Singapore Design Week – ‘The Alchemists’ at Singaplural

15 talents from Singapore explore the magic in design through the looking glass of a new alchemy: a selection of tools and objects inspired by the alchemical process of transforming substances such as lead into gold.

‘The Alchemists’ is a nod to the Italian movement of the 1970s, Studio Alchimia, whose members’ experimental design pieces resulted in a design language and creativity that challenged the status quo. It was a radical design movement that pushed the boundaries of design, and changed the global design landscape for the future.

The title also aims to convey a seemingly magical element, or role, that exists in the act of designing or making. The alchemist of yesteryear dedicated their life to the transformation of materials, from the ordinary to the precious, most commonly from metal into gold. The starting point for ‘The Alchemists’ project was ‘the designer as alchemist: what can be designed by applying the process of transmutation?’

Textile Transmutations by Tiffany Loy

Designers / Afzal Imram / Colin Seah / Eason Chow & Tricia Chean / Hans Tan / Jolene Ng, Lee Si Min & Donn Koh / Karyn Lim / Kiera Lin / Lanzavecchia + Wai / Melvin Ong / Olivia Lee / Outofstock / Studio Juju / Tiffany Loy / Yong Jieyu / Yuta Nakayama / Curators / Stefano Casciani / Patrick Chia / Producer / Yoichi Nakamuta