RCGNTN: make local your focal

For the first time in Singapore, Red Bull will be hosting it’s popular international pop art competition here on our sunny island. We have come to associate Red Bull with vibrancy and creativity and this competition proves that the brand strives for nothing less.

Red Bull Art of Can was officially launched on the 1st of March, and will be concluding with an exhibition for 10 days at the new *SCAPE from 2nd to 11th of July and finally a judging. The only rule participants have to abide to is to use Red Bull’s trademark cans as part of their artwork, which deserves more thumbs up from us for their recycling efforts.

The great thing about Red Bull Art of Can competition is that anyone can take part and the sky’s the limit. I love how they don’t put a cap on anyone’s creativity because creativity is wild and unpredictable. And the prizes are nothing less than the best, I personally feel that getting even the 3rd prize would make me a very happy winner; the prizes are a trip for 2 to Berlin, weekend trip for 2 to Melbourne and a Canon DSLR camera for 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Red Bull sure knows how to make people happy.

It’s a win-win situation for everyone because even the public (for the self-proclaimed uncreative people) can get in on the fun by voting on their website! A lucky voter will win a Canon digital camera.

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Registration is now open online at www.redbullartofcan.sg from now to 15 May!

With the evolution of Thomas Edison’s humble light bulb to a whole array of lighting, it is unavoidable that someone, somewhere, will have a different take on the classic lamp; and a very provocative one at that.

Local industrial designer Daniel Loves Objects’ mannequin lamps ingeniously titled “At Your Command” sees the classic mannequin with articulate joints taking on a whole new form and style. Taking its moniker literally, the lamp not only provides light whenever you need it, but also allows your imagination to run wild with every movement of joint at your control. The results may be controversial, provoking or elegant, but the idea is pure genius.

The Ping-Pong Dining Table by local designer Hunn Wai is a collaboration piece between Mein Gallery and the young and upcoming designer. Taking the game back to its roots, it came about as impromptu after-dinner entertainment, with Victorians mimicking tennis indoors.

Lined in the middle of the official-size ping-pong table is a rectangular vase of flowers which perform double-duty as a dainty centrepiece as well as a game-net. Though it’s a tad too grandiose for a ping-pong table, it is an ingenious way to celebrate the heart of the home.

Hunn Wai is a young Singaporean designer who received his Masters education at the Design Academy Eindhoven under Gijs Bakker, co-founder of droog design, and has exhibited in Milan, Cologne, Tokyo, London and Venice. His works have also been featured in noted publications such as Icon, VIEWPOINT and most recently Berlin publishing house Die Gestalten Verlag’s “DESIRE: The Shape of Things to Come”. He is currently based in Shanghai, China.  Hunn Wai, a ping-pong enthusiast himself, recalled the history of the game, once an after-meal pass-time of aristocrats.
By combining the formal language of a classical dining table with official ping-pong table characteristics, as well as using DuPont™ Corian®, a main kitchen worktop material, as the table surface, what results is a cross-over of aesthetic languages, material qualities and spheres of usage.- taken from yatzer

Many of you might know KULT, with their visually stunning magazines that showcase the work of both local and international artists based on different themes such as their latest titled ‘Artificial‘. And it’s no wonder that the KULT Offices atop Mount Sophia is as awesome as their magazine!

Located at a former school, the inspiration behind the concept was to return to the uncertainty and excitement of the classroom laboratory. Every morning, the KULT staff step into their office through a large hole in the wall, which creates an other-worldly effect as they leave reality behind.

What caught my eye was the use of test-tube-like lighting suspended off the ceiling, which illuminates the central island work-space. Though a stark contrast to the ubiquitous views of nature coming in from the large windows above each desktop, the contrasting colour scheme of black and white brings it all together, creating a modern space that blends both techno and nature elements harmoniously.

source

The Bracket Business Card by SILNT is so ingeniously designed that we’d never look at business cards the same way again. Taking Bracket’s theme of featuring everything in-between- from ideas, processes and voices overlooked and under-appreciated; SILNT designed a card that looks deceivingly empty until pushed open to reveal a bracket that frames the information. Truly innovative.

Carbon4 recently presented Antz with an unpainted Be@rbrick, coming back looking more unique than ever. The Be@rbrick, clad in boardshorts and blue beads complements the store’s aesthetics while at the same time displaying some of the characteristics Antz’s artwork is known for. Exclusively made for Carbon4, this is piece is not made for sale but you can check it out at 69 Haji Lane.

The Solaris of Social Networking- Jonathan Leong

Other than his work at Zxerokool Studios which include commissioned work for MTV Asia, Tiger Beer and Nickelodeon which take graphic designs and give them a boost of life and colour, Jonathan Leong also ‘makes sexy things’.

Using mixed media, Jonathan experiments with textures and a variety of shapes, taking a different route from his aforementioned work- resulting in 3D works of art.

Check it out at Jonathanleongart.com

The Handburger’s identity, conceived and designed by Couple, is produced entirely out of paper. It forms a visual commentary on the food’s transformative process, highlighting the artistry of making a good burger. Paper-crafting every ingredient allows each to be distilled to its basic shape, creating an identity system that is visually appealing and instantly recognisable. Its many seemingly disparate but harmonised elements are held together by a set of custom alphabets, constructed letter by letter to give The Handburger a fitting personality.

Couple is a graphic design studio consisting of Zann Wan and Kelvin Lok, both taking the posts of Design Director and Creative Director at Epigram respectively before founding Couple. Their credentials include multiple AR100s and have received much international exposure.