Wilmer Pan is a graphic designer by the day, and k.0627 by night. “I do like to keep a low profile, therefore the pen name k.0627, and let my work do the talking,” he adds.

To be released in four chapters with an interval of three to four months, “Cho Pop!” is Wilmer’s attempt to create something different from what’s out there.

Wilmer explains: “I am particularly fascinated by the concept of time, thus the creation of my resident characters, the Darjeekas. “Cho Pop!” is a pseudo-comic featuring the ‘Darjeekas’. The story makes use of QR barcodes as dialogue as I like the idea of the audience interacting with the illustrations. I don’t really fancy the idea of producing works just purely for the audience’s consumption. There should be a two-way process when it comes to art. The storyline of “Cho Pop” is an amalgam of various pop cultures, mainly obscure films and animations, plus some original bits from my life experiences.”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Zero Point Red is a teaser from Lunarin‘s new album Duae, which is set to drop tomorrow. The new release continues the band’s fascination with gloomy art-rock while digging deeper into their musical roots of grunge and classical music. Incorporating sample and synthesizers into their sound, they retain their heaviness while sculpting a densely-layered soundscape.

This album is a diary of events, thoughts, ideas and varying forms of psychoses that took place since their debut album The Chrysalis in 2006. Through a trilogy of songs like ‘Midas’, ‘Red’ and the Alice-In-Chains-esque ‘Serpentine’, the rock trio creates a movement in three levels and gain an epiphany in the final one. Lead single ‘Zero Point Red’ was specifically written for local filmmaker Jason Lai’s Brother No. 2, a documentary about the Khmer Rouge, touching on themes of reconciliation and resignation.

Describing the album as “a diary, a journal, a journey”, it has certainly been so for Lunarin. Duae charts their growth as musicians given that they step into the realm of home recording and building their own studio. The album is produced by the band at their home studio and mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering, USA.

Caroline Kan Su-Wei just finished the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program at the Anglo-Chinese School where she took higher level Visual Art. “Recently, I’ve tried to live my life in a bit of a creative bubble, exploring new fields and trying to embrace those I’ve shied away from (like drawing, which I loathe),” she continues. “On that note, this September, I’m off to Central Saint Martins, where I enrolled in their Foundation Studies, Art and Design course. Whether I’ll continue to pursue design or foray into fashion journalism is still unknown, but therein lies the beauty of life’s whimsicality.”

Caroline about her Paper Dress: “For my final year exam, I created a collection around the exploration of identity (mine), which was a rather epic personal journey. The piece explores emotional fragility, and how our pain is often masked with aesthetics and ridiculously attractive embellishments; how else is one supposed to survive life’s rough patches? I chose paper as a medium for fairly obvious reasons: it’s common, everyday, and often overlooked/taken for granted; it’s pretty fragile, especially in comparison to our urban concrete jungle of today and it’s widely available (for practical reasons). I wanted the dress to be irresistibly pretty, gentle, and feminine, but also be structured and exude a sense of strength. I like toying with contradictions and perspective, where pieces work in different ways and on different levels, because that way, it’s kept honest. No one has life figured out: things change, and can often be very confusing. The ambiguity keeps the observer wondering, ‘fragile, attractive, strong, sturdy, questionably perfect, layered, delicate,’ I like people to think (there’s no singular answer).”

Tan Peiling graduated from Nanyang Technological University, School of Art, Design and Media with a major in Photography and Digital Imaging. She has a strong interest in examining how spaces affect human experiences. Using the relationship between sound and visual image as a primary inspiration, her work usually requires audience participation and interaction.

Peiling about her work: “Your Voices Fill The Void In My Mind is a multi-media installation derived from an interest in examining how auditory memories are remembered, and its effect on visual imagination during the recollection. By attempting to find out how voice memories aid in visual recall, I asked my family members to recall individual voices of one another and the visual imageries that were brought about during the voice recollection. These images and voices were then recorded and re-interpreted into the installation piece, projected into a custom space.”

“The piece was inspired from previous interest in attempting to visually depict different sounds that a group of hearing impaired desire to hear. Approaching the project with the intention of creating a multi-sensory experience for them, I created a multi-media installation titled First Sound, using a custom vibration device and a video projection to simulate hearing experience. The piece is intended for people to touch the vibration caused by sound while experiencing the video, so that they can both ‘see’ and ‘feel’ the sound concurrently.”

I’ve been consumed with the intricate line drawings of Sunny Lee Siew Loo, a graphic designer/illustrator who graduated from James Watt College in HND Interactive Media Design last year, and is currently pursuing a part-time degree in Mass Communication (Media and Film).

“I started illustrating early 2009 using pen and ink drawing techniques, and decided to publish my work online, as my portfolio and illustrative style continued to evolve,” she adds.

Besides Sun’s winning shoe design for the RYZ footwear contest (April 2010), I also wanted to show you her visually delectable tees. And anyone who wants to gift me one of these will hear absolutely no complaints. At all.

Whether you knew of Sun’s work before or not, now’s your chance to go and explore her portfolio.

While other children sat captivated by storybooks, the ability to draw was Darel Seow‘s passport to adventure. “Since young, I’ve been detailing intricate scenes of battling dinosaurs, adventuring explorers and just about anything which caught my interest,” he adds. “With illustration, my imagination is the only limit and I relish the freedom to draw anytime and anywhere, requiring only pen and paper. Clichéd thus far, but I got a little lost while heading down the road of practicality and only rediscovered my love for illustration recently. Having purchased many tees on Threadless, I wondered why I never bothered to grab a slice of pie and I wanted in. Thus began my stint as a t-shirt designer. However the greatest satisfaction came from seeing my designs given purpose in public and I want to establish a line of my own in future. Unlike the luxury of catwalk-bound articles, for there will always be a demand for the humble t-shirt and it is through this medium I aspire to express my artistic voice.”

Broadly centred on the theme of nature, Darel’s works recurrently feature flora and fauna which, at the basic level, will inspire others to appreciate the wonder and beauty of the natural world. Darel continues: “However, I want to drive the message of the importance of conservation through the use of whim and wit, causing viewers to question our relation to Mother Nature and how we are treating her. I’ll be heading to Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design this September and I sure hope this would prime me for a position where I can make that change and speak up, no matter how softly, for the other creatures who share a home with us on this planet.”

The Squeeze and Mushroom Collection designed by Industrial Designer, Cici Chen and Architect, Lui Honfay of Cilicon Faytory redefines the concept of outdoor concrete furniture.

“Using a unique light weight concrete system, this collection displays the moldability of the material,” Fay explains. “The new material application means light weight yet still incorporating the look and feel of a concrete product. With a special sealing agent, the concrete furniture would be virtually free of maintenance. Shaping of the sinuous curves and organic volume is easy with the shaping technique of this light weight concrete system.”

“With simple lines and morphed surface, Squeeze Collection gives a sleek look which compliments the landscape of any environment,” Cici continues. “In addition, the concrete material allows different colors to be applied, making the furniture to be extremely adaptable to different surroundings.”

(Top) Artwork by Zhao Renhui  (Bottom) Artwork by Yee I-Lann.

Opening today at Evil Empire is Negaraku Boleh! (My Country Can!), our national day to theirs, ten artists from Singapore and Malaysia revisit the heady days of preindependence, an uncertain but optimistic period when our nations were just coming into our own.

Working only with artists born after the independence and separation, the exhibition asks what it means to call ourselves Singaporean or Malaysians – when prior to 1963, we were all part of a loose geographic expression, Malaya. A Chinese  writer had once said, “The culture of Singapore, Malaysia is essentially the same.”

Alan Oei, the curator suggests that, “as individuals and nations, we have much more cultural similarities then we care to admit. Using ‘Malaya’ as a starting point might be a good way to see how our shared history and culture impacts our creative and artistic practice. It’s a good time to engage our past now that post-Mahathir and the old guard of politics, Singapore and Malaysia are working towards a more harmonious relationship.”

In contrast, the Malayan period was rife with ideological battles, armed insurgency, union riots, door to door campaigning. People were willing to fight and die for their beliefs. The sense of multiple and contesting visions – some were fighting for liberty, equality, others for basic working and living conditions – will be brought to life by primary source material interspersed within the exhibition.

The exhibition runs thru 31 August at Evil Empire, 48 Niven Road. Open daily Tue to Sun, 2pm to 8pm. They are open on National Day, 9th Aug.