Page 48 - FDMAsia MayJun2024

46 DESIGN MAY/JUN 2024 FDM ASIA | www.fdmasia.com

Discovered Singapore “This project has not only enabled us to

provide young designers with valuable
learning experience on product design and
development with sustainable hardwoods, it
has also been an opportunity to work again

with established design mentors and the
best manufacturers in Australia, Singapore
and Malaysia. They are leading the way in
making efforts to ensure sustainable design
is also sustainably made.”

“The original iteration of Discovered was – Rod Wiles, Director Oceania, AHEC
conceived to engage and inspire the next
generation of talented young designers.

After a successful exhibition in London
and then Milan, it is wonderful to have the
opportunity for the 10 designers from the Thought Bubble by Nong Chotipatoomwan
Asia Pacific region to exhibit their work A nostalgia for travel and social interaction guided Chotipatoomwan’s
closer to home in the design hub that is creative thinking through her project.
Singapore. Physical transitions were replaced with changing states of

mind, and the physical realm merged with the psychological
-John Chan, Director Southeast Asia and realm through domestic space.
Greater China, AHEC The designer looked at furniture created for relaxation, and
landed on a rocking motion, which became the basis for her
chair, offering a mix of relaxation and repetitive movement to
and emotional connection to everyday objects. enhance mindfulness.
The designers considered ideas such as identity and She used red oak for the chair because she was fascinated
cultural heritage, family and social ritual and the inherent by its grain. “It’s quite expressive and I was interested in its

comfort of touch. porous nature.”
This collaboration has resulted in a highly diverse selection
of objects, ranging from functional furniture such as cabinets, Pari Pari by Kodai Iwamoto
tables and seats to more abstract, sculptural works that For his project, Iwamoto researched traditional Japanese
inspire reflection. techniques, such as uzukuri (giving texture to wood by
Taken as a whole, Discovered represents how experiences scrubbing) and chouna (chiselling the surface with an adze),
of a changing world have impacted each designer’s personal and then started experimenting directly on the wood, peeling

and creative journeys. its layers to create a new veneer.