If you still need proof that Singapore is quietly transforming itself into a regional design and creative dynamo, Singapore Design Week 2024 (26 September to 6 October) is exhibit A.
This year’s theme, ‘People of Design’, presents an insight into what event organiser DesignSingapore Council describes as ‘the everyday visionaries who shape our society through design… and enhance how we experience life’.
The remit is as broad as it is ambitious, but even a cursory scan of the programme shows there is plenty of breathing space for the designers, curators and artists to explore the festival’s three pillars: Design Futures (the future of design and designing that future), Design Marketplace (lifestyle trends viewed through a Southeast Asian lens), and Design Impact (innovative solutions for a better world).
As Aric Chen, the artistic director of Het Nieuwe Institut and one of the speakers at the week’s marquee event, Design Futures Forum, puts it, ‘Singapore has a thriving design [scene], alongside government policies – especially around regenerative practices – that are among the most progressive in the world. And that makes Singapore Design Week a fantastic platform for bringing them together.’
Given that so much is on show over the 11-day event, we sifted through the offerings to present our top picks.
What to see at Singapore Design Week 2024
EMERGE@FIND
Emerge showcases South-East Asian contemporary design under the aegis of satellite event FIND – Design Fair Asia. Curator Suzy Annetta’s focus on 50 emerging and established designers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – with their works up for sale at online art gallery, The Artling – builds on her observation that Asian designers are ‘contemplating the state of the world and thinking about how they can comment, reflect, contribute and bring about change via a wide range of creative approaches. My take is that identity, culture and the environment are top of mind.’
Headlining the crop are Thai designers Saran Yen Panya whose ‘Vanity Collection’ of mirrors dissects identity in an era of social media influencers; and Indonesian collective Threadapeutic, whose ‘Peek a Window’ – room dividers constructed of lace and brocade – wonders what kind of design deserves our attention.
26-28 September at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre.
Future Impact 2: Homecoming Showcase
Fresh from its showing at Milan Design Week 2024, Future Impact 2’s debut on home turf has been much anticipated, not least for its exploration of innovative design solutions to social problems. Gabriel Tan’s ‘Good Gourd – Hybrid Basketry’, for instance, features colourful table lamps handwoven around 3D-printed resin shells as a demonstration of how traditional crafts can be preserved while reducing human labour.
David Lee takes a similar tack, his laser-cut ‘Monolith’ chair and table addressing not just environmental concerns but also the sustainability of resource-intense manufacturing practices.
Asian Civilisations Museum
Marina Design District
Three Singaporean districts – Bras Basah/Bugis, Orchard and Marina Bay – have been picked to spotlight special design commissions and exhibitions that reflect the character of each. At the Marina Design District, curator and designer Nathan Yong’s ‘Neu Folk: Bridging Tradition and Future in Design’ explores the future of Singaporean design in the context of the collective spirit of communities.
Millenia Walk
Design Fair Asia
A blue-chip roll-call of furniture, interiors and design brands, including Hansgrohe and Toyo, descends on Marina Bay Sands for the third edition of Asia’s largest design trade fair. The headliner will be FIND Global Summit, a pow-wow of over 50 property developers, architects and design mavens curated by Wallpaper* China editor Yoko Choy.
Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre
So Plast!c by Studio Karyn Lim
Industrial designer Karyn Lim’s solution to the endemic problem of single-use plastic is to convert bags into plastic yarn, which she then crochets into skeletal-like string baskets, while bottle caps and food and drink packaging are converted into eco-polymer sheets to make handsome, low-slung tables.
26-28 September at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre
Singapore Design Week 2024 runs from 26 September to 6 October 2024 at various locations across the island. www.sdw.sg
