Free of charge, but pre-registration needed
From reimagining traditional textiles using AI-generated motifs to rethinking domestic rituals and revaluing everyday objects, this panel will explore how design can both preserve and re-invent cultural identity. It brings together designers whose work bridges the past and the future, merging heritage crafts, vernacular traditions and local narratives with contemporary materials, technologies and forms.
Participants will gain insights into how cultural symbols and traditions can be reinterpreted for a global stage without losing their soul, and how design can foster belonging, pride and inclusivity in an increasingly homogenised world. A closing activity will invite the audience to collaboratively create a new “future relic” – a shared artefact that captures the evolving spirit of Singaporean identity.
This programme is organised by DesignSingapore Council and the National Museum of Singapore in conjunction with Future Impact 3: Design Nation Homecoming.
Speakers
Nazurah Rohayat is a designer exploring the intersection of AI and cultural heritage. As the founder of Tapestree, she merges AI with traditional craftsmanship to create contemporary fabric designs that celebrate multicultural identity. Her work has been recognised on national platforms, including the National Day Parade 2024 and ASEAN Day, where ministers and delegates wore Tapestree motifs as a symbol of unity in diversity.
Olivia Lee is an internationally acclaimed multidisciplinary designer. Having graduated from Central Saint Martins and with roots in industrial design, her practice straddles conceptual design, product innovation, scenography and immersive experiences. Olivia’s nuanced and narrative-driven approach is agile and distinct, attracting commissions from global clients such as Hermès, Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, Samsung, Hendricks, The Balvenie and Wallpaper* Handmade.
Supermama is a Singapore-based design studio and store that creates and curates objects reflecting the country’s multicultural identity. Founded by Edwin Low, with Priscilla Tan as Principal Designer and John Tay as Lead Designer, the studio moves fluidly between design, craft and material culture.
Moderator Hunn Wai is the Director and co-founder of Lanzavecchia + Wai (L+W), an internationally acclaimed design studio based in Milan and Singapore. Since 2010, L+W has worked at the intersection of industrial design, spatial narrative design and luxury craft, collaborating with brands such as Zanotta, Cappellini, Hermès and Vacheron Constantin.