This is the stuff of a Studio Ghibli movie. Seven months ago in June 2023, Singaporean architect/art fabricator/artist Sean Gwee and his wife Ashley Hong, a freelance TV producer, purchased a three-story house located on the fringes of Okayama in western Japan, an idyllic city most famous for its postcard‑perfect gardens. They could have turned the place – an early Metabolist‑style holiday home that sits on verdant grounds spanning more than 21,000 sq ft built around 1968 – into their pied‑à‑terre (the couple, who have a two‑year‑old daughter, still call Singapore home and shuttle between the two countries). Instead, they had a far more benevolent idea.
Since September last year, people – originally only friends and acquaintances, but now strangers are welcome too – can stay on site for around two weeks or so at no cost. All Gwee and Hong ask for in return? That these guests spend the time there doing something that – get this – feeds into their creative daydreams. It explains the name that they’ve given to this heart‑warming if unusual set‑up: Isle of Dreams. Think of it as an artist residency if you will, except that interested parties need not necessarily be artists and there are no concrete expectations of works that are to be produced.
Says Gwee: “We see Isle of Dreams as a space where people can feel the safety and freedom needed to daydream a little bit. It’s not about building grand visions – the stakes here are lower – but, and I think this is really important, about healing and it just being enjoyable to be able to manifest some of your creative ideas and aspirations. Perhaps this stems from my art fabrication practice in which I work with people to chase their whims and pursue little wins instead of overthinking and trying to over-optimize results.”
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Denne historien er fra January - February 2024-utgaven av Female Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Glam Rocks
Lying At The Heart Of Celine Beaute, The First Cosmetics Line From The House Of Celine, Is A Decidedly Romantic Notion: That Makeup Should Be A Luxurious Ritual.
mother!
FOR AN EDITION CENTRED AROUND NOSTALGIA, HOW COULD WE NOT HEAR FROM THE ONES WHO'VE SEEN THEIR RESPECTIVE INDUSTRIES CHANGE OVER TIME? SIX RENOWNED AND BELOVED CULTURAL AUTHORITIES IN FASHION, DESIGN AND CULTURE IN SINGAPORE SHARE WHAT THEY'VE LEARNT, WHAT THEY MISS AND WHAT WHAT KEEPS THEM GOING.
the art of reflection
DICTIONARY.COM DEFINES NOSTALGIA AS \"A WISTFUL DESIRE TO RETURN IN THOUGHT OR IN FACT TO A FORMER TIME IN ONE'S LIFE, TO ONE'S HOME OR HOMELAND, OR TO ONE'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS\". KENG YANG SHUEN ZEROES IN ON FIVE SINGAPORE ARTISTS INTERPRETING THIS OFTEN-INTANGIBLE QUALITY AS WELL AS THE NOTION OF TIME AND MEMORY ONLY TO EVOKE POIGNANCY, CURIOSITY AND EVEN PLENTY OF LAUGHS.
thank you for the memories
GEN Z IS OFTEN SAID TO BE A NOSTALGIA-INFATUATED BUNCH. THE SIX DIGITAL NATIVES FEATURED HERE LIVE UP TO THAT REPUTATION WITH THEIR COLLECTION OF CLOTHES, ACCESSORIES, TOYS, OBJECTS AND MORE THAT DATE BACK TO A TIME IN WHICH THEY WERE GROWING UP OR IN SOME CASES HAVE NEVER EVEN LIVED THROUGH. PAIGE BOON GETS THEM TO OPEN UP THEIR ARCHIVES AND ABOUT THEIR LOVE OF YESTERYEAR.
Super Natural
Who Better To Tell Us More About The N°1 De Chanel Revitalising Eye Serum - The Latest Addition To Chanel's N°1 De Chanel Skincare Collection That Promises To Give Peepers A Fresh, "Wide Awake" Look-than The Maison's Doe-eyed Ambassador And Face Of The Line, Minji Of Newjeans?
THE INITIATIVE: new bahru
EVEN BEFORE IT'S SET TO OPEN OFFICIALLY NEXT YEAR, NEW BAHRU HAS BECOME THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT AND VISITED NEW LIFESTYLE DESTINATION WE'VE HAD IN DECADES FOR ITS AMBITIOUS CONCEPT: A SOPHISTICATED CULTURAL PLAYGROUND TO DISCOVER AND SUPPORT MADE-IN-SINGAPORE CREATIVE BUSINESSES SPANNING F&B TO FASHION. HERE'S WHY ITS SUCCESS MEANS A WIN FOR ALL.
THE INITIATIVE: proud spaces
FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY IN SINGAPORE HAS A PERMANENT, PHYSICAL SPACE WHERE ITS MEMBERS CAN HEAD TO ANYTIME OF THE YEAR TO SEEK BOTH ADVICE AND SOLACE, NETWORK, ATTEND ACTIVITIES THAT EDUCATE AND EMPOWER THEM, AND EVEN STAGE THEIR OWN.
THE INITIATIVE: lucky hall
FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS OR SO, THIS UNUSUAL SET-UP HAS BEEN GIVING YOUNG CREATIVES A LEG UP IN ORGANISING THEIR OWN EVENTS (INDUSTRY ADVICE, SERVICES AT CONCESSION RATES, ZERO RENT). SOON, THE CURTAINS WILL COME DOWN ON IT. HERE'S WHY IT REMAINS THE MAIN EVENT.
THE INITIATIVE: alt-gps
ZACHARY DESKER BELIEVES THAT SINGAPORE'S UNDERGROUND MUSIC SCENE SHOULD BE A TOURIST ATTRACTION. HE TELLS US WHY AND HOW HE'S MAKING THIS HAPPEN ON HIS OWN TIME AND DIME.
THE INITIATIVE: the fruit basket
DRAG AS AN ART FORM HAS BEEN UNDERGOING A CULTURAL RENAISSANCE IN SINGAPORE RECENTLY.
