofa:

Brickworks Lounge:

Brickworks DIY:

To set aside an area where people

can build their own ‘brickworks’

furniture.

Icons of Sembawang By Chan Wai Lim

Children today have the luxury of technology to keep from boredom - iPads and electronic devices are commonplace today. Reminiscing on the past, designer Chan Wai Lim recalled his daily activities when growing up was about heading out to play. A common daily routine for him would revolve around playing with kampong animals - from waking in the morning to the sounds of the rooster to chasing and playing with cats and dogs during the day, whilst nights would be filled up with the melodic sounds of crickets, frogs and fireflies. Using these childhood memories as his concept, Wai Lim’s purpose for his project aims to connect to people emotionally through fun and delightful memories to put a smile to their faces. Hence, he designed a range of outdoor rocking chairs inspired by kampong animals & activities.

Open Play By Leonard Bahroocha Tan A key childhood memory of playgrounds in Singapore is always about the functions of play infused into the visually interesting animal motifs. Today’s playgrounds are driven by purely functional elements and lack visual stimulus other than vibrant colours. The attempt of this piece is to create play objects with strong key visuals that are able to create an impactful memory to the open play spaces. The challenge is to use geometric shapes to generate a silhouette that resembles an animal form. The abstract shape is to be made up of positive and negative shapes, allowing the user to interact with these shapes and spaces. Working around the use of layered panels to create the form and play space, this concept is based on one side as a seating space and the other a slide. At about 750mm height, the piece is safe for kids to play around the object. The use of animal motif is designed into the function of the object. The proposed material is wood with various wood finishing and painted colors to create visual structure and focus.

PlayStool – Model Making By Jane Tang

Playgrounds built in the past, commonly found in residential estates, used to be laid with sand. They served as an imagination launchpad where children would bring sandcastle bucket sets to play and build their imaginative worlds there. Unfortunately, with time and progression, these sand-based playgrounds are gradually fading away and are replaced with rubber-mats for convenience and safety purposes.

Playstool – a collection of uniquely shaped

stools, is inspired from the fond memories of

children playing with sand at their

neighbourhood playgrounds. The form of the

stools is drawn from the 1980s iconic

playgrounds based on the last few remaining

sand-based playgrounds in Singapore.

Ponggo By Alvin Sitoh

People are often seen subconsciously going into rhythmic mood and tapping their hands and fingers on objects around them, especially while waiting for friends in parks, travelling on buses, or hanging out at cafes. This inspired the designer Alvin to create outdoor seating furniture that also drums like a Cajon, a popular box-shaped percussion instrument that originated from Peru. The idea is to design it like outdoor furniture but integrate the Cajon feature to serve as a ‘performing stage’ that amplifies the sound when it is being tapped.

Tempinis Forest By Lee Chang Tat

Growing up in the developing Tampines, the designer has many fond memories of the place. In the past, Tampines was covered by forests, swamps and sand quarries. Ironwood trees or Tempinis grew abundantly there and thus gave the area its name. It was also part of a military training area until about 1987. This inspired Chang Tat to use the icon of trees and with the use of heavy-tech weather proof wood to recreate Tampines. He decided to take on a foliage or divider concept where he would like to create a versatile piece of outdoor furniture and explore how heavy-tech waterproof wood can be applied to the design. The outcome of the brainstorming is to design an overhead shelter since the wood’s properties allow it to withstand the changing weather and is ideal for an outdoor context.

The Last Tiger By Andrew Loh Designed by Andrew Loh, ‘The Last Tiger’ is a flexible outdoor mat inspired by a photo of the last tiger shot in Singapore at Choa Chu Kang village in relatively 1932, at a time when Singapore was plagued by tiger menace. The mat aspires to remind the public of Singapore’s primal past and hopes to recapture the hunting lodge archetype of the tiger rug without any of the guilt, in hopes of encouraging the audience to form a vital and valuable connection to nature.

The Whampoa Fountain By George Soo A beautiful piece of art can be found in front of Block 85 of Whampoa Drive. Built in the early 1970s together with this quiet neighbourhood, the dragon fountain has been a symbolic landmark in that area. Growing up in this neighbourhood, the Dragon Fountain was a big part of George’s childhood and despite being fearful of it as a child, it became a big part of his memory. This installation comprises boxes of three different heights which can be utilised as a chair, a dining table, and a bar-table. Beyond these functions, the multiple edges and surfaces also aim to encourage discovery and a sense of playfulness. It is my re-imagined take on the "Dragon-Fountain" - to foster a spirit of community, and to be an inclusive space for fun, food and laughter.

Singapore Screenshot by A Good Citizen

Through the medium of a live illustration performance, the artist Dan Wong, will be drawing various

fun, interesting and recognisable Singaporean stereotypical characters in a local environment. Held

in a glass room, the live drawing performance will allow the audience to see the process of the

artwork being created stroke-by-stroke and allows for an intimate experience with the artist.

The Singaporean has a visual identity unlike no other. Made up of all sorts of strong character tropes

that make up our society, while other countries generally have a signature identity that represents

them (think Frenchman, or American cowboy).

Examples of Singaporean Stereotypes include:

Schoolboy/Schoolgirl with huge school bag

Friendly MP or Politician

Tudung Lady Schoolteacher

Ah Beng

Ah Lian

Ge Tai Performer

Policeman

Army Soldier

Sikh Businessman

Mama Shop Owner

Lion Dance Troupe

Chinese Opera Performer

Tissue Paper Auntie

Electronic Er-Hu Busker

Old Uncle with Birdcage

Summon Auntie

Mat with Cap, Kicks and Skateboard

Madrasah Boy

FBT Shorts and Singlet Runner

Construction Worker

Merlion

Rich Tai Tai

Filipino Maid

And many others!

Drawing as many of these tropes as the artist

can on the drawing space assigned, these

characters will be depicted talking, arguing,

physically interacting and communicating

with each other in a local environment.

The objective is to allow audiences to see a

gathering of Singapore’s beloved and

memorable characters and enjoy a tongue in

cheek and fun national visual identity.

The Symmetry of Shapes to Come By LASALLE College of the Arts x The Salvation Army x Danovel

This installation features 10 winning outcomes from a cross-level, cross-disciplinary collaboration

project worked on by LASALLE’s Diploma in Fashion level 2 and level 3 students and BA level 1

Design Communication students. Assigned to work in groups of about 4-5 students from different

disciplines, to foster cross-level learning and cross-disciplinary collaboration, the students will design

a surface for recycle furniture from The Salvation Army.

The installation looks into surface design to give the furniture a new lease of life using different ways

in which surfaces of an object can be decorated by giving it structure, pattern or colour to the fibre

and fabric, with upholstery support from industry player, Danovel Pte Ltd.

The pieces will subsequently be auctioned off with proceeds going to The Salvation Army after the

festival.

Dream A Little By RSP Architects Planners & Engineers

This installation reveals an inside journey into a whimsical city that expresses the personal dreams and aspirations of an architect. It offers an open conversation about understanding and presenting the built environment and invites people to experience this dreamscape from different perspectives. It is a reminder that all ideas and good things begin with dreaming and we must never lose this. So go on, dream a little.

Design Installations By Sculpture Society (Singapore) The display will feature the works of 14 home-grown artists: 1) The Rain, A Fallen Tree and My Banquet in a Stormy Night

By Yeo Chee Kiong

Chee Kiong is an award-winning professional sculptor known for his uniquely playful and unexpected juxtapositions. His sculpture evokes an “overlapped” and interchangeable phenomenon between Light and Shadow, between Mass and Space, and between Silhouette and Form through a romantic incidence.

The mirror-finished ‘Isometric Table’ provokes a visual illusion of an illuminated 3-dimensional ‘table’ that is both protruding out and recessing in, and is embraced by the darkness of a stormy night in a ‘house’. The images of the passing-by visitors will be cast on the ‘table’ and form the pattern in motion to suggest ‘dishes’ on the table of a banquet in a stormy night.

The other design installations are:

2) Anew by Aileen Toh 3) Big Feast by Joyce Loo 4) Composition III – of Wools and Ceramics by Teo Huey Ling

5) Flow; 漂流 by Oh Chai Hoo

6) Flow; 漂流 by Chua Chon Hee 7) Memorial Totems by Tok Wei Yuan 8) Organic Abstraction by Madhvi Subramanian 9) Swinging Sisters by Sabrina Long 10) Seeding by Chang Wei 11) Superseded by Xin Xiao Chang 12) The Miscoded Linger II by Tay Swee Siong 13) Wave Rider by Sun Yu-Li

14) 《饮水思源》 Flowing by Chua Boon Kee

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For media enquiries on SingaPlural, please kindly contact:

Jiayi WONG Access Communications +65 6547 8979 / +65 9030 3522 jiayi@accesscoms.com.sg

Kelsey ANG Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) +65 6505 9190 kelsey@singaporefurniture.com

About SingaPlural

SingaPlural returns for a 4th edition from March 10 – 15 at 99 Beach Road to showcase the best design elements from the multi-faceted creative spectrum – Advertising, Architecture, Urban Planning, Landscape Architecture, as well as Interior, Furniture, Graphic and Fashion Design. Organised by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) since 2012, the name ‘SingaPlural’ is derived from a combination of the terms ‘Singular’ and ‘Plural’, and was conceived from the need to create a common platform to bridge designers with the industry. SingaPlural 2015 is the anchor event of the Singapore Design Week and is held in conjunction with International Furniture Fair Singapore 2015/32nd ASEAN Furniture Show, The Décor Show 2015 and Hospitality 360⁰. Together with 8 other network partners of DesignS, this week-long design celebration is an international platform for talents across the creative industries to engage and evoke the design senses of visitors, through installations, exclusively curated design spaces, symposiums and many other activities. SingaPlural 2015 is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), DesignSingapore Council, International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, Singapore Tourism Board, SPRING Singapore and Singapore Workforce Development Agency. It is also the anchor event of the Singapore Design Week, which is organised by the DesignSingapore Council, a part of the Ministry of Communications and Information. For more information, please refer to www.SingaPlural.com; www.facebook.com/SingaPlural. Find us on Twitter (@SingaPlural) and Instagram (#singaplural). About Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) Singapore Furniture Industries Council was established in 1981 as the official representative body of Singapore’s furniture industry. It currently represents 95% of established furniture manufacturers in Singapore, of whom 65% have subsidiary manufacturing plants in the region including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Its primary role is to promote the interests of its members and the Singapore furniture industry. Many of its initiatives aim to facilitate members’ exposure to the world market, develop local talent and encourage entrepreneurship. Through SFIC Institute, its training and education arm, the SFIC offers development courses to ensure its graduates remain competitive and relevant to the latest industry developments. It also manages the International Furniture Centre and organises SingaPlural, a week-long design celebration, held in conjunction with the annual International Furniture Fair Singapore/ASEAN Furniture Show, The Décor Show and Hospitality 360°. To ensure the industry’s growth and viability, SFIC continues to forge close partnerships with the government and trade-related agencies to harness technology, knowledge and information for effective strategic planning. Visit www.singaporefurniture.com for more information.

About the Festival Director Fronting the curatorial team is festival director, Mervin Tan, co-founder and creative director of PLUS Collaboratives. With a background in architecture and interior design, he leads his studio alongside several partners. Incepted in 2012, PLUS Collaboratives is a young design thinking studio which focuses on a user centred approach in design projects. Mervin’s holds strongly to his studio’s ideology of creating designs through messaging and collaboration. His design focus and approach in particular is about system thinking, and he believes in creating a framework for design to thrive and bloom organically. The studio has also completed curation for another design festival, Archifest 2014. About the Curatorial Team (GOVT and PLUS Collaboratives) GOVT is a creative communications agency that grew its roots in Singapore. Branching out into multi-channel mediums, GOVT's core lies in its strong strategic thinking and courageous creative approach. By bringing brands and communities together to create meaningful media-neutral experiences, GOVT has initiated and developed new product categories, music videos and has even curated two exhibitions. PLUS Collaboratives is a young design thinking studio whose focus is on a user centred approach in design projects. Through research, they seek for methods to bring out the voice behind the design and showcase the intended messages. They believe that the understanding of the ‘environment’ of a project which includes physical built components as well as a cultural, social, habitual context is extremely important to the success of a brand’s vision. Much care is taken to understand and create relevance for acceptance of the project through an understanding of context, target audience and objectives. It creates a ‘glocal’ understanding of the project where the message remains universal, yet with a local flavour or immediate relevance in relating to its market or environment.

About DesignS DesignS, a network of design-centric institutes and associations in Singapore, was officially launched on 29 June 2010 by Mr Lui Tuck Yew, then Acting Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts. Formed in 2009 to provide a platform for the creation of a coordinated Design network, it comprises of nine member institutes from the multifaceted creative spectrum ranging from Advertising, Architecture, Urban Planning, Landscape Architecture, as well as Interior, Furniture, Graphic and Fashion Design. DesignS’ primary goals are to foster a sense of community and network amongst design fields, to work in concert on joint educational and continual professional development and to jointly promote and advance the ‘Singapore Brand’ of design.

The nine members of DesignS are:

1. Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Singapore (4As) 2. Design Business Chamber Singapore (DBCS) 3. Interior Design Confederation (Singapore) (IDCS) 4. Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) 5. Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) 6. Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects (SILA) 7. Singapore Institute of Planners (SIP) 8. Textile and Fashion Federation of Singapore (TaFf) 9. The Design Society (TDS)

About Singapore Design Week (SDW) The Singapore Design Week (SDW) brings together a collection of local and international design activities in Singapore. Held annually, the SDW is organised by the DesignSingapore Council. Open to the design community, businesses, design students and the general public, the SDW aims to raise awareness of good design, deepen the appreciation and understanding of design innovation and encourage the use of design for innovation and productivity. Through this platform, the DesignSingapore Council also hopes to enhance the synergy among our design partners, and in turn boost Singapore’s profile and attractiveness as a global city for design. SDW features local and international design trade shows, conferences, showcases, exhibitions and workshops that span various design disciplines. Many of the activities will take place at the National Design Centre, the hub of SDW. These activities will also provide opportunities for business, international collaboration and knowledge exchange. The anchor event of SDW is SingaPlural 2015, a dedicated platform to celebrate Singapore’s design talents across creative industries which includes the Singapore Design Business Summit and the Singapore Good Design Mark Exhibition. Other design events that are part of the SDW include the International Furniture Fair Singapore 2015, Maison&Objet Asia 2015 and Design Trails. Visit www.designsingapore.org/SDW for more information.