d+a | Issue 119

25 THIS PIECE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED ON THE DESIGNSINGAPORE COUNCIL’S WEBSITE. SCAN THE QR CODE FOR OTHER FEATURES ON ITS STORIES PAGE. non-profit Participate in Design, feels that consequently, Singapore design “reflects the community’s aspirations and uniqueness”. “The design of spaces, things and processes are grounded in the community and guide people towards what they envision and aspire Singapore to become,” believes Weng Pei Yun, Resources Director of non- profit Climate Cardinals. At the same time, it has a strong element of service – to help improve our lives and propel the economy towards recovery in challenging times. “It’s indeed a collective working attitude of its resilient people,” says Mohammed Syafiq, President of the DesignSingapore Associates Network. “It means a spirit of doing rather than an aesthetical language/look; a verb more than a noun.” Ryan and Shermeen Tan of creative agency OuterEdit surmise it as being innovative even as it is considerate to society, “It introduces new ways of thinking, seeing and doing, it uplifts spirits and looks out for the needs of others.” Whether it is designing our transport system, housing a nation or innovating new technologies to make us a smart nation and loveable city, aspiring filmmaker Ziqq Rafit, Founder of Design Says Hello, feels that Singapore design “considers her people, her diversity, recognises her complexities but always strives and aspires to improve the lives of many”. SINGAPORE DESIGN IS A MULTI-CULTURAL STORY That it has so many sources of inspiration to tap from makes Singapore design an amalgamation of the numerous stories its people, history and culture have to share. “It’s about giving shape and form to current narratives so that stories can be told in the future,” says Kamini Ramachandran, who is behind professional storytelling service-provider Moonshadow Stories. “It tends to be shiny, with edges and the surfaces reveal us within them and offer moments for reflection; it borrows from many muses and influences and this is what connects us to our roots as an immigrant community.” John Cheng, Director of Cheng Yew Heng Candy Factory, crystallises this imagery further, “To me, it captures our passion and progressive nature, similar to how our young nation has developed over the years through struggles, adaptation and sheer determination to be what it is today.” At the same time, it is highly adaptive and multi-cultural, describes Warren Liu, who runs architecture firm A D Lab. Shannon Teoh, a Dsg scholar currently doing his Bachelor in Integrated Design at Tama Art University, adds that Singapore design is “sensitive towards different cultures and seems to make a good balance between different inclinations”. All this results in Singapore design being less of a singular style or approach, and more of a patchwork of variegated ideas. Jewellery designer Carolyn Kan who owns the label Carrie K., sums it up perfectly, “Design is a universal language that triggers emotions often through storytelling. “It should solve problems or add value to people’s lives and the way we approach design is as multi-faceted as our layered culture.” / FEATURE /