Launch of Industry+: Debut Collection of Design from Singapore

PUBLISHED February 24th, 2014 11:02 am | UPDATED May 9th, 2018 03:13 am

Singapore Design Week in March 2014 sees the launch of Industry+, a new collection of furniture and product design from Singapore.

This debut collection showcases the best of contemporary Singapore design – from much-anticipated designers such as Studio Juju, OutofStock, and Hans Tan, as well as celebrated architects Colin Seah (Ministry of Design), Koichiro Ikebuchi (Atelier Ikebuchi), and VW+BS.

The launch debuts a curated collection that is utilitarian in approach. Industry+ products use experimental production techniques, combined with artisanal craftsmanship. The result is high quality industrial products that are beautiful enough to collect – employing techniques in industrial production as well as art and design.

Though uncompromising in quality, Industry+ products are offered at attainable prices.

For the debut collection, Industry+ designers were asked to investigate the role of design and it’s relationship with every day life. Some responded with designs that questioned identity – of national identity and also of the self – and some responded with questions about process itself. This debut collection is a creative expression of 8 Singaporean designers, told through every day objects.

Designer Colin Seah (Ministry of Design) transforms a traditional design icon, the Chinese bow back chair, by reducing it to its’ bare elements: a wire frame view, made of steel.

Designer Olivia Lee observes daily life with her ‘Revere’ vase – it greets you and sways as you interact with it – mimicking the act of bowing, a common way of showing of respect in Asia.

Hans Tan’s ‘Spring Tray’ is composed of 3D printed springs, varied in thickness according to the profile of a bowl. Tan’s investigative approach was led by the question of holding fruits as gracefully as possible, and then allowing this intent to manifest visually through the meticulously formed springs. Tan mentions that this design treated 3D printing as more of a craft process rather than a prototyping process, and was about ‘understanding the particularities of printing nylon and using it to produce products that is unique and honest to the capabilities of the process’.

The collection preview coincides with the opening of Singapore’s first National Design Centre. The launch will be on the 11th of March 2014, with Outofstock directing the exhibition design. The exhibition will be on view to the public from the 12th until the 31st of March. All pieces in the collection will be available exclusively through Industry+.

Opening Times: Monday – Sunday, 10am – 8pm

Admission: Free