Singapore Design Week is one festival we always look forward to for its creative, future-focused programmes. This year, it’s back from September 21 to October 1 to mark DesignSingapore Council’s 20th anniversary with the theme of ‘Better by Design.’ And it is adding a new Friday Late programme to keep things fresh.
Explore a district of innovation, sustainability and inclusivity
Happening at Bras Basah.Bugis (BBB) Design District are a series of specially commissioned installations that focus on the themes of innovation, sustainability and inclusivity. Playground of Possibilities at the National Design Centre by Jackson Tan of creative agency, BLACK, is where you’d tap into your inner child as you discover 12 design projects from Singapore that tackle challenges of today such as climate change and digital disruptions. Journey into four immersive playscapes – Explore, Empathise, Imagine and Adapt – to experience highlights, such as a possible future of building facades made with material that cools naturally like an elephant’s skin or a dementia-friendly mini public housing estate.
Over at School of Tomorrow at Selegie Arts Centre by Pann Lim of Kinetic Singapore, sustainability takes centrestage. If you’ve ever wondered about the effects of microplastics on the body, then school is in session to provide answers for you. Embark on a learning journey through biology, chemistry, maths, social studies and geography classes that will bring you closer to an understanding of our impact on the environment and ways we can change the way we live.
Another great highlight is FI&LD at LASALLE College of the Arts by Ong Ker-Shing and Joshua Comaroff of Lekker Architects. Explore a series of exhibits that push creative inclusivity as well as a fun, app-based game where the rules shift according to the diversity of the players.
Retail, design and art combine at Orchard
Over in Orchard, get your shopping and design fix at Wunderground at Emerald Hill which combines retail, design and art. You can expect a curated selection of design-led lifestyle brands, food vendors and a chill-out zone as well as lifestyle activities and programmes, such as art jam sessions and VR games. Design Orchard will also showcase a suite of homegrown brands under the Made With Passion collection. And wander around the latest design hotel, Pan Pacific Orchard, with a special architect tour with WOHA.
Prototypes come to life at Marina Bay
In Marina Bay, FIND - Design Fair Asia and EMERGE @ FIND return for the second year at Marina Bay Sands. Hop over to the ArtScience Museum where you can meet environmentalist Cesar Jung-Harada at the Ocean Imagineer’s Work Studio. See his prototypes come to life before embarking on the newly launched self-guided design trail at Gardens by the Bay. Here you’d discover the architectural surprises of this attraction.
Wait, there’s more
Putting the ‘late’ in Friday Late, there is a special programme on September 22 that includes the Bras.Basah Bugis installations along with live demos, a pop-up retail market and food stalls running till 11pm. The festival also has other events running across the island that will pique your interests in AI, the future of design in architecture, customer service, workspaces and materials.
For the full list of programmes of Singapore Design Week 2023 and to register for select events, visit www.sdw.sg.