THE DESIGN

Chairs are absolutely covetable, when they look as good as the Hage chair, designed by Puah Kim Sing. The chair was shown at the 2008 Furniture Design Awards (FDA) exhibit, where it received a Young Designer Merit Award.

“The Hage chair is practically unbreakable even though there is tension when one sits on it. It is formed from a single rectangular piece of plywood with the letter H cut out from it. The plywood cut-out is then molded into the Hage chair. Through moulding the plywood, the structure acquires strength that makes it safe for use. Yet, it retains a buoyant effect, similar to that of a spring, when sat on. Natural beauty and strength are key qualities of this molded plywood piece.”

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THE ART

Dawn Tan creates fun and fancy children’s illustrations in watercolors.

“Because of global warming, most of our beloved animal species don’t get to live on forever. And that’s really a horrible thought! I See You is a self portrait done for a children’s book, which I wrote about a year ago. At that time, there was a lot of talk about global warming and endangered animal species. So I decided to do my part as an artist, by coming up with a picture book on how climate change affects the animals, and it’s titled ‘The Big Move’. My art has always been happy and cheerful. I know it’s a big ambition, but hopefully my optimism in my art will create an awareness and make an impact one day.”

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THE DESIGN

Wirawan Hasbi Suryanto’s Adam and Eve Love Chair was one of my favorite designs at this year’s Furniture Design Awards (FDA) exhibit, which took place at The Singapore Expo from 9 till 12 March. The theme for FDA 2008 encouraged participants in the Student and Young Designer categories to explore the element of “Tension”.

“Tension can be defined as a balanced relation between strongly opposing elements. I relate this definition to a relationship between couples. When an argument arises, both parties shout out loud about their point of reasoning, which creates a balancing act of tension force. Adam & Eve is love furniture that reacts and changes trough this balancing force, using black to represent Adam and white to represent Eve. Inspired by the beauty of a swan, Adam & Eve took the elegance of its smooth body curvatures and surface indentation. Each form is represented equally, proud and strong. Despite these characteristics, they are physically weak. When you try to sit, Adam & Eve will give a great deal of instability. Without each others support, Adam & Eve will not be functional and become a sculpture piece. A scar line is created in each of them as a representation of a lifetime bond, a scar line that is responsible for the connectivity between Adam and Eve. This scar line creates a need of dependency and a tied knot between Adam & Eve. They may be a strong representative of their own, but their weakness is obvious when they choose not to depend on each other. When users understand the need of existence for Adam & Eve, they will be reminded of the importance of a loved one.”

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THE DESIGN

Nico Teo’s obsession with sewing has led her to create her own universe of fantasy designs known to us as PLUSHISM. First launched at the end of 2005, PLUSHISM already stocks numerous plush toys in an eye-popping array of colors.

“Animal SAM is a fun loving helpful and positive creature. It has a passion for the little things. It wants to rock the world! Miracles will happen when you get to know this beautiful creature.”

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THE DESIGN

If your collection of CDs takes center stage in your living room, you can display them within this unobtrusive, streamlined QUADRA frame, designed by Lui Honfay. The design won first prize (Grand Award, Young Designer Category) in this year’s Furniture Design Award competition, organized by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council.

“Order and chaos can be observed within QUADRA. The CD shelf which comprises regular grids, become and disordered, with the injection of irregular shapes of various sizes within the middle section that is designed to accommodate CD casings of different sizes. Therefore, chaos arises due to functionality. In QUADRA, function and aesthetics are fused together, creating tension.”

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THE DESIGN

It’s been a little while since I came across a pair of kicks I really liked, but this rad pair above totally caught my eye. They are pretty much low key but the subtle accents like the vulcanized eyelets make them stick out. But even though the shoes caught my interest, it was Suhaimi’s bad ass tee collection that held it. Click here to look at some of the prints he’s come up with. Awesome stuff!

THE DESIGNER

26-year old freelance graphic designer, Suhaimi Saadan, is a student at LASALLE College of the Arts, majoring in Visual Communication and Advertising Design.

“I go by the moniker Plastikxp. That’s how I used to call myself during my street-art days. I love to DIY and I’m heavily influenced by street culture as you can see from the stuff that I do. Plastikxp Laboratories started when I decided to stop buying stuff, like shoes and tees, and decided to start making my own. Its a liberating feeling, knowing that you can actually make most of the things you used to buy. I’m currently working with a few of my classmates on a zine called WHY. WHY questions why we buy the stuff we buy. Basically it talks about the economics of consumerism and the sociological aspects as well as the background of 6 individuals whom were being experimented on.”

GIVEAWAY! Culturepush has two Whyzine tees to give away to two lucky readers. To enter, email Michele before 1 April. First two emailers get a tee … so email away!

Update: We have our winners! The contest is closed.

Spotted! is a digest of fly work by fresh off creatives.

THE DESIGN

EverydayWeekend designers Herman Rahoam and Aiwei Foo extend the usefulness of a bed by transforming it into a part-chair, part-bed furnishing.

“The clash of prints and other theories is one of three chairs that we have made under EverydayWeekend, a label that combines our abilities and disabilities, but mostly something we would think is exciting enough to sustain the interest of what we are doing. The structure of this chair is a reclaimed bed which we turned into a floor chair. Now the ‘bed’ is not just for sleeping, but we have removed its bedroom status, to blend in with other living room activities. It has become more versatile as you can still lie on it or sit on it, do anything to it or let your pet have it. All cushions are hand made, with carefully chosen fabric in a juxtaposition of different prints. The reason for using different prints is intentional, so that they clash with each other, yet still feel like everything looks ok.”

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Dance Horizon Troupe (Singapore) returns to dance up a storm with a contemporary performance titled, Enter #1773. Conceptualized by upcoming choreographer Liz Fong, guest dancers Verity Jacobson (Australia) and Ding Qirui (China), come together with Dance Horizon’s resident dancers, to explore the human character in the personal, political and social setting of Enter #1773.

“The production brings in a fascinating interplay of relationship among a few individuals in their mundane life of work and entertainment. The contradicting yet harmonious display of personalities paints a relatively poignant but realistic picture of societal survival in a lighthearted tone. A concoction of human force, vocalization and gesture brought to light with the physicalization of an innate subconscious relationship with the objects surrounding us. A visionary testament of the human condition.”

Drama Centre Black Box (National Library, level 5) from 20 to 22 March. Tickets are available from Tickets.com.

THE DESIGN

Sound is omnipresent, yet we seem not to notice it …

Yong Jieyu’s Paper Ceramic Loudspeakers are part of a noise and sound research project, looking into different aspects of sounds in our environment and our relationship with them.

“When the phonograph was invented, scientists talked about how broadcasting will liberate mankind from lonely isolation. There is perhaps an innate need for us to broadcast our views, propagate our beliefs and share our passion. I created the paper ceramic loudspeakers to draw memory to the way a child uses paper cones as loudspeakers. Since then we have advanced many materials in an attempt to perfect sound amplification. The loudspeakers are made with discarded musical scores and ceramic. Ceramic, having one of the lowest sound absorbent coefficients is one of the best materials for sound amplification; while discarded musical scores are given a second chance to fulfill their destiny - the propagation of music.”

THE DESIGNER

Yong Jieyu is currently pursuing a Masters degree with the Design Academy Eindhoven. ” I am interested in the connection life and design draws.”

Spotted! is a digest of fly work by fresh off creatives.

THE PHOTOGRAPH

How About Cherry

River Chen took this photo last June. She was eating cherries one afternoon, and when she looked in the mirror, she found that the cherry and its juice would make nice props for a photoshoot.

“I set up my tripod and camera, took this shot together with some other photographs -which are still sitting on my laptop, untouched. I was actually inspired by what happens when girls give away their virginity. It is a painful but sweet experience. You will bleed, but it is something nice and meaningful. Just like the cherry I am biting in the photograph … the taste is sweet, but there is a bloody tear running down my face.”

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THE ART

The brainchild of Josef Lee, Adam’s Apple offers a refreshing interpretation of the tale of Adam and Eve, with many laugh-out-loud moments. Adam’s Apple is not sacrilegious by any means, and can be best described as a story about a biblical theme infused with contemporary components.

“I have always loved short stories and wanted to do something like Tim Burton’s ‘The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy’. But it wasn’t easy to write in rhymes so I was stuck for the longest time and nothing came out of it. One day, while thinking of another story during a train ride, the phrase ‘Adam was the eldest son. In fact, he was the only one.’ suddenly popped into my mind. From that point onwards, I knew I had to do a story of Adam and Eve. The Apple idea was developed along the way and it turned out to be a surprise hit among Mac lovers. ”

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THE DESIGN

4843 creatives and institutions from 98 countries have participated in this year’s ‘Dining in 2015′ competition co-organized by designboom and macef. Among the shortlisted entries, I spotted the AG Chopsticks designed by Hock Heng Yap.

“In the past, royalties in the Korean kingdom were using silver (AG) chopsticks to test their food for poison. Although the presence of poison is not of much concern in our modern day society, there is however a growing awareness for the detection of harmful bacteria within our food. Hence the mounting interest in food science and the advances made in bio-sensors. A major breakthrough in this area of science is the use of chromatic conjugated polymer as a fast and simple way to detect harmful food bacteria like E.Coli and Salmonella. When the organic polymer comes into contact with these bacteria, the proteins within the bacteria will cause it to change color. By moulding the polymer in a pair of silver chopsticks, users are provided with a simple tool to test the freshness of their food, safeguarding themselves from possible food poisoning.”

THE DESIGNER

Hock Heng, an Industrial Design graduate (2005) from the National University of Singapore, is currently working as a Design and Technology teacher.

“Having worked as an industrial designer before, I saw the need to inculcate a greater sense of design appreciation in Singapore as I sincerely believe that design will shift the nation forward. Hence, the switch in career from a designer to a design educator. Through school, I hope that it will be possible to instill a spirit for creativity and innovation in the nation’s young minds and, in time, build a design-oriented nation. My philosophy is based on the idea of designing things as how we will use it. This is achieved through keen observation of everyday life and human interactions.”

Spotted! is a digest of fly work by fresh off creatives.

THE ART

Cherie Tan, Creative Genius at *scape and Supreme Editor of frivolous online read, mrrr, does some lovely illustrations in Indian ink. But for this fascinating, if somewhat surreal artwork titled Umbilical, she fuses Indian ink with watercolor.

“I’ve always erred towards the fantastic and macabre. Much of my art doesn’t make sense, and there is seldom deep thought behind them. Umbilical happened while I was looking at biological drawings and thinking about creative incubation. Also, it was like the last piece in the watercolor pad, so better paint something decent, right.”

Browse Cherie’s stylish portfolio for more examples of her work.

Spotted! is a digest of fly work by fresh off creatives.

Founded by Sabrina Lee, MY PAPER CUTS lets you make greeting cards for fictional and insignificant occasions, and for one or two better-known ones. Most of their spin offs require a certain degree of self-involvement, and you will need paper, a printer and a trickle of imagination.

Sabrina is always looking for illustrators, graphic designers and copy writers to come up with off-the-wall anecdotes. So, if you possess magical fingers or a sharp tongue, you can send your artwork to stare@mypapercuts.net.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that all the cards are free.

THE PHOTOGRAPH

she believed and held on
to everything that was once promised,
everything that would be,
fading away…

Since dropping out of school, 19-year-old Zhang Jingna, aka zemotion, has already accomplished a great deal, and her portrait and fashion photography has gotten her plenty of attention. With no formal training but a diversity of influences in art, music, people and cultures, Jingna’s images are artistic, delicate and emotive and almost always tingled with a little tragic.

“The title of my image is ‘Forgotten Fairytales’, and marks the beginning of a fairytale-inspired photo essay. Not all images are as unreal as fairytales, but just almost … without having or needing the obvious traits of the original tales, with only enough elements to suggest the inspiration. The project seeks to touch on emotions and explorations of existence and dreams, with minute reality intact. I wrote a caption to go with this image. I often write captions for pieces that are more important or personal to me.”

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