Design overload in Singapore (Part 2)

Last week I featured the first part of my recent Singapore trip, as I attended the 2014 edition of Singapore Design Week (SDW) with SingaPlural, a “multi-faceted creative spectrum” organized by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council.

This week, we continue with an enlightening side event and the highlights of the main event – the “31st Singapore International Furniture Festival (SIFF),” along with the famed Maison & Objet (M&O), which was having its premier in Asia.

The evening before visiting the SIFF and M&O, I took a tour of Marina Bay. The bay has changed a lot since I left Singapore in 2002. The once open parcels surrounding this inner harbor are now filled with skyscrapers and the iconic Marina Sands complex, which was also the venue for the M&O.

By design, a wide esplanade encircles the water and acts as a buffer between it and the buildings. For this month, the bay features iLight Marina Bay, Asia’s only sustainable light art festival. Organized by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore the festival features “Switch Off, Turn Up” a voluntary energy-saving program for close to the two dozen towers in the area. The energy saved is large and a portion of it is used to offset the energy needed to power 28 creative light installations themed as “Light+HeART.”

I strolled along the waterside enjoying the art installations, which of course had sustainability as a running theme. The artists came from Singapore, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, Taiwan, the USA, Canada, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Greece, New Zealand, China, and the Philippines (Olivia d’Aboville).

They were all quirky installations that have been drawing crowds all week long. Among my favorites were Olivia’s Giant Dandelions near the Theaters on the Bay (opposite the Merlion), Mimosa by Jason Burges of the UK and Jou-Jou-Ours by Uno Lai of Taiwan.

The next morning I shuttled back to the Marina Bay Sands Convention Center for the opening of Maison & Objet. This first- edition of the famous Paris exhibition contained an embarrassment of riches in terms of design focusing on Asian designers let by M&O’s “Designer of the Year.” Our very own Kenneth Cobonpue presented his body of work, that won him international fame.
Kenneth gave the keynote talk. He held the international audience mesmerized by sharing his inspirations, philosophy, and experience; taking the crowd on his journey from the island of Cebu to the global stage. The listeners oohed and ahhed as Kenneth explained the genesis of some of his most famous pieces. He was later mobbed by fans.

Kenneth was not the only Filipino in the show. Lilianna “Magee” Manahan was one of the recipients of the “Rising Asian Talents Award.” Magee’s talent is in her genes. She is the youngest daughter of media/art maven/heritage conservator Tats Rejante Manahan and 13 Artists awardee and famed TV director Johnny Manahan.  Liliannna is a product of Central St. Martins and the University of the Philippines, but I believe that it was hanging around art and artists all her life that shaped her creative mindset. She set up her own studio in 2011, producing furniture and accessories that she defines as a mix of “fantasy, science, industrial design, history, crafts and everything that teases (her) imagination.”

There was a slew of Filipino companies at the show including Cebu Fil Veneer, Domicillo by Peter and Paul, Inc., Industria Home, Ito Kish, Vico Mfg. Corp., Studio Magee by Lilianna Manahan, Kenneth Cobunpue, P&B Valises et Compagnie, Inc., Design Philippines, Triboa Bay Living and Schema/Schema by Kalikasan Crafts.

I bumped into the award-winning Ito Kish (I love his Gregoria chair), Budji Layug, Jude Tiotuico of Industria and a handful of Manila-based architects and designers who flew in just for the event. There just wasn’t enough time to see and appreciate all the booths. Covering the show too was the BluPrint magazine team, led by editor in chief Judith Torres and architect/writer Joseph Javier.

 The next day I motored down to the humungous Singapore Expo near Changi for the 2014 International Furniture Fair Singapore. The fair was bundled with the 31st ASEAN Furniture Show. Minister for Trade and Industry Mr. Lim Hng Kiang opened the show with a bang as thousands entered the five massive halls of the exposition.

I spent the whole day at the SIFF absorbing all the world had to offer in terms of furniture and design. The Philippines was represented here too, with close to a dozen firms and designers. I met Gabby Lichauco, founder of Emi-handmade, a Filipino design firm that focuses on making sustainable children’s furniture. Gabby was chosen as one of the few designers of “Asian Stars Showcase.” of the event.

After just a few days in Singapore, I left overloaded with design and inspiration. Singapore and Asia are making a mark in the design universe and the Philippines is right up there with the rest. I’m looking forward to the next M&O and SIFF, hopefully with even more Filipino participation.

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Feedback is welcome. Please email the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com. Erratum: In last week’s Part I of this article I featured the opening of the “Singapore Design Center (SDC).” This is an error. The correct name of the new facility is DesignSingapore Council’s National Design Centre.