Hi, I’m JUN and I run Ufho, a graphic design studio specialised in art direction, graphic design and illustration. Constantly evolving, I work across the fields of art, fashion, music, as well as the advertising industry by day. I also work as part of the design collective Momorobo on various projects.

My works can be found on Illusive 2 by Die Gestalten Verlag (Germany), DesignPolitics exhibiton (Chile), 60, Unite for Children Book (for UNICEF), InkThis exhibition and DIGIT Magazine (UK) etc. The Ufho site has also been acknowledged by several design portals such as ComputerLove, Digital Abstracts, Design is Kinky, ComputerArts and so on.

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You can catch Momorobo’s work for Adidas at Pacific Plaza, Adidas Originals Concept Store till 12 November. MORE »

Opening this Friday at  Forth Art Gallery is a mixed media exhibition titled Nobodies’ Body by emerging artists Eudora Rusli, Schmeezo, Jacqueline Sim, Koh Pei Chen and Tan Li Xin.

I asked Schmeezo about the title of the exhibition. ‘Nobodies’ Body will represent one body of thought; the individual interpretation. The body of anything is what holds each individual parts of something together. A collective term used to describe a state of being. At least this is how we see it. As humans, our body is what we are. It represents us visually and physically to portray what our heart feels and what our mind wants us to do. Without our body, we will just be roaming souls in search of space … an entity to call our own. As the five of us started to realise how the term ‘body’ can be translated into so many meanings, we realised how much impact a body of something can be. To us, the subject “body” doesn’t only apply to a physical formation that we are all able to see. The term is an interesting subject that can be manipulated in so many ways.’

THE ARTISTS

Eudora Rusli is currently doing her BA in Fine Arts at LASALLE, graduating in 2008. Jacqueline Sim, Koh Pei Chen and Tan Li Xin are all graduates from LASALLE Fine Arts and are having full time jobs while still pursuing their artistic passion. Schmeezo is doing her final year at the National Institute of Education (NIE) and will be teaching English and Art after graduation. She has been actively involved in many projects, including the latest NIKE Windrunner Campaign and the Wheelock Art Gallery.

This exhibition will be on view through 16 November at the Forth Art Gallery.

THE DESIGN

Tagger bags were created by Dutch media artist and designer Peter van Veldhoven in 2003 and are made of truck tarpaulin. The messenger bags are completely (re-) customizable by clicking the strap and sticking the flap with buckles and velcro. The flap is a great surface, enabling artists to personalize the bag with their artwork. For the launch of their Singapore store earlier this year, Tagger invited artists to make a unique Tagger bag and paintings which are now on display in the store.

Visual artist, Luthfi Mustafah aka The Killer Gerbil was one of the artists. He briefly talks to Culturepush about his collab with the company. ‘I was approached by Tagger Singapore before the opening of their store to paint a mural that incorporated both my character and the bags. After the mural, I was invited to become part of the Tagger Singapore crew to represent them for live painting and customizing shows and to rock their cool bags and products.’ MORE »

THE DESIGN

Josiah Chua Kian was one of the ten finalists of The Cuckoo Couture Design Awards organized by The Butter Factory. During the Awards show on Saturday he sent out an ornate Baroque dress that was as soft and angelic as it was meticulous and couture-like. Josiah explains, ‘I reverted to centuries-old fashion for inspiration and created a dress reminiscent of the Baroque era in order to convey a bold message. I extracted elements from culture and architecture, to give the dress an avant-garde look. Using the haute couture way of dress making, I produced a garment that oozes the expression of art in fashion.’ MORE »

Hi, we are the folks from sweetmusic.fm. An internet radio station that serves up an eclectic mix of alternative sounds, sweetmusic.fm comprises a group of spirited music lovers who wish to spread the gospel of good music. They assign themselves names by different colours on their radio web site, and attempt to rock the cyber airwaves with their colourful perception of music. Rock, pop or bop, hear it all on sweetmusic.fm. MORE »

‘During my younger days, I witnessed that a lack of belief in local design shadowed the brilliance of Singaporean designers. Most people with an arts or design education did not pursue a related career because design lacked mass appeal.’ With that in mind Marcus Chiang, started Designed in Singapore, a must-hit shop for people with a knack for edgy, forward motion products, designed by local talent. MORE »

THE ART

Lim Si Ping designed ‘Rise Design’ for Tiger Translate, Tiger Beer’s movement to support Asian’s emerging generation of creative talents. Ping explains, ‘Tiger Beer has risen from a local beer to an international brand widely recognized throughout the world. I wanted to use the brand’s success and its famous symbol of a Tiger to reflect Singapore’s success in developing into a first world country. While the young Singapore had a very difficult beginning struggling for independence, its people have always been tenacious and forward-looking. Tiger Beer’s contrasting colour theme of orange and blue is applied in this design; the high-rise buildings make a perfect colour and height contrast against the orange roof tops of suburb shophouses built during the early beginning years of Singapore. This reflects how we have advanced from a third world country to a first world country.’ MORE »

What do Wet Dreams, Purity, Beautiful Distortion and Auschwitz Camp have in common? They’re among the Cuckoo Couture designs that will rule the runway at The Butter Factory this Saturday at 10.30pm. The Cuckoo Couture Design Awards is an annual infinitely quirky fashion event organized by The Butter Factory in conjunction with Singapore Fashion Week 2007.

Culturepush slips backstage for a peek at the eye-grabbing collection of kooky creations that were undeniably ‘fashion-as-art’. MORE »

Hi, we are Safuan, Norman, Nadia and Yazer from flannelmag, a bi-annual online magazine that tucks in photography, art, design, music, fashion and lifestyle. flannelmag is a portal for leading as well as upstart local and international creatives to collaborate and contribute, towards a common theme that is woven in every issue. An open portrayal of the season in recap from events, trends and personal reviews. Contributors and personalities from a hybrid experience share personal views and opinions, as well as crafts through artwork or literature contributions and personality features.

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flannelmag issue #02 Breakthrough will go live on 25 October. MORE »

THE DESIGN

Fabrix Laptop Sleeves were born out of frustration at what designer Colin Chen calls “the uninspirational laptop cases” he found in the marketplace. Colin focused his attention on what he likes to call ‘turning a simple idea into a beautiful product’ and came up with ‘a lifestyle line for laptops’—or, in other words, funky laptop sleeves. Following a simple, utilitarian standard, the laptop sleeve features contemporary fabric designs coupled with quality stitching, a streamlined shape, and daring shades. Says Colin, ‘Each sleeve is individually handcrafted to fit the laptop perfectly with an internal compartment that is lined with quilted padding to keep your laptop safe.’ The sleeve boasts striking colour options that include the urban camo for unruly guys and girls alike, the saucy red fury, and, for the minimalists, the classic denim black. MORE »

I absolutely loved Enid Blyton’s books when I was a child – especially the Faraway Tree series. I always wanted to meet the weird characters that lived in the tree- Angry Pixie, Mr Whatsizname, The Saucepan Man, Dame Washalot, Silky the beautiful fairy, and Moonface, the owner of the Slippery Slip. But most of all, I wanted to climb through the purple hole in the thick white cloud at the top of the tree and disappear into the fantastic lands where I could live plenty of exciting adventures with my friends.

Such was my expectation when I stepped foot in Hotel Majestic’s newly opened avant-garde bar on Bukit Pasoh Raod. Zadok Ben-David’s ‘Living Man’ sculpture on the side-wall outside the bar was case in point and set the right mood. Just inside, tree-like columns are rising languorously along the wall, accented by an intricate Donna Ong installation and complemented by Yuki Chong’s overhead abstract green-stained glass. The faux leaves wall-panels and the tree sculpture tables on the second floor reflected the branches and foliage, and Sandra Lee’s blue mural on the top floor captured the magical air of the treetop and beyond.

I like it when you can turn every which way and you’re still amazed. That’s the concept with this bar—every time you turn around, you’re going to see something different. And the more you drink, the more you see … MORE »

Hi, I am Adrian Wee. I DJ under the alter-ego of ‘wee.like.me’, a familiar name at the Poptart nights- a night that pays tribute to a spectrum of alternative rock music ranging from nostalgic grunge and punk to current British Invasion and Electro. I currently hosts Poptart every Wednesday, as well as POP/RE/TART, which takes a more electronic twist, monthly, at The Butter Factory.

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Poptart Massive Midweek Mayhem happens every Wednesday, and POP/RE/TART happens every last Wednesday of the month at The Butter Factory.

MORE »

The MUON Love Drops EP giveaway closes on 31 October. There are only a few EPs left, so hurry up and email me pronto to score your copy before they’re all gone!

Update 12 October: There are no more copies left. More luck next time!

THE DESIGN

‘Form follows function’ is a direct, critical statement to describe furniture. A chair would always be a chair. A table would always be a table. Regardless of how furniture is designed, their outward appearance merely changes but their primary function remains. Despite such overly superficial exploration, the question next is, could a piece of furniture still be special with its very initial simple, archetypal ‘look’ and own a special identity all in one. This sets the objective of the ‘Mitosis Chair’ project.

The ‘Mitosis Chair’ consists of a wooden structure and inner glass chair, where it makes use of the simple ‘drawer mechanism’ to reveal the hidden glass chair within the wooden core. The deliberate use of solid wood and fragile glass is to reflect the schizophrenic nature of the design and achieve the intended reactions of surprise and doubt. The chair, therefore, is a satisfactory design outcome. Click here for a visual on how to ‘use’ the chair. MORE »

The thought of introducing a space for Culturepush readers to interact, share, collaborate and meet other like-minded people crossed our minds several times, and after deciding to shun the ubiquitous Facebook group idea, we decided to set up our own mini-social networking space on Ning.

Voila, welcome to The Culturepush Wank Shed!

Signing up is free and allows you to post on the forums, upload music, videos and photos, customize your own profile page, make friends with others and even a personal blog. If you want to be the first to know about future contests and events that we are planning in the near future, sign up as well! Michele and I will be serving as your resident bartenders and we will keep the conversation flowing.