‘Ji Jian Wu’ (吉简物/ Ji Jian Wu: A belief, A blessing) by Lin Qiuxia
Lin Qiuxia presents contemporary artefacts of belief as vessels for hope under the invisible threat of the coronavirus.

Originated from the ancient divination rituals of Chinese geomancy, each object by Lin Qiuxia is designed to maintain the Feng Shui meaning associated with its traditional counterpart. Like amulets, these contemporary artefacts are vessels that carry one’s hopes and wishes to bring forth good fortune and ward off ill health, assuaging fears and easing anxieties.

‘Canvas’ by Ng Luowei & Mervyn Chen
‘Canvas’ offers a visionary approach to the ‘make do and mend’ culture which fell out of fashion as goods became cheaper. Designers Ng Luowei and Mervyn Chen have repurposed quick-drying liquid rubber paint to become a material that can be used to restore and repair worn-out shoes in creative patterns. Shoe repair is democratised, and unique works emerge in every attempt to breathe new life into old favourites, thereby reducing the number of shoes that are unnecessarily thrown away each year. The work recalls old repairing cultures in the frugality of the impending economic recession due to the pandemic.

Design Probes by Kevin Chiam
Our conditioned reflexes and unconscious behaviours, such as our tendency to touch our face mask, can place us in harm’s way. Through design probes that nudge behavioural change, Kevin Chiam innovates design solutions to overcome our worst inclinations and safeguard our health and wellbeing.

Soap Tattoos – created to bring delight to children in the repetitive sanitising process of “the new normal” – dissolve upon contact with water to reveal animal prints, while ‘Echo’ is a response to building fire fatalities of those dismissing emergencies as false alarms; it is a fire alarm system that uses an imminent bursting balloon to motivate occupant evacuation.

‘Phenomenal Wood’ by Jasmine Quek
The ‘Chun’ collection by Jasmine Quek – part of her wider ‘Phenomenal Wood’ project – is a modern reinterpretation of traditional teaware that is used in the Chinese GongFu tea ceremony. The contemporary tea set, that explores new interpretation of familiar materials, brings a ritual of mindfulness into our homes in times of quarantine fatigue.

‘Grained Tea Boat’ was created from a block of hemlock wood that was sandblasted to naturally remove its softer, more water-absorbent earlywood. This formed gaps between the harder latewood that remains undisturbed to create naturally sculpted slats that allows the tea to seep through during the ritual of rinsing the tea leaves and warming the tea pot.

‘Inked Tray’ adorns a stain akin to traditional Chinese painting. By simply rubbing steel wool across the surface of vinegar-coated wood, a chemical reaction that permanently alters wood’s colour along the grains as the vinegar dries off, forming a natural pattern that the guest can appreciate during the tea ritual.

ABOUT DESIGNSINGAPORE COUNCIL
The DesignSingapore Council was established in 2003 to help develop the nation’s design sector. This follows from the Singapore’s Economic Review Committee report, which identified the creative industry as one of the three new sectors (including education and healthcare) for economic growth. Developing the design sector can help to enhance Singapore’s value proposition; as well as contribute to the country’s economic growth and social progress.

The vision of the DesignSingapore Council is for Singapore to be an innovation-driven economy and a loveable city through design by 2025. As the national agency for design, the Council’s mission is to develop the design sector, help Singapore use design for innovation and growth, and make life better in this UNESCO Creative City of Design. Our work focuses on three areas. First, we help organisations and enterprises use design as a strategy for business growth; and for excellent delivery of public services. Second, we nurture industry-ready talents skilled in design and innovation; and engender a design-minded workforce for the future economy. Third, we advance the Singapore brand through raising design appreciation on homeground; and making emotional connections with people across the world.

Singapore was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Design in December 2015. This designation supports the development of a creative culture and eco-system in Singapore that fully integrates design and creativity into everyday life. It is also an opportunity for Singapore to collaborate internationally with the cities of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). The City of Design Office is sited within the DesignSingapore Council to coordinate and implement programmes that contributes towards the UCCN mission.
www.designsingapore.org / @designsingapore

ABOUT FOREST & WHALE
Based in Singapore and Buenos Aires, Gustavo Maggio and Wendy Chua co-founded the multi-disciplinary design practice Forest & Whale in 2015 to create product, furniture and spatial experiences. Their focus lies in co-creation with communities, pedagogies to instil creativity in children, museum design and curatorial research. They have recently designed the Red Dot Design Museum in Xiamen, China, and curated the exhibition Human–Nature for Red Dot Design Museum Singapore. Formerly part of the design collective Outofstock, their works have received the Electrolux Design Lab Award, Red Dot Design Award, Japan’s Good Design Award and the Singapore President*s Design Award. www.forestandwhale.com