Our UNESCO Creative City of Design will come alive this September as
Singapore Design Week (SDW) makes its much-anticipated return after a two-year
hiatus to showcase the best of design from Singapore and beyond.
Following a major strategic review, SDW will be relaunched with a brand new vision
that demonstrates Singapore’s distinctive brand of creativity, exploring design through
three defining pillars: Design Futures, Design Marketplace, and Design Impact.
Design Futures
Design Futures focuses on the design of the future and the future of design, through the lens of forward-looking Singapore –where a more positive future is prototyped for Singapore and the world. In 2022, this pillar will feature a Design Futures Symposiumdeveloped under the curatorial direction of internationally renowned design curator and author Paola Antonelli. The Design Futures Symposium will assemble a host of distinguished thought leaders from Singapore and around the world. Together they will probe some of the critical ways in which design is fundamental to strategies for the future; and an enzyme for progress.
Design Marketplace
Anchored by FIND–Design Fair Asia, Asia’s newest and largest furniture, interiors, and design fair will convene the largest carefully selected collection of interior brands, key opinion leaders, designers, and content from East and West.
Design tastemakers Tony Chambers and Yoko Choy of Wallpaper* magazine fame are helming the FIND –Global Summit where they will initiate conversations with global design opinion leaders on key trends and topics such as the metaverse, wellbeing, biophilia, and sustainability amongst others.
As part of FIND, dmg events and Design Singapore Council will present the first-of-its-kind Southeast Asian design talent showcase at EMERGE @ FIND. Curated by Suzy Annetta of Design Anthology, the showcase will shine the spotlight on over 50 established and emerging designers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam who will unveil fresh works through the lens of materiality.
Conversation pieces include a chair and lamp by Bandung-based Adhi Nugraha which are made from reprocessed cow dung, limited edition design NFTs ‘Living Vase 02’ by Singapore, and Milan-based studio Lanzavecchia + Wai, and a series of lamps created from bio/agri-waste by Filipino designer Stanley Ruiz.
Design Impact
The Design Impactpillar highlights design as a driving force for transformative impact by showcasing innovative real-life solutions that address today’s most critical issues, from waste and sustainability to mental health and our aging society.
SDW will mark the launch of the President*s Design Award (P*DA) Tours where the public will be able to experience first-hand some of Singapore’s most outstanding, innovative, and impactful designs that have made a difference in the lives of Singaporeans. The tours will featureP*DA award-winning projects including green skyscrapers, sites that celebrate heritage craft, iconic representations of Singapore’s public housing, and inclusive spaces to connect all.
The Good Design Research pop-up, curated by design studio WY-TO, will illustrate the positive impact of good design through research and experimentation, featuring over 20 homegrown designers, and their prototypes and solutions birthed through Design Singapore Council’s Good Design Research initiative.
The National Design Centre (NDC) will be transformed into N*thing is Possible, a regenerative design showcase that celebrates re-use, re-cycle, re-craft and re-live. Expect experiences that span across design, art, architecture, music, food, and fashion in this creative takeover co-curated by Potato Head and OMA / David Gianotten, which includes creations by design luminaries such as Kengo Kuma, Futura, Max Lamb, Toogood Design, Eco Mantra, and Thibaut Grevet.
Design Lifestyle Experiences and Design Community Open Doors
The local design and creative community continue to be the engine behind Singapore Design Week’s vibrant district activations and ground-up community programmes–experiences that support the three key pillars.
Visitors can look forward to an immersive suite of design activities in various spots across Singapore. Internationally renowned homegrown fashion and creative director Daniel Boeyis presenting #FashTag, which is both an exploratory and celebratory fashion experience happening on different levels of Raffles City Shopping Centre.
Little India will also be reimagined as part of Re-route, a story-telling meets placemaking festival by award-winning interdisciplinary group Plus Collaboratives. There will also be open houses, talks, workshops, and more as designers, design studios and design enterprises showcase their creative spirit and share their passion for design with the public. The full line-up will be unveiled closer to the festival.
