Selected Australian creative talent will travel to Singapore to attend the DesignSingapore Council’s Singapore Design Week 2018 thanks to an initiative of the Australian Singapore Arts Group, funded through the Department of Communication and the Arts.
‘In My Neighbourhood’ is a collection of collaborative project ideas from three Australian artists which seek to encourage and develop links between the Singapore and Australia. The collaborative project will be the first-ever joint UNESCO Creative Cities project between Sydney City of Film, Adelaide City of Music, Melbourne City of Literature and Singapore City of Design.
Each artist attending will be supported with funding to help with travel, accommodation and other costs in attending the week. As well as presenting their ideas, artists are encouraged to attend industry sessions and network with other creatives from their field with a view of exploring further collaborations.
‘Come With Me To My Neighbourhood’ from Vietnamese-Australian creative Thuy Ngyuyen (Western Sydney, NSW) is an idea to use 360˚ virtual reality video to showcase fashion talent and the neighbourhoods they live in, work in or are inspired by.
‘The Community Thread’ from Gladesville (Sydney, NSW) museum professional and emerging writer Jane Beeke would draw on a historical narrative of the pre-war Singaporean artistic community to create an immersive literary walk experience from local street artists and digital designers.
‘Move Along’ led by Richmond (Adelaide, SA) creative producer Jennifer Green Holmes, is an idea to merge storytelling, video, music, walking and skateboarding for a multi-artform performance bringing to life a uniquely contemporary Australian story of land ownership and love.
Mathew Trinca ASAG Chair commented, “We were hugely impressed by the quality of the ideas submitted across NSW, SA and VIC, and are confident that our three chosen artists will bring a quintessential Australian creative flavour to Singapore Design Week.
“The ideas forming our In My Neighbourhood project offer great prospects for international creative collaborations so we’re thrilled about the opportunity for the four UNESCO cities to work together on the project. Attending this event really delivers on the united network and it is fantastic to be able to form stronger bonds across our neighbouring UNESCO cities.”
Agnes Kwek, Executive Director of the DesignSingapore Council said, “We are delighted to welcome our Australian partners from the UNESCO Creative Cities Network to Singapore Design Week 2018. We look forward to seeing sparks fly between Singaporean creatives and our Australian friends, through this inaugural cross-disciplinary collaboration that will tell the stories of our communities through inclusive design projects in our neighbourhoods.”
Now into its fifth edition, the annual Singapore Design Week (SDW) 2018 will run from 5 to 18 March 2018. As one of Asia’s premier design festivals, SDW showcases Singapore’s thought leadership in design, connects design talents and businesses, and engages the community through delightful activities that demonstrate the value of design.
