EMERGE @ FIND, the highly anticipated Southeast Asian design showcase, is set to return to Singapore Design Week 2024 with a provocative focus on the notion of value. Presented by the DesignSingapore Council (Dsg) and supported by FIND – Design Fair Asia, this year’s showcase will feature over 60 designers, including recent graduates, from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The event will take place at Marina Bay Sands from 26 to 28 September 2024, spanning an impressive 1,000 sqm of space.
In its third edition, EMERGE @ FIND introduces an exciting new partnership with online gallery The Artling, aimed at expanding commercialization opportunities for participating designers. Over 100 works are expected to be available for sale on The Artling platform, providing designers with access to the gallery’s extensive network of buyers and collectors. Visitors will be able to browse and purchase the collection online starting 13 September 2024.
Returning curator Suzy Annetta frames this year’s showcase under the theme “These Precious Things,” posing a critical question: “Do we really need more?” This curatorial provocation invites a profound examination of the concept of value in a time of excess and environmental urgency.
“I am honored to curate the EMERGE showcase again in 2024. This year, we are probing the very essence of value – its definition, arbiters, metrics, and potential evolution. It’s an exploration to question the core purpose of design in our contemporary world,” said Annetta. “I’m particularly excited for visitors to experience these thought-provoking works firsthand.”
The showcased works will span a spectrum from bold concepts to functional innovations, all unified by a common thread of questioning established value systems. Among the designers debuting at EMERGE @ FIND are Singaporean talents Ivan Ho of Tizumuka and Emeline Ong. Ho’s Parasitic collection transforms waste into objects of desire, while Ong’s Pastille Collection gives new life to discarded paper, fostering a greater appreciation for overlooked materials.
Emerging Vietnamese designer Khanh Linh Phan brings a fresh perspective to traditional crochet techniques with LUCIA, a collection of innovative lighting pieces. Meanwhile, Malaysian designer Mohd Sujak Hasbollah highlights the ancient woodworking method of pasak with his chair, Lokka. These designers preserve traditional artisanal skills while challenging perceptions of value in modern design.
Returning alumni include Indonesian furniture designer Alvin Tjitrowirjo of alvinT, Filipino industrial designer Selena Placino, and Thai designer Apiwat Chitapanya of Masaya. Their works emphasize cultural preservation, sustainability, and the fusion of traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design.
We are thrilled to host an exceptional array of talented designers presenting at EMERGE as part of FIND this year. We are particularly keen to see how designers interpret the highly-contested notion of value, witnessing this sociological debate unfold and be presented at the empirical level,” said Carl Press, Event Director of FIND – Design Fair Asia.
Dawn Lim, Executive Director of Dsg, commented, “Leveraging Singapore’s role as a gateway to Southeast Asia, EMERGE @ FIND will unite established and emerging designers from the region to explore how to enhance value and sustainability through design. This showcase presents exceptional objects to a wider audience and cultivates crucial dialogues and connections. As the organizer of Singapore Design Week, we are proud to offer this platform as a key event within our festival that elevates regional creativity globally.”
EMERGE @ FIND promises to be a thought-provoking highlight of Singapore Design Week 2024, offering visitors the opportunity to engage with cutting-edge design and explore the evolving definitions of value in a rapidly changing world.
