THE ART

Chun Kai Feng is an artist with a meticulous dedication to craftsmanship. “I like to draw and make things small,” he says, “I work in a tiny studio in Little India. I am undernourished but I hope I will never give up on making art.”

On his art, “I work with models as they are powerful tools for recapturing and speculating reality, I can indulge in fantasy and am able to express complex layers of information.”

“Modelling can arouse a desire for ambitious fantasy and it is also a place of escape, for confronting interiority, safely away from the rigours of the outside world.”

MORE »

THE ART

Click for More Images.

Taking his inspiration from anime, manga and girls in kimonos, Gene Ho adds a touch of something unexpected to an everyday plastic raincoat.

“Anime and manga have always been my guiding light to all my illustrations. Bold and fine clean lines with soft colors as finishing. I’ve also always been captivated by the kimono in its many forms. The delicacy and beauty of a girl in kimono comes to mind and a sense of serenity flows with it. And I place the girl in different scenarios I have in mind. I like to see my illustrations fused with my surroundings. From furniture to fabrics and products. I name all my girls because I think they should each have their own character and emotions.”

THE ARTIST

After closing down his design studio in 2005, Gene Ho became a full-time freelance illustrator.

“I was in search of greater prospects in the creative circle. Inspired by the vast amount of illustration work, my passion for illustration started to bloom again. I’ve got a few selected illustrators that inspire me, most of which are Japanese. I am a big fan of everything Japanese, especially when it comes to design and architecture and that is why I fuse Japanese elements into my work.”

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

THE DESIGN

Chai Jun Yea used his experience in architecture and his understanding of ergonomics and Modern Asian aesthetics to develop a range of timeless acrylic products. LINE (above) is a horizontal plateau over your lap and can be used as a laptop tray on one side and a breakfast tray on the other side.

Also in the range, LINE2 , a stylish docking station for your laptop that can also be used as an elegant serving tray, and  SINE, the equivalent of a table on a couch or bed.

THE DESIGNER

Architect Chai Jun Yea is a Partner in an architectural firm specialised in green architecture. He finds his passion in creating all things simple, innovative, intuitive and beautiful. “I am always inventing, designing and creating new products that benefit the general public.”

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

THE PHOTOGRAPH

Prior to graduation, Stefanie Djie decided to initiate a body of photographic work that would not be loud, nor falsely accessorized; a series that needed no beautification to enhance the image, and yet with the immense intensity that derives from the moment.

“Nudity was almost an immediate honest answer,” says Stefanie, “and yet I truly had not considered that Nakedness would be more than bodies and beliefs, “it is a political and moral minefield” (Greer, 2007). I was almost startled by the response of our culture; nakedness is never perceived as an organic form, but a taboo, a state without clothing. Regardless of the intent of the photographer, a photograph of a naked individual can never be perceived neutrally. What constitutes a problem is not the thing, or the environment where we find the thing, but the conjunction of the two; something unexpected in a usual place, or something usual in an unexpected place. (Winterson, 1985).”

MORE »

THE DESIGN

Click image for more views.a

The Ore Playseater is a fantastical chair with a contemporary design and an inbuilt fun factor that will enhance any child’s imagination.

Fadzli explains, “The Ore Playseater explores the creative potential of your child. The chair allows different positions and postures. It’s all about fun and play. Turn it over and you have a stool. Ore intrigues the child’s mind, helps to develop communication and explores the different types of sitting positions other than rocking.”

MORE »

THE ART

Click for full view.

Influenced by Swiss surrealist, Hans Ruedi Giger’s Alien, Wong Ker used color markers to produce ‘Coelacanth’, a menacing creature that seems to walk the line between playful and grotesque.

Wong Ker explains, “The Coelacanth work is actually based on a cat rather than a fish; more specifically, the skull of a cat. It is primarily an amalgamation of various parts of animals, whether they exist or not. The physiological structure is inspired by H.R. Giger’s Alien, manifested by the ‘bio-mechanical’ tubes nested in the skull and the ‘mouth-within-a-mouth’ peeking out from the jaws. The ‘muscle fibres’ that connect the various parts can also be interpreted as gills, since there is a suggestion that this is an aquatic creature. The shadow lurking in the background is derived from a sea star, a kind of starfish, but its form has been modified to achieve a more ‘alien-like’ and menacing disposition. I have always been fascinated by animal anatomy since very young, especially those of creatures very much different from ourselves, like insects and other invertebrates.”

MORE »

THE DESIGN

Alicia Koh’s distinctive ‘Spinnable Wheel Bracelet’ packs the lasting memories and the sentimental significance of her grandfather’s old workshop.

“I used elements and properties from his workshop,” Alicia says, “and transferred them onto a jewelry piece; the combination of corrugated texture, perspective vanishing point and a flexible spinnable bicycle wheel …. crafted with reminiscences.”

MORE »

THE DESIGN

Created by London-based Industrial Designer, Eujin Pei, this A4-size ClampLight has a strong grip on just about any surface around the house.

Eujin explains, “This compact and space saving ambient light can be used at the bed-side, or placed along book shelves, for both function and decorative reasons. The inclusion of the handle design makes one desire to carry and handle the lamp. The energy-saving compact fluorescent lamp conserves power and emits little heat. The lamp is crafted with tough ABS plastic that retains its shape regardless of temperature or rough handling.”

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

THE ART

William Chua aka Xiaobaosg does retro style artwork, inspired by Chinese political poster-art.

“As I am much influenced by Japanese and Chinese culture, vintage or retro design naturally became one of my favorite topics for my artwork. I tried to follow, explore and catch the raw and old style feel of old posters, using their color palettes and textures. This is part 4 of the Panda revolution, which is inspired by the Chinese Cultural Revolution era, with a mixture of some graffiti elements.”

MORE »

THE DESIGN

Cheah and Derryah, the designers of the Style Damsel label, embrace the challenging curves of a woman’s body by creating streamlined garments that are as body-conscious as they are practical and playful.

Cheah about the design (above), ” The Midnight Blue Frills is made from premium classic midnight blue cotton voile, and it’s flattering silhouette highly compliments the womanly figure. The feminine cascading frills fuse with the primp Mandarin collar to inject a dose of elegance and sophistication into the soft, flowy dress. The V-shaped style-line, and matching sash that finishes off in a sweet bow brings any wearer from corporate-chic to a ladies’ nights out in a snap.”

MORE »

THE ART

Tuck’s vector work is peppered with images of fantastical, cute-oozing characters. About the inspiration behind his smiley monsters, Tuck says, “I enjoy illustrating weird characters that are strange but yet humorous or cute. I get inspiration from the web, MTV, music and vinyl toys. This illustration consists of different characters I designed by mixing and matching different elements together. You can see a van with a bunny head, a smoking robot with headphones, a green hairy creature with a helmet and goggles, a space helmet with a worm in it etc etc. It is really an awesome way to design strange hybrid characters that make no sense!”

MORE »

THE DESIGN

Click for full view.

CRISP designers, Brian Law and Tan Sixu, drew their inspiration for the INCONVERSATION floor loungers and low tables from traditional Asian culture, where daily routines of work and play were all performed on the floor.

Brian explains, “A living room should be as it suggests, a “living room”; a space within a home dedicated and faithful to the flow and movement of people and vibrant conversation. Regrettably, degrading social patterns of interaction and the emerging dissolution of the family cluster has effectuated increasing reclusion and disengagement among family members. By infusing emotive qualities and extracting silhouettes and curves from human postures to form different ‘characters‘, the series of floor loungers whimsically cast the impression of people in conversation with one another.”

MORE »

THE ART

Click image for full view.

Visual Communications student and Freelance Illustrator, Julienne Tan, creates delicate illustrations that evoke a feeling of quiet storytelling, removed from its surrounding environment, occupying only one corner of the pictorial space.

“This illustration is part of the Whispered series, things I will never say. I draw straight on paper with a 0.1 point pen. I draw slowly and let the picture evolve line by line. It starts with a memory, that could be as faint as a facial expression or as abstract as a song. I draw a little at a time; rushing will only break the rhythm. Every drawing is embedded with personal stories and characters, sometimes words. The above illustration is about waiting and listening.”

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

THE DESIGN

Click for more views.

Bacus Boo’s fascinating playtable can be appreciated as a sculptural object as well as an entirely functional piece of furniture. The design is inspired by Dakotsu Iida’s poem, Snowy Valleys:

“Dew on a leaf of taro. The mountains rectify their shadows.”

“In this poem, the eyes of the poet focus on the play of visual scale versus the distant views. He presents the imposing image of the mountains and the deep valley in a surrealistic way. The foregrounds such as “Dew on a leaf of taro” play secondary parts and decorate the distant views, making beautiful harmonies like the offering of flowers in front of an altar. My idea is to create a pseudo-perspective on this table by combining the distant view (the mountain and valleys) and the foreground (the objects). This predominant design theme encourages the relationship and interaction between nature (the table) and humankind (the user), which also emphasize that form and function are one. The name Asobu, in Japanese means “play”, and also means “amuse one-self” where my design concept adds an exciting dimension to this furniture. The spirit of “playfulness” weaves a sense of enjoyment, appreciation of the humble, acceptance of the ephemeral and acknowledgment of the greater life’s mysteries. It enables one to contemplate to reach the nature of things touching the deep recesses of one’s being and allowing peace and freedom to create.”

MORE »

THE ART

Zheng Tianyu Isaiah or Ty, is a graphic designer who is currently taking a ‘tour’ in the Photography program at NTU. He recently published “Untitled (System)-Textbook” which was on exhibit at The Best of ADM 2008.

Untitled (System) which started off as a school project, is a series of generative art based on a system designed by Ty. Twenty-six letters of the English alphabet are translated into angled lines indicating directions. As letters form words, and words form sentences, the output serves as a new way of displaying text, and for the viewer, to enjoy the line work as art.

MORE »