At FuoriSalone 2023, six of Singapore's best talents present their innovative projects promoting sustainability and the use of cutting-edge technologies in design, in an exhibition curated by Tony Chambers and Maria Cristina Didero

From 18 to 23 April 2023, in Milan, at the Casa del Pane (c/o Bastioni di Porta Venezia) six talented designers from Singapore will come on display to illustrate their idea of a 'better future by celebrating the positive impact of future-thinking design on our daily lives.

The exhibition, entitled Future Impact, is curated by Tony Chambers and Maria Cristina Didero and promoted by DesignSingapore Council.

Singapore, as we know, plays the role of land of innovation in the common perception. And the Future Impact exhibition is moving precisely in this direction. The project, in fact, stems from the desire to establish Singapore as a hub of creativity from which unprecedented design and technology solutions arrive to shape a brighter tomorrow and a more respectful and inclusive society.

The six talents – Forest & Whale, Viewport Studio, Gabriel Tan, Nathan Yong, Studio Juju and Tiffany Loy – discussed the use of innovative technologies at the service of design, to give shape to the creative, poetic and optimistic thought that distinguishes them.

Thus, six works were born, which can be observed during the Milan Design Week in an unprecedented location: the Casa del Pane in Porta Venezia, which from 2025 will be the new headquarters of the Museo dell'Arte Digitale. A frame that dialogues with the soul of the exhibition: here, the creations of Singaporean talents can interact with the dramatic atmosphere of the place, relating to the past to tell the future.

Future Impact: The six talents and their works, here told

Nathan Yong – Bent Onyx

Nathan Yong, multidisciplinary designer, presents Bent Onyx, a bridge between the traditional processing of onyx (among the most fragile natural stones to work) and technological innovation aimed at sustainability. The patented technology used reduces waste: the onyx blocks are cut into thin sheets and laminated to create shapes and volumes, protecting the stone and ensuring its availability for future generations.

Studio Juju – OO Collection

OO Collection, designed by Studio Juju, is a collection of five sculptural objects characterized by circular holes. Abstract in their function, holes are omnipresent and leave their function to the imagination. The objects are entirely built in Dekton (Kode Stone), a sophisticated, high-performance and ultra-compact stone material that maintains carbon neutrality for its entire life cycle.

Tiffany Loy – Building Futures Line by Line

Textile designer Tiffany Loy collaborates with DManD of SUTD (Singapore University of Technology and Design's Digital Manufacturing and Design Center) to explore advanced automated textile construction as a means of production additive. In fact, despite the ancient origins, the weaving processes are constantly innovated thanks to digital media.

Gabriel Tan – Aiming for Peace: The Carnation Lamp

Aiming for Peace is a floor and suspension lamp that conveys a sense of hope and emotion. Inspired by the Flower Power movement, the flower becomes an iconic symbol of non-violence. Composed of an ash wood base made from furniture production waste, a recycled steel tube and a 3D printed lampshade in recycled plastic, the lamp uses a low consumption 2.5W LED source.

Viewport Studio – Renew

Viewport Studio questions how design could have changed in relation to sustainability since the early beginnings of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Viewport studio has two projects: one in collaboration with the Italian manufacturer Equilibri and a second obtained with AI. Viewers decide which approach they prefer, reflecting on the importance of AI, today and in the future.

Forest & Whale – Wallflower

Wallflower, the project by the multidisciplinary studio Forest & Whale, reinvents the codes of gardening and transforms seeds into works of art to remind us of the importance of living in harmony with nature. The poster, made up of colored pieces each containing a seed of the corresponding plant, allows you to give life to new seedlings, simply by removing a piece and placing it inside a vase, created on the spot using the 3D printer . As new seedlings grow, the poster changes color and shape until it disappears, leaving no waste.