Print / Art / Installation / Identity
As much as music is like painting frequencies on a canvas of time, art and print have always been parallel forms of expression that I’m drawn to. In my early years, I was heavily influenced not only by the subversiveness of graffiti, but it also allowed me to be ‘involved’ in a faceless scene with a community with the same mindset. Being in Singapore, that didn’t go very far beyond some walls and sketchbooks. But it made me, the smallest kid in class, many friends plus some immunity against the bullies in exchange for an outline. My parents weren’t too pleased.
Fast forward to my teenage years, I came across a record sleeve which didn’t have any titles on it, except for a stunning minimal artwork in a form of a floppy disk which had me transfixed. The band was New Order and the record was Blue Monday. The record went on to being the biggest selling 12” in history.
Needless to say, I still have that record behind me in the studio today to remind me of the importance of the linkage between image and music. Little did I realise then that it would be the impetus for my career even before I knew it.
Fuji Xerox (Asia Pacific)
Book Design
Innovation Print Awards (Asia-Pacific) 2022
Fuji Xerox Singapore collaborated with artists to produce an exclusive collection printed on the Production Printer, Iridesse. The collaboration was done with renowned graffiti artist, Didier “Jaba” Mathieu, and Jonathan Kiat, co-founder of multi-displinary studio System Sovereign and audio-visual collective Syndicate.
The collection featured all-new works by Mathieu and offered insight into how the Colombian’s art was inspired through his travels and experiences. As part of the production process, Mathieu and Kiat collaborated closely with Fuji Xerox to capture the essences of Iridesse’s specialty dry inks gold, silver, white, pink and clear in the print output.
“We are so excited to work with Didier Mathieu, one of the world’s most prominent graffiti artists. For an artist who is used to outdoor walls as a medium for his artwork, this project represents an important step into the era of graffiti art being brought to life on paper and through the use of digital print,” said Timothy Julian Howard, associate director, graphic communication services, Fuji Xerox Singapore.
The collection comprise of five distinctively different books - Roots, Memoirs, Noir, Dreamscape, Jaba. Best described as a mixed media of hyper-realistic and abstract, with an inclination towards a wild style, the art pieces are purposefully designed to bring out the brilliance of Fuji Xerox’s Production Printer, Iridesse.
MELT: Portrait Of An Iceberg / Simon Harsent (NYC/SYD)
Book Design (With Ken Tan) / Collateral Design / D&AD Photography In-Book
Melt: Portrait of an Iceberg is an exceptional photographic series by internationally acclaimed photographer Simon Harsent, consisting of 42 large format prints taken over two trips to Newfoundland and Greenland.
Inspired by the need for awareness of the melting polar caps, we decided to create a book that would serve to document this. When Simon showed us the prints, we were so captivated by the natural palettes within the imagery, that we decided to allow the images to exist on their own, devoid of any other intrusive elements such as type or graphic elements. Only the custom designed type on the cover was debossed.
Visit his site here to purchase prints or the book.
Athletic Inc (SG)
Logo + Collateral Design / Apparel
Athletic Inc was started by an ex-national athlete, Carl de Vries. It aims to empower the next generation of National athletes through the usage of modern sport science and experience. For me personally, I’ve played tennis at a National level as a junior and spent a summer in Florida at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy practicing alongside Pete Sampras and Andre Aggasi. From my own experience, I have seen the benefits of combining advanced sport psychology coupled with regimental training discipline to excel not only at sport but in life. Together with Carl, I wanted to share my own sports experience through his brand. The basic idea was to a no-frills, modular, flexible, distinct and modern look based on the idea of using athletic training as your building blocks to better your mind and body. An apparel line is being developed to allow his branding to be extended through his students via his training programs. The design strategy was also to give the gym a more lifestyle look that synced with his trainers personalities. (eg. A BMX professional who is one of his key trainers)
“A former national athlete, Carl’s growing passion to inspire and empower young, aspiring athletes in the local Singapore sporting community led to the birth of ATHLETiC INC. Incorporating modern sports science-based training techniques and a customised approach to strength and conditioning, ATHLETiC INC aims to bridge the gap between the ‘aspiring’ and ‘professional’ athlete and empower them to their fullest potentials.”
SBTG/Royalefam (SG)
Name Cards Design & Production / Illustrated by Aiz / Designed with Ken Tan
(Telephone Transcript)
Me: Yo Mark… it’s me. Got an idea for your namecards. It will look like a $1000 bill in US currency of course. You can stuff it in shoes for your new clients so they can give it their friends or you can throw it out the window onto the streets when you’re in Tokyo next. Make it rain bro.
Mark: Cool, let’s do it.
Quaint Quarterly (SG)
Editorial Design & Production
Quaint Quarterly is an independent print journal curating curiosities from the four corners of the web. Primarily focused on long-form articles and eye-catching illustrations, all the content is handpicked for readers who want to read challenging and insightful materials in a well-crafted format.
Quaint Quarterly features the work of thinkers, writers, and artists whose work is connected to or influenced by the issue’s overall theme (nostalgia, progress, identity, etc.). From personal blogs to renowned writers, from opinion pieces to academic papers, from amateur photographers to award-winning painters, the work gathered is a snapshot of all the incredibly thought-provoking content that can be found online and yet does not necessarily reach all constantly-connected people.
The timelessness of the content makes Quaint Quarterly a unique reading material that can be picked up and read at any moment, regardless of current events or of trending topics. Regarding physical attributes, Quaint Quarterly is printed on high quality paper and is more akin to an art book than a traditional magazine. This unique hybrid format means readers keep and collect the various issues instead of consuming and discarding them. The modern and colourful design of the magazine leads them to proudly display the issues in their homes or in their offices.
Editorial Direction: Jonathan Gonzalez (Gonzo Media Pte. Ltd.)
GBH / Simon Harsent (NYC/SYD)
Editorial Print / Exhibition
Simon HARSENT announces GBH, a powerful portrait study that comes face-to-face with Great Britain’s leading football Hooligans.
GBH is a natural progression from Harsent’s previous work The Beautiful Game, a series that captured the subtle physical and emotional power of football stadia over their surrounding environments. In GBH, Harsent moves on from physical to cultural relics of football, exploring a subset of football culture that has remained a shocking fascination for many fans decades later.
The exhibition is an examination of social discontent in Britain as the beautiful game presented an ugly face, and how the decisions of a few men 30 years ago have impacted their lives today.
GBH has been selected as a featured exhibition of Head On Photo Festival, Australia’s largest and most prestigious photographic festival.
“There’s a sense of identity, respect, pride, belonging, brotherhood–family even. It’s male camaraderie, a feeling you’re alive. You matter and can have a say in your destiny. ”
DJ Krush (JPN)
Event Poster / Flyer / Design & Production
Legendary Japanese producer and DJ, DJ Krush stopped by our island for a gig and we were asked to design some collateral to promote the event. I wanted to create an image that represented the mediative art of the turntablism. The posters and flyers were printed on Japanese pressed paper with hand torn edges to create a raw contrast to the gunmetal foil stamped finish. The design direction was inspired by the idea of turntable zen which I think reflects his musical style.
24 Crane Road (SG)
Book Design
Property owner, Ong Chin Hwee, approached us with an idea to document this 3-unit service apartment he was going to develop right in the heart of Joo Chiat – a historic neighbourhood in Singapore. Along with the architect, Mark Wee, we sat down and discussed the unique points of the architecture – from maintaining the exterior facade right down to the way the space was being experienced. The end result was a book design that mirrors the experience of the space and the many surprises it had in store for the occupants.
We also commissioned three artists from different disciplines to create work whilst living in the space for a week. The result was not just a record of a building’s development, but also a reflection of its place in such an iconic neighbourhood.
Editor: Narelle Yabuka
Architectural Photography: Francis Ng
Contributing Artists: Ivonne Adel-Bureos, Flee Circus, Francis Ng
Motherdough (SG)
Logo / Identity / Hand Painted Signage / Product Photography
Born from a deep-seated love for baking and breaking bread, Mother Dough Bakery was founded in May 2018 by head baker Naadhira Ismail. She started her bread and pastry journey in 2012 at The International Culinary Institute, NYC, and spent the next four years in the city working at different bakeries and restaurants. But it wasn’t till she worked at bakery in Brooklyn that her love for the craft deepened, and where she studied the process and rhythms of slow fermentation, and tasted one of the best baguettes.
The idea for the identity was to create a brand that reflects her signature style of dough.
Art-ish
Little Fluffy Clouds (SG)
17th October 2014 to 6th January 2015, tcc - The Connoisseur Concerto proudly presented 'Singled Out' - an art exhibition that saw 50 local designers and artists transforming vinyl records into pieces of artwork which were put up for auction, with all proceeds going towards Thunder Rock School to provide a music education outreach program specifically catered to financially disadvantaged children.
“For this piece, I was inspired by an ambient tune from my youth called ‘Little Fluffy Clouds” by a band called The Orb… a classic piece of psychedelic electronica which remained in my life since the first time I’ve experienced it as a teenager. For the artwork, I wanted to rework the original cover by The Designers Republic as it was a time in my life where the music and the art collided in a way that made sense to me. For my version, I created an image using photography and printed it on fabric which was individually wrapped around 16 vinyl sleeves containing 16 records from my youth that spans all genres from disco to unreleased drum and bass tunes.”
Size: 122x122cm / Mixed Media
Not Forgotten (SG)
Artist: Cherry Chan / Kiat (Assisted by Roslyn Chua)
Medium: Steel Oxide
Elephant Parade was the largest open air art exhibition in preservation of the Asian elephant worldwide. Painted by local and international artists, each elephant is a unique piece of art. After the exhibition, all elephants were auctioned by renowned auctioneers such as Christie’s and Sotheby’s. Part of all proceeds of Elephant Parade were donated to The Asian Elephant Foundation. It is Elephant Parade’s mission to become the world’s largest financial support organization for the Asian elephant, which is threatened with extinction.
For this project, we were approached by renowned chef, Michael Han of Fifty Three, to collaborate. Based on the Japanese ethos of wabi-sabi, echoed by Michael’s affinity for nature in his culinary creations, ‘Not Forgotten’ questions nature’s chances of survival without human interference. Paint mixed with steel was applied to our elephant and left out in the elements to rust naturally over 5 months, allowing nature to create its own art. A teardrop made of crushed pearl was painted under the left eye of the elephant to reflect a certain sorrow.
‘Not Forgotten’ was chosen by the Asian Civilisation Museum to be displayed on its grounds before the auction at Sotheby’s, where it fetched the highest bid of SGD$29000 for the day.
Splinters (UK)
Coming Home / People’s Association
Installation (With Cherry Chan, Roslyn Chua)
Over many weeks, we gather thoughts from residents about how they feel about their home. We then built a room with mirrors layered with their reflections on the subject.
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Home to me is a shelter. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where the place is filled with corrupted people or when it is dirty. If I can add 1 thing to Singapore, it would be more courteous people! I wish home has more forests and nature. I wish home has less cars, highways, anything that pollutes the environment. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where there is violence. Home used to be just a place for me to live in. But now, home is a place where I love to go back to. If I can add 1 thing to Singapore, it would be satisfaction with whatever we have. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where people take what we have for granted and abuse the strong bonds we have. Home to me is somewhere I can feel happy and accepted for who I am. I would love to see Singapore change into a place where money and education isn't everything. Home to me is somewhere I can be alone. I wish home has more selfless people. If I can add 1 thing to Singapore, it would be resilience. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where there is corruption. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where people have no compassion and full of criticism. If I can remove 1 thing from Singapore, it would have to be people who just stand and take videos or pictures of others who needed help instead helping. If I can 1 thing to Singapore, it would be harmony. I wish home was less serious. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where pandemonium stuck. Home to me is a place where I can be myself and receive love. If I can remove 1 thing away from Singapore, it would be people being uptight about studying and the cost of living would be lower. I wish home had less sadness and fights. I would love to see Singapore change into a place where everyone is treated equally. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where there are homeless people on the streets. Compared to 10 years ago, I understand and appreciate home more now. If I can remove 1 thing away from Singapore, it would be the stress that people here face, be it in education or work. I would love to see Singapore change into a place where equality is practiced well and individuality is respected. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where everybody is forced to be perfect as we are all unique. I wish home had less TV shows so that we can have more hands-on activities. I would love to see Singapore change into a place with more nature. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where it is full of competition. I wish home was less judgemental. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where everyone becomes robots and don't care about things around them. Home to me is being with my family. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where money is more important than happiness. Home to me is a place where I can be myself. Home to me is place where I can express my feelings. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where war is normal. If I can remove 1 thing away from Singapore, it would be the racism. I wish home had more joy and understanding. Home to me is anywhere that has people that I love - friends and family. If I can remove 1 thing away from Singapore, it would have to be the pollution. Home to me is my favourite place on earth. Home to me is place where I feel secured. I wish home had less HATE. Home to me is heaven but sometimes hell. I wish home had more adventure. I would love to see Singapore change into a place where people are happier. Home to me is a place where I am loved for who I am. I would like to contribute to home by doing things that makes people smile. I wish home had more beautiful memories. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where everyone keeps to themselves. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where the income gap continues to grow and the minorities do not have a say. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where everyone is just too money-minded and are too self-centred. If I can remove 1 thing away from Singapore, it would be the high cost of living which isn't really helping the citizens. If I can add 1 thing to Singapore, it would be some understanding. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where everyone gets "Stomped". Home to me is somewhere I look forward to returning to everyday. If I can add 1 thing to Singapore, it would be to have natural sceneries. I would love to see Singapore change into a place where arts can survive. If I can add 1 thing to Singapore, it would be more trees. Home to me is a place where I can hide. I wish home has more support and understanding. Home to me is where my family is. I would love to see Singapore change into a place where people can live freely with less stress. I wish home had less walls. Today, home sounds like aplace where I can hide from the outside world. If I can remove 1 thing away from Singapore, it would be the COE. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where we become materialistic. Home reminds me of how fortunate I am. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where kindness is taken for granted. I would love to see Singapore change into a place where everyone smiles even though we do not know each other. If I can add 1 thing to Singapore, it would be appreciation. If I can remove 1 thing away from Singapore, it would be how qualification matters. We used to live freely 10 years ago but now, we demand everything. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where foreigners have a bad impression of our country. I wish home had less pressure on education or at least lower the freaking standards. I wish Singapore had more gracious people and less rude people. Home to me is a place where I belong. Today, home to me sound like a busy and expensive place to live in. I wish home had more people that cared for each other. I would hate to see Singapore change into a place where people always complain and are ignorant. If I can add 1 thing to Singapore, it would be more happiness. If I can remove 1 thing away from Singapore, it would be racism. I wish home had more air-conditioning. I wish Singapore had less criminals. I wish home has less sadness. If if can add 1 thing to Singapore, it would be satisfaction and happiness with what we have. I wish Singapore had less unhappiness and uneasiness. Home to me is somewhere with unconditional love. I would hate to Singapore change into a place where locals are treated as outcasts. I wish home had more love, love, love. Home to me is a place where memories are. Home to me is where I feel protected and safe. If I can remove 1 thing from Singapore, it would be ignorance. I would like to contribute more kindness to home. I wish home has more happiness. If I can add 1 thing to Singapore, it would be more cheerfulness. I wish Singapore has more good people with compassion and love to give. Home to me is a place to relax. If I could remove 1 thing away from Singapore, it would be the over focus on education. I would love to see Singapore change into a place where every corner is filled with happiness. If I can remove 1 thing away from Singapore, it would be the competitive environment. Singapore sounds like a place where people compete for the best places. Compared to 10 years ago, home today is more developed and advanced in technology. I wish home was more peaceful. I wish home had less stress and competition. Home to me is a place where I feel.