Yong Ping Loo is a graduating Singaporean at London College of Communication, from the Graphic Media Design course. Yong Ping recently made a strong statement at the 2010 D&AD Student Awards with his work titled Disappearing Cities,  which won him an entry in the D&AD Annual.

In this year’s Moving Images category, students were given the challenge to work around the theme of mankind’s fascination with city living. The objective was to explore the concept of ‘The Disappearing City’ through storytelling, with a work of moving image at it’s core.

Yong Ping about his entry: “The short film shares the personal reflection of a young girl who prefers the online/ digital world to the physical natural world. At 16 Million strong, kids between the ages of 2 to 11 years old are the fastest growing online population to date. We are witnessing a disappearing generation who are slowly but surely transferring their existence online. The film is extended into another medium in the form of children’s shoes left empty and isolated around London in places where children used to play (playgrounds, parks). Thus, transforming the short film into an educational piece which addresses the issue of children spending too much time in an online virtual reality.”

Yong Ping’s film was also translated into an ambient ad, images of which can be found here.

Juang and Johanna graduated from Temasek Polytechnic with diplomas in Apparel Design and Merchandising.  Friends of ten years and counting, they are somewhat different in terms of personal style and character, but when it comes to design, they share one vision. “We understand each other, like leather and lace, or Shaggy and Scooby,” Juang quips.

“We got wind of the fashion incubator project while flipping through the pages of Urban,” Johanna explains. “That was the perfect time for us to kick-start our careers in fashion. It’s been eight months since we set sail, and two months since the opening of Ownmuse, and we still have truckloads of love for each other and barrels full of passion for our label.”

“We absolutely love vintage pieces but we are also intrigued by the simplicity and sleekness of modern fashion,” Juang continues. “Therefore we seek to create designs that are a balance of both modern and vintage, both bold yet feminine. As this is our first collection together, we decided that is was only apt to represents the both of us. The pieces reflect our dreams, struggles, love and freedom, our journey to becoming a significant name in the world of fashion.”

Inspired by the streets and monuments of Paris, the girls have translated these images into design elements such as cutouts, intricate beading, and a palette of soft pastels. Expect to see intricately cut out crop tops, full high waist chiffon skirts, beaded rompers, pleated chiffon blouses and sleek paneled maxi dresses.

Arthur Lim is a fresh graduate from the National University of Singapore, Industrial Design course. “I enjoy probing for deeper meanings between the relationships of objects, people, environment and society,” he says. “I believe that my role as a designer is to be a mediator that reconciles these very relationships, while having lots of fun along the way of course.”

White & Wood is a collection of office furniture designed to harmonize and reflect the fusion of living and working in workspaces nowadays. Arthur explains: “Consisting of soft shapes and materials, W² aims to take away the edginess and seriousness that have come to typify most working environments. A table and cabinet make up the core of the design while the other components are selected and attached to them by means of a simple hooking system, providing individuals with a customizable workspace. White & Wood is helping you mediate between living and working.”

White & Wood was designed for the Technigroup Productive Workplace Competition 2009, and clinched the top prize.

Top (Left) Jonathan Maximillian Goh (Right) Roy Wang Han Yi. Bottom: Sarah Choo.

36 young artists meet 36 art buyers in a game of fate.

12x is an art experiment that provides the works of unknown young artists with a deserving home. Here’s the twist: everyone knows they will get an art work, but no one knows which art work they will get.

It’s all up to chance in an Art Ballot. Ballot numbers are randomly drawn, and you get to choose any available artwork. The earlier your ballot is drawn, the more choice you have!

See what’s at stake at Evil Empire, 48 Niven Road. The 36 works will be exhibited from tomorrow through 11 June, 2 pm – 8 pm. Admission is free.

Yvonne Chua is a  recent graduate from the Industrial Design course at NUS. “I entered this course because I believed that design could bring joy in life, and I still believe it should,” Yvonne explains. “Learning to design, I’ve learned that different kinds of joy affect different people; that there are a lot of hidden joys out there. And so sometimes it’s more about how to find them and make them discoverable rather than trying to create a new ‘joy’.”

About the design: “The vase was a result of a workshop with Hans Tan Studio, attempting to redefine and re-conceptualize a ‘common’ vase. One definition: “A vase creates space”.  A vase of flowers is a spot of colour in the room, a bit of life, and maybe joy. But do we necessarily need physical objects to fulfill that purpose? Maybe a shadow, changing as light changes in the room, and forming, magically, a familiar shape can serve to bring just as much interest.”

Mandy Tan is one of the students on display at the LASALLE 2010 showcase. Mandy is a printmaking major who enjoys silkscreen and drypoint more than other traditional mediums. “I would love to incorporate watercolor into my works, and I am working on that. I enjoy repetition and patterns in almost every form. It provides me with a sense of comfort.”

“The featured work is a commentary on our society’s blind consumption of information as marketable goods,” Mandy explains. “It creates an irony with the idea of ‘bittersweet’ based on disaster images and consumable products. I am using images of disasters from the news and pair them with familiar consumable products. The newspapers and news reports are saturated with consumer product advertisements. With my work I want to create awareness within mainstream consciousness, and I want viewers to reflect upon our reaction to disaster news.”

The Visual Arts Exhibition is on view through June 10 at LASALLE College of the Arts.

Eman Raharno aka Clogtwo has been practicing graffiti art for the past six years involving human science, religion and horror into his style, to create provocative messages in his visuals.

“Apart from acrylic or oil painting on canvas, graffiti isn’t a permanent form of art,” he adds. “You may take three to four days spray painting a wall under the harsh weather, and it takes less than a day to paint it over in white. Just like life is. We have to forgive, forget and move on, making life much easier to live by with no regrets.”

As a motion graphic artist and videographer, Clogtwo feels that it’s harder to tell a story through static visuals, hence, he tries to apply as much details into his painting, so that the viewer can admire or be judgmental against it, as long as the message reaches across.

Currently, Clogtwo is working closely with the theories of space and the multi-verse against the traditional legends and stories from folklores.

All doors swung open over the last couple of days to reveal the work of the final-year Arts and Design Students. For most visitors, it’s a chance to become immersed in the mad, the bad, the bonkers and the totally inspired. It’s all there. Over the next few weeks, you will get a sampling from the various shows.

First up is LASALLE graduate, Ben Koh. Ben views graphic design as a noble profession, with ethics and values that should continue to be upheld in this increasingly digital era. He firmly believes in the intrinsic capacity of humans to be emphatically and emotionally engaged about great design solutions; or even the simplest of gestures that touch us in a very human way.

Pepper & Cinnamon is Ben’s ongoing labor of love, showcasing work that cuts across many design disciplines.

Ben on the featured works:  “Year of Astronomy (Image 1) is a calendar cum poster series. The modular nature encourages tactile exploration and perforation for the month and date portions can be torn away, enabling the calendar to also function as stand-alone posters. Not only does a calendar tell the days and dates apart, but it is also how each unique user treats it that makes it special. A calendar can not only look visually pleasing, but it also has this interesting ability to transform a dull or empty space into an area that demands attention. A Day With Water – Iconography (Image 2) is an infographic booklet documenting the semiotics of events that occurred on 7th February 2009.”