Singapore Design Week: Editor’s Picks
We round up some of our must-see events and installations during Singapore Design Week 2023, all taking place under the theme ‘Better by Design’
Last year, Singapore Design Week (SDW) made its much-anticipated return with a new vision demonstrating the Lion City’s distinctive brand of creativity, and this year the city-wide design showcase returns from 21 September to 1 October, with more than 80 events, installations and exhibitions, all curated under the banner ‘Better by Design’.
It was Singapore’s erstwhile Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who said that ‘Singapore is a nation by design’, and DesignSingapore Council continues in this spirit, championing design and creativity that helps meet complex challenges and shape a better future.
Here are the events and exhibitions we’re most looking forward to seeing.
Bras.Basah Bugis Design District
This year, Singapore Design Week introduces Design Districts, each of which will
‘reflect the unique character and charm of its community and offer a wealth of immersive design experiences within walking distance’. This year the districts will span three key precincts, Bras Basah.Bugis, Marina Bay and Orchard Road, with Bras Basah.Bugis hosting a Friday Late event.
Friday Late at Bras Basah.Bugis
22 September, 7 p.m.
instagram.com/brasbasahbugis
Bras Basah.Bugis will also host three special festival commissions:
Playground of Possibilities by Jackson Tan of BLACK
As part of the Bras Basah.Bugis Design District, Singaporean designer and design curator Jackson Tan of creative agency BLACK will present a showcase of innovative designs that go beyond solving problems to shaping Singapore’s future.
21 Sep–31 Dec 2023
National Design Centre Atrium
School of Tomorrow by Pann Lim of Kinetic
Curated by designer Pann Lim, co-founder of creative agency Kinetic Singapore, School of Tomorrow is a showcase exploring how we might build a sustainable city by design and inspire the next generation to be more sustainable.
21 September–1 October
Selegie Arts Centre
FI&LD by Ong-Ker Shing and Joshua Comaroff of Lekker Architects
Modelling a new inclusive design philosophy, experiential showcase FI&LD is curated by Ong-Ker Shing and Joshua Comaroff of Singapore-based Lekker Architects.
21 September–1 October
LASALLE College of the Arts
Image by Goh Kim Hui
Hybrid Horizons
Presented by Hothouse, a creative space founded by design studio Currency, architecture research lab formAxioms and media artist collective INTER–MISSION, Hybrid Horizons presents a diverse range of projects including a virtual gallery game exploring retro-futures and decolonial narratives; a design project challenging traditional scent categories; a multimedia presentation at the intersection of architecture and the entertainment-industrial complex; and The Perfect Art School, a dialogue between art educator Martin Constable and art curator Susie Lingham on the challenges in creative education landscapes.
21 September–1 October
28 Aliwal Street, #01-10
LASALLE College of the Arts
Design Futures Forum 2023: Design for Better Futures
This year’s symposium adopts a participatory format in the form of the Design Futures Forum. Featuring a diverse lineup of distinguished speakers from Singapore and around the world, the forum will examine three key areas design can, and must, address when it comes to designing for better futures: the future of sustainability, emerging tech and care. Note that the Forum is a ticketed event.
25 September
Drama Centre Theatre, National Library Building
FIND – Design Fair Asia
One of Singapore Design Week’s anchor events, FIND – Design Fair Asia
is a combination of trade show and design fair, offering some of the best in furniture, interiors and design brands. The fair will provide a platform for Singaporean design brands and designers to be showcased alongside leading global brands and manufacturers and the region's most exciting talents in one holistic experience.
21–23 September 2023
Marina Bay Sands
Image by Penoramic Publishing
Design Anthology at FIND – Global Summit
As part of FIND – Design Fair Asia, the Global Summit is curated by Yoko Choy, China Editor of Wallpaper* magazine, and takes places within Stefano Boeri Interiors’ Italian Design Futures Capsule.
The summit takes place across three days and includes some 50 speakers, with three discussions led by Design Anthology’s team.
21 September
Editorial director Simone Schultz will host The Renaissance Of Workspace with Matthew Burke of M Moser Associates, Jaelle Ang of The Great Room and Nayan Parekh of Gensler
22 September
Editor-in-chief Suzy Annetta will host Emerge: Craft & Industry / Man & Machine, with designers Hana Surya, Hans Tan, Lilianna Manahan and Pakphum ‘Nanu’ Youttananukorn
22 September
Creative director Jeremy Smart will host The Balancing Act: Navigating Brand Challenges in the Physical and Digital Realms with Sukwoo Lee of SWNA, Hanyi Lee of Anak and Joey Claronino of McCANN Singapore
Net Zero Is Not Enough: Cesar Jung-Harada and Sarah Ichioka
Part of the inaugural ArtScience Residency at ArtScience Museum, Net Zero Is Not Enough sees environmentalist, designer and entrepreneur Cesar Jung-Harada working with urbanist, strategist and curator Sarah Mineko Ichioka to highlight the need for regenerative design in our efforts to achieve greater ecological balance for our collective future.
They propose that the designer wields great influence in our cultural and political landscape; they serve to manifest revolutionary ideas, and in so doing can catalyse systemic and structural change. With such responsibility in hand, they ask, what mindsets could designers adopt when looking towards design futures?
22 September
ArtScience Museum, ArtScience Cinema (Level 4)
Image by Penoramic Publishing
Wunderground
Presented by the Singapore Retailers Association, this lifestyle event ‘celebrates collaboration, creativity, and entrepreneurship within the local community’. Expect a showcase of local and international design-led lifestyle brands, food vendors and live music as well as interactive art experiences, installations and murals.
21 September–1 October
Old Singapore Chinese Girls School Campus
wundergroundsg.com
Image by Penoramic Publishing
Aesop Presents Khronos: a Skin Odyssey
Coinciding with Singapore Design Week, Aesop presents Khronos: a Skin Odyssey, an artful installation dedicated to the connection between the skin and overall wellbeing. The Greek word khronos (‘time’) evokes Aesop’s uncomplicated approach to skin care — an unhurried combination of select formulations applied daily, thoughtful dietary choices, an active lifestyle and activities that nurture the mind. Set within Singapore’s iconic Fort Canning Park at Raffles House, Khronos: a Skin Odyssey is a sensorial experience that invites visitors to contemplate the synergy between their skin’s condition and a balanced lifestyle.
Within the same venue, a secondary space awaits at the next-door Old Married Soldiers’ Quarters, where visitors can take part in workshops and activities for both the skin and psyche, and get personalised skincare advice from Aesop's trained consultants.
