EMERGE

DesignSingapore Council, together with Find – Design Fair Asia, once again presented a unique showcase dedicated to Southeast Asian contemporary design at EMERGE @ FIND for the world.

Curated by Suzy Annetta of Design Anthology, the third edition will showcase works from 50+ emerging and established designers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam responding to the new curatorial theme of “These Precious Things”.

Dawn Lim, Executive Director, DesignSingapore Council

“It is amazing to witness the growth of EMERGE since it started as part of FIND – Design Fair Asia at Singapore Design Week in 2022. It has become the key platform to showcase and discover Southeast Asian designers globally. This gives designers access to buyers, brands and potential partnerships and opens up new possibilities for greater commercialisation and success.”

Suzy Annetta, Editor-in-Chief at Design Anthology

“In the 2023 edition of EMERGE you’ll discover a collection of Southeast Asian designers and artists whose work is shaped by a variety of approaches — from a rootedness in ancient craft, to interpretations of the traditional through new materials and techniques, to methods of working that are entirely reliant on contemporary technological innovation. From fully developed to experimental, each piece is deeply considered, shining a light on the cross-currents between traditional crafts, new technologies and interdisciplinary methods.”

EMERGE 2024 Curatorial Brief

“THESE PRECIOUS THINGS”
Value /ˈvaljuː/

1. the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.

Who decides what is valuable? How do we prescribe or decide the value in something, be it a raw virgin material, a skill, knowledge, language, cultural identity, or an object – whether it be a measurable commercial value or sentimental value.

The climate crisis looms ever present in each of our lives. Natural resources such as forests and mineral deposits are rapidly being depleted as virgin materials to satisfy our seeming insatiable desire for more. Landfill sites are overflowing. Oceans are so full of plastic we’re now ingesting it.

We have more than enough stuff on the planet already, so why make more?

Please use this as a provocation to respond to. What do you consider to be valuable? How is that expressed, displayed and communicated? How does that physically manifest into a newly made object for EMERGE 2024?