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by Jeremy Sun

Commemorating Bruce Lee’s 70th Birthday
Bruce Lee was a faint memory from my childhood – I wasn’t old enough to appreciate his art when he was on the rise to become the most influential kung fu star the world had ever seen.
It was until I grew up and started watching action-packed movies starred by many of his followers that I realized how profound his influence had been on the pop culture of our time. He literally, if not single-handily, created the kung fu cult.
The showdown in the mirror room, the most iconic – in fact now immortalized – fight scene from his final movie “Enter the Dragon” casted a strong memory in me as a teenager. It was a nerve-racking and somewhat eerie fight sequence, particularly intensified by the strips of illusive mirrors all around the room generating infinite reflection of him and his enemy.
“Enter the (Dragon) Mirror” was specially created to pay tribute to Bruce Lee and his art, commemorating his 70th birthday. A dark and pixilated portrait of him in his classic posture not only reflects the faint memory I have of him as a screen hero but also symbolizes his seemingly distanced existence but nonetheless significant presence up till today.

by Lee Leong Chye

Almost everyone in those days used pressurized kerosene lamps, it was the norm. They were bright, efficient and they were relatively low in cost. At dusk it was common sight to see stall owners preparing their kerosene lanterns. It was like a ritual, pressurizing the tank via the hand pump, striking the match, preheating and adjusting the pressure…and finally….light. The lamps were used everywhere. Not only were they necessary as a light source but they significantly contributed to the mood and environment of the pasar malam. When I think back I always distinctly recall the constant hiss of the lamps burning and the smell of the kerosene that filled the air.

by Tan Lun Cheak

Growing up, I recall fondly that once a year on Chinese New Year, the steamboat will take center stage at the dining table during our family reunion dinner. Without fail, the steamboat is always surrounded by family, good food, laughter, happiness and love.
It is around the steamboat that I learnt about family values, respect and filial piety. The steamboat holds fond memories for me. And it has grown to represent everything that epitomizes the spirit of family bonding.
GlowBelly is a steamboat that when not used for cooking or dining, can be flipped around to function as a beautiful lamp; encouraging the joyful memories of past reunion dinners to continue to glow and is an ever-present reminder of the values and ingredients that go into making a happy family.
The design is to be made from pyro-ceramics, which is a special glass used for cookware. It is able to withstand extreme temperature changes, allowing it to be used in the freezer and directly onto the stove and in the oven. GlowBelly is currently being patented by World Kitchen, supplier of well-known names in kitchenware like Corelle®, CorningWare® and Vision®.
The GlowBelly Steamboat design is dedicated to my Grandmother.

by Alvin Sitoh

Take a walk around the local residential heartlands and you’ll never miss the distinctive mass display of personal laundries that are skewered on numerous sticks of bamboo poles (also locally known as ‘Tek-ko’) and abruptly sticking out of the residents’ homes.
With Singapore’s daily temperature perpetually soaring around 30°C all year round, we are blessed with a virtually cost-free and all natural ‘clothes dryer’. This method of drying after-washed garments is a familiar living habit that had evolved with the locals since the old kampong days, when everyone simply loves the natural fragrant from their sun-dried clothing.
On the other hand, the sight is quite a culture shock for some foreigners – “It’s the suspended scarecrows of Singapore!”, says one that I had met. In fact, many of our modern generation considers the practice to be unflattering to our contemporary architectures, while the local housing designs have continually changed over the years to try and conceal the visibility of these “laundry parade”.
Since young, I would imagine those sticks of clothing as a magnificent spectacle of installation art, cleverly put together in random colours and textures that add sparkle to each of our home.
My big idea is to create beauty out of the ugly. Since laundries are clothing, and clothing is fashion, My creation shouts a fashion statement that flaunt a style of our own, reminding us to embrace our culture and love our heritage.

by Nick Marchand
The Merlion is a part of who Singapore is and this will never change. What I am interested in is whether, like our beautiful city-state, the Merlion’s “look” can be updated. If you think of the Merlion as an icon and not as an image this may be possible because it then has the ability to change and still stand for the same things.
Currently the Merlion’s tail covers its chest in a defensive stance. If it was to move, it seems as if it would be backwards like a prawn. This is not the Singapore that I know. The Singapore I know is proud, daring, and ready to put its mark on the world. My redesign of the Merlion reflects this as it is forward looking, reflecting the state of the Republic. This is in fact is my hope for Singapore: that it can move forward with out losing what makes it special.

by Len Lim

‘I love seats, nice simple seats!’
It all started from my childhood memory of traditional furniture piece that was embedded with marble. I love sitting on these wooden stools with the marble in it, especially after running around outside on a hot sunny day and enjoying that relief of having to discharge the heat from the bump when I sat on one of these stools. This furniture still exist today but it is either considered a traditional, old or antique furniture. I would like to start with redesigning the stool by keeping the marble element and give it an aesthetic that will fit current context.
In my design development, my starting point is to maintain the same combination of materials, marble + wood. My approach is to stripped the traditional stool aesthetic details to a bare minimum, explore various heights, wood types, wood joints and consider possible space saving. At the end I hope to deliver a stool, a seat, maybe a family of furniture, to suit various current living space & need, and execute it with a hint of the traditional heritage we have.

by Yang Tah Ching

Every time I come across Mu Zhi Yi, it never ceases to bring a smile. The fond memories of little ones growing up with it are so mutual that we want the younger generation to experience it too. Sometimes the chair is passed on almost like a family heirloom.
What amazes me is that the dual usage design of the chair has remained unchanged; the baby chair flips on its ends to become a stool. There are newer reproductions, some in cane, but I am glad it did not evolved into another plastic baby chair. The use of bamboo is robust for the chair to be knocked around. With bamboo, the more you use it, the more it ages with you. Each memory adding on to the next one, each story with you or your little ones in it. This is the legacy I want to preserve.
To celebrate this Classic Asian design, I added a complementary chair. Mu Zhi Yi is no longer alone; it is joined with Fu Mu Yi (Parent’s Chair). This armchair follows the dual usage; it flips over to be used as a side table. With this, I hope it will continue to bring on more smiles, meaning and memories for generations to come.

by Jason Goh

When I was young, times were bad. When my clothes were torn, I don’t go out to retail stores to get a new one, my grandma will sew them.
My grandma to me is a FASHION DESIGNER. I will tell her what type of clothes I like and she will magically make them appear in my wardrobe after spending a few days on that amazing machine.
These days, sewing machines has disappeared from most of our household, starting from my generation. I would like to introduce these amazing beautifully crafted machines to the younger generations. At the same time, it brings back lots of my memories with my grandma.
? Sewing Clock make use of the pushing action a sewing machine creates when the turning wheel is rotated. A strip of fabric with time sewed on it is pushed through under the needle to the light box where the actual time will be displayed.
The external skin of the clock is made up of 5 pieces of mirror like reflective glass. The viewing angle of each piece of glass is controlled using special film to create an interesting illusive view of the sewing machine inside.
I hope this design will bring these beautifully crafted sewing machines back into our modern home with a different purpose.

by Alfred Lau

In the early days, my home is next to a Peranakan family. The old lady of that house was kind and used to offered us food and clothes. I’m always fascinated by the details and colours of the Peranakan costumes, tableware, beadworks, etc. And i wish to design something that bring out the vibrant colours of their way of life and once again bring me back to that memories of that kind Peranakan old lady.

by Francis Chu

bobo is a cloud shape air filter doubling up as light. It makes use of high tech filters from Totobobo Mask® to purify polluted air. At night, bobo also emits soft growing light as if the moon is shining behind the cloud, providing relax, serene atmosphere.

Inspiration of bobo came form my childhood memories. As a curious kid I was fascinated how clouds change and move across the sky. I enjoy spontaneous imagination triggered by the changing patterns. e.g. a white rabbit slowly morphing into a huge snail or an airplane suddenly changed to a dancing dragon. Free from computer games and traffic pollutions, those were the days that life was simpler and air was cleaner.
The design intent of bobo is to bring back the clean air and memory of those simple days.
bobo-cloud is patent pending, the project is sponsored by Totobobo Mask®

by Celia Law

Growing up, my most unforgettable memories are related to the five senses.
“smell – aroma of coffee + sound – pouring of coffee + sight – process of brewing coffee + taste – courage to try black coffee = feel – warmth and love from grandma “.
In the past, many households would start the day using the same humble method of brewing a big pot of coffee for everyone in the family. Amazingly, there was always a constant supply of coffee in the pot. This was no exception in my family too, and the coffee was the only “sweet” drinks I got when young. Every day, my grandma would serve me her freshly brewed coffee to go with my afternoon snacks.
Sadly as time passes, such memories starts to fade along with my grandma’s coffee brewing habits and culture.
Growing up in this coffee-loving family, it is not surprising that I am intrigued by the unique & creative way of brewing coffee with simple utensils like coffee socks with a few humble containers. It’s amazing how such simple tools can work together to make coffee taste so different.
My intent is to encourage family cohesiveness by integrating fun, interaction, culture and heritage into one simple process of brewing coffee.
The design is a well integrated coffee set with interesting mixture of materials. Not only does it serves coffee, it also visually appeal to its surroundings. It captures the spirit of Asia coffee making culture with a twist.

by Christopher Lim Kim Yam

Designing from memories brings me back to days when my mom, who was a great cook, used to prepare meals that I could take with me when I was out with my friends fishing, scouting, trekking, camping or just having fun at the beach. Looking at the Tiffin carrier brings back such wonderful memories. My friends and I would always look forward to lunch or dinner as we gather around the Tiffin carrier and Tupperware with hungry faces. It was so fun after a hard day of PLAY! It was the highlight of the day and during the meal no one talks! You would lose out if you talk. It was like a sacred ritual, everyone was quite and gobbling all the food and rice. Conversation starts only after all the food was gone. I had great food and good company who could ask for more. I hope to bring this back today but I cannot imagine carrying the same old Tiffin carrier. I am sure no one will think it would be cool and they may not sit with me to have a meal.

by Erene Teo

‘Oh, I once did that.’ ‘Wee, it’s fun!’
Tze Kor Saver will bring about a nostalgic feeling, the art of saving money that we all once have. Saving a coin in a piggy bank shall not be a ‘passing-by’ memory that is forgotten. The notion of seeing your money grows physically has been taken over tremendously by the digital numbers on the bank book nowadays. I hope to recapture the learning habit of saving each and every dollar or coin. Putting a coin each day in the container require self-discipline and often a thrifty mindset in your daily activities. With each and every coin/dollar you inserted and saved up till, for an instance to buy that particular pairs of shoes, dress or present, you will find that these items you bought have a lot more sense of lasting value and significance because it is worth it. Unlike the traditional piggy bank, Tze Kor Saver is my new reinterpretation and reinvention of saving coins, in a more amusing and entertaining way.

by Rodney Loh

“Teddy bears has a significant meaning in my life! My wife is a fanatic teddy bear collector and it has a definite influence on me and formed a huge part of my recent memories. I have worked in Hong Kong before I moved back to Singapore. My favourite pastime was really grazing through the backstreets of the antique markets there. The most common sight I remember were the iconic Chinese statues Fu Lu Shou which brings me back to my childhood memories of my old house where my parents were collectors of Chinese artifacts. “Imprints” for me was an opportunity to re-discover my childhood memories to uncover new ideas for my recent and new memories.”

by Lee Yun Qin

In my memories, my grandparents often had simple yet ingenious ways of dealing with life’s little problems. While they may not be the most elegant of solutions, they were clever in their little ways. My grandmother would place a jar of condensed milk in the middle of a saucer of water. When I questioned why she did it, she would reply, ‘Ants can’t swim’.
While there are many ways to express this idea in the form of a condiment holder, the one that stays true to my memory and understanding then was that of a protective moat going round the high castle walls, keeping the good stuff away from the attacking ants… The design allows for storage of sweet condiments such as honey, sugar syrup, milk and sugar cubes to be kept safe from ants.
Hence, this is the castle inspired by my memories of a simple life.

by Ng Pei Kang

The bird teahouse is a rest stop for free flying birds in our HDB estates. Hung outside your HDB window, birds can peck some seeds, have a drink before they continue on their flight. It offers HDB residents a chance to observe wild birds up-close, through their windows without leaving the comfort of their home. This is the modern take on loving birds – not as caged pets, but as guests. The bird teahouse is meant to add new life to the dwindling bird business in Singapore – by taking the skills of bird cage makers and reinventing it for today.

by Woon Taiwoon

When I was young, my family was very poor and couldn’t afford many things. However mum bought me a ping pong bat and ball set. I had great fun playing it, bouncing the ball against the wall and practicing my ball returns. As the wall was uneven, the path of the ball was always changing. I derived a lot of pleasure hitting the wall in a particular spot so that bits of paint would peel off. It was a mark which can be achieved only by practice and time.
My design concept is to make a wall leaning board which can be flipped down to allow 1 player to practice by himself, against the wall. The wall is usually uneven, and this will give plenty of surprises and keep the player entertained. When not in use, it becomes a huge painting.
The rationale for the large monkey god drawing is that we all have our inner monster and heroes… Monkey god is my childhood hero. He can transform easily, fly over mountains and see thru evil. He is the Asian Superman! But when you flip down the board, you will just see the wall… and it is just you and the wall. In life, many a times, we are the biggest enemy of ourselves!

by Kittichai R (Naa)

Gaming has been a hobby since young, especially strategic games. Chinese Chess is one such game that I like and used to play it almost every day when I was a kid. It is challenging to think and plan ahead of my opponent in order to win. I have also grown to appreciate the intricate carvings of the Chinese characters on the chess pieces, and the unique placement of the pieces on the board.
As time passes, I grew up and seldom chance to play Chinese Chess as most of my new friends were more into English Chess. Hence, I have no choice but to pick up English Chess as well. Since then, I wondered to myself, why can’t Chinese Chess be more popular internationally? Is it too old fashion?
My concept integrates the classic Chinese Chess game with a contemporary bookshelf furniture. I want to bring this game that I always loved into our daily lives, so that it can reach more people. In the long run, I hope this will also communicate our Asian culture to other non-Asian countries and increase the awareness of the Chinese Chess game.

by Chan Wai Lim

I’m turning back the clock to the time when I ‘m 5 years old staying in “Singapore Kampong”
When I start to learn to draw, write, sing etc…
My first 5-year-old impression was my family had grandfather clock and cuckoo clock. Both clocks mean a lot to me. I would listen to the “dong dong and cuckoo sound”
Then I know what to do and where to go next…. .
Today, even I do not stay in The Kampong anymore. I wanted to bring my little kampong memory with me.
This Cuckoo clock is crafted with details from my little kampong memories & produce sounds from kampong lifestyle that I can remember.

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