BANGKOK DESIGN WEEK 2024, 27 JAN–4 FEB

Greydient Lab

The Nature of Things

In collaboration between Greydient Lab and the Division of Industrial Design (DID) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), the showcase brings forth a conversation with Nature in the context of Livable Scape by designers from Singapore. Singapore is a place of greenery, a city in a tropical rainforest known to be a unique hotspot of urban biodiversity. A garden city. But what exactly is a “garden”? Isn’t it just describing a green yard that makes the building beautiful or valuable? What is our true relationship with this surrounding Nature when most of us live under aircon? What actual dialogue do we have with this Nature we observe, most of the time, from a window? As Climate Change is probably the biggest challenge humanity will face in the coming decades, it’s maybe time to listen to Nature. Designers won’t save the planet, unfortunately. But their capacity for observation, identification of problems and translation into meaningful and tangible messages can hopefully contribute to open minds. That's why the students from NUS DID designed objects that weave links with the living around us. Augmented by some incubation and research projects from the NUS Design Incubation Centre at DID, this exhibition aims to bring awareness about our relationship with nature by presenting innovative approaches to sustainability and livability in urban environments through Design, derived from a vision of nature from Singapore. The curated projects are diverse; they showcase different facets of nature that share meaningful messages, from practical to discursive perspectives, through contemplation, interaction, understanding and sometimes provocation. Our wish is to share a vision of Nature from Singapore and impactful messages from a young generation of local designers.