SINGAPORE – Anyone can be a designer, says Mr Jackson Tan, lead curator for the Bras Basah-Bugis design district of the Singapore Design Week (SDW).
“From mothers who plate up food for children using colours and textures to newly-wed couples who do up their new homes on their own, design is no longer the preserve of trained professionals,” he says.
SDW is the flagship festival and design showcase of the Design Singapore Council (DSG). The festival theme, Better by Design, is also the motto of DSG, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2023.
There are three design districts at SDW, which runs from Sept 21 to Oct 1 at Bras Basah-Bugis, Orchard and Marina Bay. Each design district will reflect the character and charm of its communities and offer immersive design experiences within walking distance of each attraction.
Bras Basah-Bugis district will highlight special commissions by local curators that reflect the key issues of innovation, sustainability and inclusivity.
Orchard, meanwhile, will showcase lifestyle experiences that combine design and retail, architect tours and an exhibition of toys repurposed from disposable wooden chopsticks.
Over at Marina Bay, Asia’s biggest showcase for furniture, interiors and design called Find – Design Fair Asia (also known as Find) will be held from Sept 21 to 23. It will take up more than 12,500 sq m of exhibition space at Marina Bay Sands and features about 300 brands from 18 countries.
According to Find’s event director Carl Press, the Asia-Pacific’s interior design market is a draw. He says furniture, interior and design objects are in high demand for residential, commercial or hospitality projects, since China is experiencing a “period of adjustments”.
“Find has seen an astonishing 60 per cent exhibition growth rate compared with its inaugural showing in 2022,” he adds. “It is an evolving platform for the rapidly changing interiors sector and swiftly becoming a prominent strategic hub for brands that want to tap market opportunities and the zeitgeist in Asia.”
The Emerge showcase at Find, curated by founding editor-in-chief of global luxury interiors and urban design magazine Design Anthology, Ms Suzy Annetta, will shine a spotlight on about 50 South-east Asian makers and artisans.
There will also be a special collection of 80 iconic Italian design objects that embody Italian craftsmanship at a new Italia Geniale exhibition.
To mark DSG’s two decades, the council will present the Design Futures Forum that brings together thought leaders from different sectors. They will discuss and explore how the worlds of design and business, as well as the social and public sectors, can collaborate in the critical areas of sustainability, emerging technologies and care.
In the line-up are Dr Tom Waller, a sports, health and fitness innovation expert; Ms Lim Sze Ling, chief transformation officer at ServiceSG; and Mr Lee Poh Wah, chief executive of the Lien Foundation.
For the first time, there will be a Friday Late event at the Bras Basah-Bugis district on Sept 22. Festivalgoers can immerse themselves in the creative pulse of the district and enjoy live demonstrations, a pop-up retail market and food stalls that will be open till 11pm.
The design festival, which debuted in 2005, is one of Asia’s premier design festivals that celebrates Singapore’s distinctive brand of creativity. It aims to be a global creative event that also highlights South-east Asian designers.
It is organised by DSG, which represents Singapore at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN). Singapore joined the network in 2015.
Ms Dawn Lim, DSG’s executive director, says the impact of design stretches far beyond designers alone.
“In many ways, our motto of Better by Design exemplifies much of what it is that the council has been doing for the past two decades,” says Ms Lim. “Besides developing our design community, the council has also been working with local communities, businesses as well as schools to deepen the use of design.”
When DSG started in 2003 under founding executive director Milton Tan, it developed programmes in partnership with the former IE Singapore and Spring Singapore to enable companies to understand and access design as a strategic tool for business competitiveness.
Ms Lim adds that design literacy is not limited to designers.
“We also partner educators from general education and tertiary levels, as well as industry partners and policymakers, to nurture design thinking as a mindset to students from as young as age seven.”
This is achieved through initiatives such as DSG’s Learning by Design, which started in 2022 to nurture creative youth ready to ride the future waves of change.
It is also achieved through the Design Education Advisory Committee. Formed in 2020, this is the first national platform for Singapore’s design educators, industry leaders and the government to help shape the quality of design education and embed design into the nation’s education system.
On the cards is a biennial Design Education Summit called “I am (NOT) Creative”, expected to be launched in November, to challenge the presumption that design literacy is only for those with formal design training.
In 2022, the festival attracted more than 300,000 visitors, and DSG hopes to see more of the creative community and festivalgoers out in full force in 2023.
These visitors can check out an exhibition that pushes the boundaries of sustainable design through a 1kg 3D-printable model challenge in Orchard Road. The displays include a contribution from leading Japanese car companies.
“SDW is a chance for Singaporeans and our visitors to experience and engage with design up close, and we have always held this mission close to our hearts,” says Ms Lim. “There is something for everyone.”