Now into its 5th edition, the Singapore Design Week (SDW) 2018 will run from 5 to 18 March 2018. The annual SDW brings together a collection of local and international design activities in Singapore. Organised by the DesignSingapore Council, the SDW is open to the design community, businesses, design students, public sector officers and the general public.
Of the chosen districts to see a design-centric makeover, Holland Village and Tanjong Pagar will serve as the main hub for the festivities, hosting pop-up stores, workshops, designer open houses, installations, talks and street parties.
Some Highlights
DISTRICT ACTIVATION: DISTRICT DESIGN DIALOGUE HOLLAND VILLAGE
At Holland Village, the Design District Dialogue will open up 10 terrace houses in Chip Bee Gardens to host the various events, which include the kick-off block party.
10 - 18 March 2018, Saturday - Sunday, 12:00 - 22:00
District Design Dialogue Holland Village (DDDHV) is an annual experiential platform that is making its debut at Singapore Design Week 2018. This edition sees the Holland Village district transformed into a temporary gathering of independent vendors from across design categories such as fashion, food, music, and craft. At various sites, including streets, shops, creative studios and terrace houses, an array of activities invites visitors to experience design in delightful ways. MORE HERE
A stroll through the black and white terraces of Chip Bee Gardens will reveal pop-up concepts coexisting with residents of the neighbourhood: a cosy performance in a living room; art installations for visitors to interact with in an unexpected setting; and craft sessions for visitors to be creative.
THE CITY RAMBLE DESIGN TRAILS
Bras Basah-Bugis precinct, which will play host to the Bras.Basah.Bugis Arts Sprawl and The City Ramble Design Trails, a selection of guided tours to places of architectural and heritage value, as well as self-guided trails, curated by Shophouse &Co.
Date: 10 – 11 March
The City Ramble Design Trails will take participants further from the city centre to discover the creativity, culture and communities in our cities with the three programming tracks:
The City Ramble Heritage - 2.00pm ($70/ticket) a tour featuring three sites rich in heritage, architectural highlights, and histories. Led by design professionals and heritage experts, visitors will get an inside look into how businesses, societies, and entrepreneurs have shaped Singapore’s urban landscape. Experience and exchange stories behind these buildings and what it takes to keep the heritage alive for a vibrant city!
The City Ramble Process – 11.00am – 6.00pm ($20/ ticket)get a hands-on experience of the design process! Go behind-the-scenes and behind-the-doors of designers and creatives’ spaces and encounter design up close and personal through dialogues, demos, workshops, installations and more.
The City Ramble Stories - An urban guide ($12/copy) featuring a free walking trail. grab a copy of this publication, highlighting creative life for young urban creatives in and around the +65! Featuring interviews, neighbourhood recommendations, lists by creatives under 35 years old, and more; it is the perfect companion to any weekend of rambling and walking in search of inspiration. Pick up the guide and explore these stops at your own pace.
SINGAPLURAL
Singapore Design Week anchor event SingaPlural 2018 by Singapore Furniture Industries Council is back at the National Design Centre, with a new theme focused on exploring the concept of play in design work.
With the theme ‘A State In Play’, SingaPlural 2018 explores the concept of play as an important experimental process that precedes design work. This is when you allow naivety to the core, and simply play, explore and experiment. In ‘’Play’’, there are no failed experiments, only experiments with unexpected outcomes. The theme also suggests that the State (of Singapore) is conducive for explorations, testing and experimentations. In its seventh edition this year, SingaPlural continues to be a catalyst for collaborations between brands and designers.
SingaPlural 2018 brings together a strong line-up of renowned brands and designers from different fields in this much anticipated annual design festival. From material exploration to computational design, “Play” takes many forms and visitors are invited to witness and even participate in the experimental processes.
The central pavilion, Formica for More by Formica x Produce is a sight to behold. Showcasing the structural ability of Formica laminates as well as its designs and finishes, the dome-shaped structure is a result of the deployment of clever woodworking techniques and creativity to overcome the inherent limitations of laminates. No less impressive, the floating Headspace by Kvadrat x Publicworks’ is designed to insulate visitors from the noise of the gallery, allowing introspection on the extraordinary abilities of recyclable materials. Ewins x Gabriel Tan Design’s The Mad Hatter, resembling a hat shaped lamp, explores the brand’s Veromobi Alba acrylic panels in a play of colours, forms and reflections to give the illusion of an expanded universe of lights.
Visitors can look forward to a myriad of other inspiring installations. A master lecture series featuring design experts Benjamin Koren, Steffen Riegas and Ren Horng Yee that extend the dimension of ‘’Play’’ into professional practice completes the festival experience.
