Dual By Design

Singapore is a design-centric city that intricately weaves the best of the aesthetic and exacting into the crevices of its everyday. Three of its representatives at Milan Design Week (MDW) shed light on the duties and inherent dualities in the world of design.

- Charmaine Tan

Design comes from the sum of careful calculation and creativity. It is the zenith of the arts and the sciences, a child of the visceral and the cerebral — a visual expression of data that conveys purpose with clarity, conviction and resonance. Forms of design — be it in the digital or physical space — tell stories that are not only objectively functional but also narrative in experience. This is what bequeaths this discipline with the blessing and curse of an inherent duality, a reason to commend all design solutions — but especially successful ones — with admiration and respect.

For a young and technically-advanced nation like Singapore, applying and integrating this way of thinking into the fabric of our landscape is more than just fathomable; with lesser things to refine, Singapore can integrate more future-proof designs into the large-scale of our small island with ease.

However, that is not why our little red dot is recognised as a hub of innovation and creativity. While the future is still blurry, it is bright with wonder and naivety. Our yet-to-be-defined design identity is powerful because there is still so much unrealised potential. Our growing pool of progressive and imaginative design thinkers possess an urgent desire to integrate sustainability into production and be vicious and thorough in their search for the most cutting-edge technology — thanks to our unique economic, social and political settings.