Abstract Creatures is an art installation by The Press Room created to mark the launch of the portal Studio SML, a website and podcast channel that hopes to archive in-depth stories of designers and their journeys. The exhibition features five designers – The first series of interviews feature Randy Chan of Zarch Collaboratives, Chang Yong Ter of Chang Architects, Sim Boon Yang and Calvin Sim of Eco-Id Architects, furniture designers Jessica Chang and Pamela Ting of Scene Shang, Gabriel Tan of Gabriel Tan Studio – who were interviewed for the project’s launch. More interviews will be unveiled on the portal in time to come.
From the interviews with these designers, one thing is very much in common – as designers are not trained to do business, almost everyone runs their studio organically, without any business plans or by-the-book strategies, development of the studio and business is often done intuitively and spontaneously, each studio is like an “abstract creature” – something strange, something intriguing, something that has a life of its own.
A self-initiated project by The Press Room, a local design and publishing firm founded by Kelley Cheng, who recently won Designer of the Year at the 2020 President’s Design Awards, and supported by DesignSignapore Council, Studio SML’s mission is to document the stories of Singaporean designers. It aims to highlight the challenges, sacrifices, and rewards that come from pursuing a career in the creative industry. The launch of Studio SML will be marked by an art installation titled, Abstract Creatures, featuring the five initial designers who were interviewed for the project.
Categorising studios into small (S), medium (M), and large (L), Studio SML functions as a progressive archive of all Singaporean designers across different fields. The archive will take the form of a website and podcast featuring both young, upcoming designers as well as established firms. With the mission of documenting them before they shine and before they die, the eventual goal is for Studio SML to serve as an educational resource and historical documentation for future generations to learn from.
A NEW WEBSITE AND PODCAST
The Studio SML website and podcast comprises a series of interviews with Singaporean designers from various fields of design. Categorised according to size — small for teams of 1-15, medium for 16-30, and large for 30 or more — visitors can also navigate the website through different design fields, such as interior design, furniture design, and architecture. Presented both as written interviews and podcasts for audio listeners, Studio SML functions as a platform for designers to share their personal stories through their own voices.
Each interview serves as a mini-biography of each creative, providing insight not just into the creative minds of the individuals, but how they have built their companies following their personal vision. Through these interviews, Studio SML promotes candid conversations about the design industry and how it can be improved for the next generation of designers.
From the interviews with these designers, one thing is very much in common – as designers are not trained to do business, almost everyone runs their studio organically, without any business plans or by-the-book strategies, development of the studio and business is often done intuitively and spontaneously, each studio is like an “abstract creature” – something strange, something intriguing, something that has a life of its own.
The exhibition runs at Singapore’s National Design Centre till October 31, 2021.
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