SingaPlural 2016: Making "Sense" of Design

- SingaPlural 2016 sees record number of design participants
- New participants and contributors from new sectors including materials companies and Mediacorp
- Record visitor numbers expected to experience the “MUST-SEE” attractions

Singapore, 28 January 2016 – SingaPlural is celebrating its 5th anniversary with a new fresh theme, ‘Senses – The art and science of experiences” These experiences – sight, sound, scent, texture and taste – will come together in an amalgamation of colour and creativity to tease and tantalise visitors with new perspectives of how design can be employed and enhance our daily experiences.

To be held from March 7-13 at 99 Beach Road – the heart of Singapore’s arts and cultural heritage district – SingaPlural 2016, which is organised by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC), is the annual anchor event for the Singapore Design Week　(SDW), which has always garnered strong support and participation from the local design and business community.　Leveraging on Singapore’s newly crowned status as a UNESCO Creative City of Design, SingaPlural has also widened its outreach to add more content and participants into its fold.

This year will see a record 71 installations by designers, manufacturers, builders and design schools.

Mr Mark Yong, Chairman of SingaPlural, said: “The number of design installations has risen significantly from previous years! It is an encouraging development for us and certainly a motivation for this year’s festival, especially with at least a 30% increase in
content.”

“Many material players are coming on board this year to showcase the latest innovations and trends in materials through their collaborations with creative partners. Visitors can see how these materials are brought to life through the imagination of the designers.

The exploration of the theme of Senses also promises visitors a full sensorial smorgasbord. Take for example, Project X, the flagship programme of SingaPlural features heavily on tactility with this year's material, LG Hi-Macs, solid surfaces from Luxx Newhouse." Mr Jimmy Tong, President and Founder of Luxx Newhouse Group, is impressed with theresults: “I am excited to go through the process and share the end product with the public.

Hopefully they will be able to fully realise the potential of solid surfaces and how adaptable it is to various disciplines.”

SingaPlural 2016 expects to see at least a 20% increase in visitor numbers compared to last year’s edition which attracted 28,262 visitors. Mr Yong stressed: “It’s not just a record in terms of participation numbers, we are also achieving a new first, which is to welcome on board Mediacorp, who will be collaborating with IDCS (Interior Design Confederation (Singapore), SFIC (Singapore Furniture Industries Council) and SILA (Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects) on an installation that brings new life to old, recycled studio props and sets.

“Not only will this piece be engaging on all fronts of the five senses, it also drives home the message of sustainability and how it can be integrated into our daily lives through creative and innovative use of design elements.”

Mr Barry See, Head Production Resource, Mediacorp said: “Mediacorp produces thousands of hours’ worth of productions each year including drama serials and variety shows, that require props and sets. We are delighted to participate in SingaPlural, an opportunity for us to give our recycling efforts a creative purpose. We hope it will encourage other organisations to explore ways to recycle and reuse their end-of-life assets in extraordinary ways and achieve unexpected results.”

SingaPlural Highlights: Glimpses of a Unique Sensorial Experience SingaPlural 2016 has engaged a local team of curators – PLUS Collaboratives and GOVT - to curate the entire festival which promises visitors a unique sensorial experience to help shape new perspectives in the application of design elements in the products we use or encounter in our daily lives.

The event will present design installations put up by industrial designers, interior designers, architects, landscape architects, graphic designers, fashion designers and institutes of design. Visitors can expect to be truly immersed during the design festival by signing up for design tours, workshops or joining the various talks.

Sharing some highlights of the event, Mr Yong said,”The installations this year come from a wide range of designers, from young upcoming talents to established design practitioners. Just to name a few, we have NAFA’s 2014 top graduate, Ms Celine Ng who in collaboration with XTRA and BOLON, will be presenting Engulf – which is a beautiful visual interpretation of ethereal beauty of a breaking wave, observed underwater.

“We also have award-winning designer, Mr Tan Eng Liang of Dickman of M!lk Inc, who is collaborating with ADMIRA to present Journey – a creative piece that evokes simultaneous emotions through a fusion of visual, sound and touch experiences.”

Visitors can also look forward to installations that replicate and bring added dimension to common experiences that we take for granted. A Breathe Respite by Poiesis Studio in collaboration with Panelogue, prompts visitors to slow down and engage their sense of smell by offering alternate experiential perspectives in the places we frequent, food we eat and people we meet. Lekker Architects’ Scope – presented in collaboration with EDL – reignites the simple child-like pleasure of a kaleidoscope through an architectural perspective.

A first for SingaPlural this year is the installation Doors, which uses recycled Mediacorp production set props and lets visitors explore the maze of openings that will tease their five senses.

Last but not least, visitors should not miss out on SingaPlural’s annual flagship, Project X. This year, Project X will be presented by Luxx Newhouse in collaboration with four local design studios – Park + Associates, Studio Juju, Voidworks and Weekend Worker. Project X will unveil how solid surface materials can be used creatively for a range of products and solutions for urban lifestyles.

SingaPlural is held in conjunction with International Furniture Fair Singapore 2016, ASEAN Furniture Show, The Décor Show and furniPRO Asia. It is also the anchor event of the Singapore Design Week, which is organised by the DesignSingapore Council, a part of the Ministry of Communications and Information.

SingaPlural 2016 will be open to the public from 7-13 March 2016, from 11am to 10pm daily.

About SingaPlural

SingaPlural showcases the best design elements from the multi-faceted creative spectrum

– Advertising, Architecture, Urban Planning, Landscape Architecture, as well as Interior, Furniture, Graphic and Fashion Design.

Organised by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) since 2012, the name ‘SingaPlural’ is derived from a combination of the terms ‘Singular’ and ‘Plural’; and was conceived from the need to create a common platform to bridge designers with the industry.

SingaPlural 2016 is the anchor event of the Singapore Design Week and is held in conjunction with International Furniture Fair Singapore 2016, ASEAN Furniture Show, The Décor Show and furniPRO Asia. Together with eight other network partners of DesignS, this week-long design celebration is an international platform for talents across the creative industries to engage and evoke the design senses of visitors; through installations, exclusively curated design spaces, symposiums and many other activities.

SingaPlural is supported by DesignSingapore Council, International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, Singapore Tourism Board, SPRING Singapore and Singapore Workforce Development Agency. It is also the anchor event of the Singapore Design Week, which is organised by the DesignSingapore Council, a part of the Ministry of Communications and Information.

For more information, please refer to　www.SingaPlural.com;
　www.facebook.com/SingaPlural. Find us on Twitter (@SingaPlural) and Instagram (#singaplural).

About Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC)

Singapore Furniture Industries Council was established in 1981 as the official representative body of Singapore’s furniture and furnishings industry. Its membership comprises furniture manufacturers, interior fit-out specialists, retailers, designers, as well as furnishings and materials suppliers. Currently, the council represents 95% of established furniture manufacturers in Singapore, of whom 65% have subsidiary manufacturing plants in various countries across the region, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

SFIC’s primary role is to promote the interests of its members and of the Singapore furniture and furnishings industry. For 35 years, SFIC has helped its members to adapt to changes in the business environment by introducing trade, talent, design development and business innovation activities, as well as upgrading business capabilities. Revolving around SFIC’s 3i strategic framework – Improve, Innovate, and Integrate, all of the Council’s programmes aim to grow the local furniture and furnishings industry and ultimately, to strengthen the ‘Singapore brand’ globally.

Visit　www.singaporefurniture.com for more information

About DesignS

DesignS, a network of design-centric institutes and associations in Singapore, was officially launched on 29 June 2010 by Mr Lui Tuck Yew, then Acting Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts. Formed in 2009 to provide a platform for the creation of a coordinated Design network, it comprises of nine member institutes from the multifaceted creative spectrum ranging from Advertising, Architecture, Urban Planning, Landscape Architecture, as well as Interior, Furniture, Graphic and Fashion Design.

DesignS’ primary goals are to foster a sense of community and network amongst design fields, to work in concert on joint educational and continual professional development and to jointly promote and advance the ‘Singapore Brand’ of design.

The nine members of DesignS are:

About Singapore Design Week (SDW)

The Singapore Design Week (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 and the general public. It aims to raise awareness of good design, deepen the appreciation and understanding of design innovation and encourage the use of design for innovation and productivity. Through this platform, the DesignSingapore Council also hopes to enhance the synergy among our design partners, and in turn boost Singapore’s profile and attractiveness as a global city for design.

Into its third edition, SDW 2016 will be held from 8 to 20 March this year. SDW will feature local and international design trade shows, conferences, showcases, exhibitions and workshops that span various design disciplines. Many of the activities will take place at the
National Design Centre, the hub of SDW.

SDW 2016 is both inclusive and international in its outlook, with a focus on bringing together partners and audiences to explore design issues, exchange ideas, develop capability and increase knowledge, generate business, encourage enterprises to use design, as well as establish contacts for partnership and collaboration.

Please visit　www.designsingapore.org/SDW for more information.

For Media Enquiries, please contact:

Stratagem Consultants Pte Ltd
Tham Moon Yee (tmy@stratagemconsultants.com)
Taufiq Zalizan (tz@stratagemconsultants.com)
Tel: 62270502

SingaPlural
Karen Chan (karen@singaporefurniture.com)
Philip Pang (philip@singaporefurniture.com)
Tel: 65059166

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