Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project, Features: Chong Lingxiu

Chong Lingxiu, mostly a student at the Architecture Association School of London but also amateur writer/musician/artist. She is the product of a childhood spent wandering around Singapore's civic district and an education acquired in some really nice schools, especially Hwa Chong Institution (College). She figured herself out during her time in dance studios, music rooms, eventually concert halls; then the school field, muddy reservoir tracks and stadia; then lecture halls, meeting rooms and the podium... finally to settle down in the architecture studio where she attempts to reconcile everything.

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project, Features: Kevin Hung

Kevin Hung is currently a practicing architect at Serie. Prior to his graduation, he was researching on the spaces of airports and the university campus in relation to the city through the investigation of architectural types at the Architectural Association.

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project, Features: Fabrizio Matillana

Fabrizio Matillana graduated from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London in July 2010. He was awarded the Howard Colls Studentship 2009 and academic bursaries throughout his 4 years. He was put forward by the AA as the school nominee for the 2010 Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship.

Previously he studied at the University of Nottingham and obtained the Diploma in Foundation in Art and Design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. He participated in the SmartGeometry Conference, San Francisco in March 2009 elaborating techniques of parametric representation for his 4th year thesis Informal Interchange, Rio de Janeiro. At ecoLogicStudio he worked on the office’s exhibition for the 11th Venice Biennale and Seville Biennale of Art and Architecture. He participated in the International Workshop Pisco/Medellin “How to Rebuild the City” organized by Claudia Amico from NGO “Espacio Expresion” on housing projects for the reconstruction of the disaster-struck city of Pisco, Peru. His proposal was taken for competition for 1 house – 1000 homes, Sydney and exhibited at the Peruvian Embassy as part of the LFA 2010.

Recently his work was selected to be exhibited alongside other AA students at the Takenaka Corporation in Tokyo. He currently works at AStudio Architecture in London.

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project, Features: Yue Han Teow

Teow Yue Han is currently a second year media student at the School of Art, Design and Media. He is actively involved in several exhibition and performances that experiment with space and time-based media and has recently started an online project, ImagingCities, which explore how cities are being represented visually and shape the environment.

SHOWCASE: Vince Ong

Vince Ong Choon Hoe AADip RIBA II Recipient of the Architectural Association School of Architecture London (AA) Scholarship and the DesignSingapore Scholarship, Vince Ong left Singapore in 2003 to pursue Architecture in London and graduated with RIBA Part II (Royal Institute of british Architect) in 2009. He is Associate to DesignSingapore Council and works in the practice of Foster+Partners on projects such as the India Tower which would challenge the current world's tallest building and a ski resort that sits on a World Cup slope in Italy.

In 2007, he worked in WOHA Architects on an award winning residential project along Cairnhill Road, Singapore, and participated in the Singapore Art Show 2007. He had also collaborated with an artist in 2004 and staged one of the biggest multi-media art installations in Singapore at Sculpture Square gallery. Vince currently lives and works in London, and often reminisces the heat of Pulau Ubin where he grew up as a child.

Name: Vince Ong
Location: London, UK
Website: NA
Email: Click here

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project, Features: May Anne Lee

Lee May Anne is currently the principal of MAKK Architects.

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project, Features: Agnes Yit

Agnes Yit Mun Khwan has recently completed & passed the 4th year in Architectural course in the Architectural Association London School of Architecture, AA London, UK. She has obtained

the UK RIBA Part One Certification, after completing the 3rd year of the course in 2009.

She has previously completed with a Bachelor of Arts (1st class honours) in Interior designing conferred by B.I.A.D, Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, conducted at LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts in Singapore from 2001 to 2002. Agnes also received the most outstanding achievement award for Bachelor of Arts (with honours) in Interior Design awarded by LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts in 2002. She has completed her Diploma in Interior Design from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore in 1996 with a merit award and in the same year she has also received an Honorable Mention awarded by IFI `95 NAGOYA, World Interior Design Congress, International Interior Design Fair `95 NAGOYA Executive Committee & Design Nagoya Organizing Committee, Japan.

Agnes is also one of the finalists selected from Singapore in the Hong Kong Interior Design Association (HKIDA) and exhibited for the business of design week in Hong Kong Design Centre & the Exhibition & Convention Hall, Hong Kong in 2002.

A member of The Artists Village, Singapore since1998, she has worked as an Interior Designer/ Consultant for the past 11 years since 1996, and consistently participated in various local and international art exhibitions & performance festivals in various countries. As a Visual Artist, Agnes has consistently been trying to explore various aspects of expressions and experimentations in her works. Most often to communicate & connect with the audiences through gestures presented in Performance Art and Spatial awareness created in her Installation works. She believe in making direct engagement with people/ audiences who creates a platform which allows her to make awareness to the general public and constantly engage herself through these opportunities to continue the engagement process with people, which is rewarding to her practice and as representative from Singapore to promote art & to encourage more art exchanges with the International Art circuit, in this instant, it is an exchange between Singapore and European art practitioners.

Recent & Past Performance Art Festivals/ Events/ Exhibitions she had participated include (London) UK, (Belfast) UK, (Sète and Montpellier) France, (Beijing) China, (Helsinki) Finland, (Hildesheim) Germany, (Bucheon-City, Kimcheon-City, Sacheon- City & Chungju) Korea, (Fuokuoka) Japan, (Bangkok & ChiangMai) Thailand, (Jogyjakarta & Jakarta) Indonesia, (Sydney) Australia & Singapore, including selected International Art Festivals/ Events namely IPAH 2008 Festival of Performance Art ZOOM! Südostasien (Hildesheim, Germany), LaBas 2007 (Helsinki, Finland), Maju Jaya 2007 (Yogyakarta), BIPAF 2007- Bucheon International Performance Art Festival (Korea), CIPAF 2007-Chungju International Performance Art Festival (Korea), FetterField 2006 & 2007 Singapore Performance Art Festival, Perfurbance 3 -“Spiritual Renewal” 2007 (Yogyakarta), Birds Migration: Indonesia International Performance Art Event [IIPAE] 2006 (Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta), Episode5 2006 Singapore Art Event, The 1st Fukuoka Asia Art Festival 2000 (Japan), SITUATION 2005 The Museum of Contemporary Art-MCA (Sdyney), Asiatopia 4 2002 (Bangkok), Fusion Strength 2003 (Yogyakarta), Future of Imagination 1 FOI 2003 (Substation, Singapore), AIM I 2000-Artists Investigating Monument (Singapore) & AIM 2-SENI 2004-Artists Investigating Monument (Singapore), and as organizer for „STORM‟ pixxel motion art 2003 (A Public Video Art Event under the Esplanade Bridge,

Singapore).

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project, Features: Janita Han

Janita Han completed her undergraduate degree at the National University of Singapore and her Masters at Delft Technical University. She is currently a project architect at Fashion Architecture Taste (F.A.T) and enjoys making short films as a hobby. She is also involved in re:act, an architectural interest group that is concerned with the development of architecture in the Asian region.

SHOWCASE: Brian Cheng

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project, Features: Kelvin Ang

Kelvin Ang Kah Eng (b. 1972, Queenstown, Singapore. I currently reside in Tiong Bahru)

I was trained in Architecture at the Bartlett School from 1993-1999 on a Government Scholarship.

Since starting work in the public planning sector, I have been focussing on heritage issues relating to the conservation of buildings as well as the how local identity within each part of Singapore could be identified and better protected for future generations.

On a personal level, the diverse histories of Singapore is for me, a resource to be better understood as it should form the basis for the continuous creation a more organic Singaporean identity. Therefore, it is important for such awareness to be cultivated and shared. My Singapore is one that is a multi-ethnic country, where our dreams for happiness, whatever these may be, should have a chance to come true.

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project, Features: Justin Zhuang

Justin Zhuang is a writer and editorial designer who is interested in stories about Singapore's politics, society and visual culture. He divides his time between working for a newspaper for kids and pursuing stories on the Singapore graphic design scene and everyday life in this city.

Singapore Symphony Orchestra returns to London

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is returning to London after nearly two decades (19 years) since it first performed in London at the Barbican Centre. When it gives the concert at the Royal Festival Hall on 11 October 2010, the 97-strong SSO will be joined by renowned British pianist Stephen Hough. The orchstra will be perroming under the baton of award-winning Conductor and Music Director of the SSO, Maestro Lan Shui.

The programme for the evening at the Royal Festival Hall will feature Debussy - La Mer (23') - Mendelssohn - Piano Concerto No.1 in G minor, Op. 25 (21') - Rachmaninov - The Isle of the Dead, Op.29 (20') - and Zhou Long - The Rhyme of Taigu (12').

Since its founding in the mid-1970s, the 31-year old SSO has performed in more than 50 cities around the world and won numerous international accolades.

Click here to buy your Tickets

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project, Features: Pan Yi Cheng

Pan Yi Cheng is the co-founder of P.A.C Singapore and Type0 Collaborative UK. He graduated with honours from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and was chosen as one of the top eight graduates in 2006 for the UK by BD magazine in 2006. He has also presented his research at the 10th Venice Architectural Biennale representing the Architectural Association.

Yi Cheng joined UNStudio in October 2008 and was the lead architect for the first prized Beijing River Creative Zone masterplanning competition. He has also worked on other high profile projects including “Raffles City”, a 60 storey mixed-use building in Hangzhou and a landmark sports centre in Dalian.

Prior to this, Yi Cheng has conducted workshops and design tutorials for the Architectural Association in London and Singapore while working on various public and private projects at Serie Architects and TP Bennett Architects in London. He was awarded 2nd prize for the Evolo International Skyscraper Competition and Special Mention for LEX Walsall Architectural competition. His works has been published widely in magazines and journals such as the prestigious AA Files and AD.

SHOWCASE: Johnny Gao

Johnny Gao first graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture. In his final year, his project “An Animal Assisted Therapy Centre for the New Elderly” was one of 2 nominated for the RIBA President’s bronze medal. The project has since been exhibited at both the 2007 NUS City Exhibition and NUS Department of Architecture Exhibition.

Johnny is also an avid photographer, having his photos exhibited at the 2nd Ngee Ann Kong Si Photographic Exhibition and HYPE Gallery at Parliament House. A photo of the Cambodian temple, Angkor Wat was also purchased by the Ngee Ann Kong Si Archives in 2006. He has also been commissioned several times to choreograph photo publications of built works by architecture firms and the Singapore Encyclopaedia.

His interest in the portrayal of urban paradoxes through film has led to his photography works and articles being published extensively in The Architectural Review, AD (Architectural Design), journal of Southeast Asian Architecture and SA (Singapore Architect) magazine.

In the recent 3 years at the Architectural Association, Johnny has taken interest in constructing polemical ways to confront and understand the insurmountability of the city. In 2008, he was part of a class who travelled to Lalibela, Ethiopia to construct a mobile cinema for the villagers with materials packed straight out of a suitcase. The project has received massive praise and was published in several design magazines. He recently graduated from the Architectural Association in London from Diploma Unit 14 run by Pier Vittorio Aureli, Barbara Campbell Lange and Fenella Collingridge with his project titled “The Enclosed Garden” where its design was intended as an opportunity to put forward innovative and extreme living standards in light of increasingly merging living and working activities of today’s post-Fordist landscape.

More recently, he is moving on to greener pastures and is actively involved in the “Uniquely

Singapore – a generi-City project”.

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project, Features: Randy Chan

Randy Chan graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1997 and has since maintained a long-standing interest in the fields of art and installation. He is currently the principal of Zarch Collaboratives, a multidisciplinary practice that actively involves itself in the fields of both art and architecture.

One of Singapore’s leading young architects, Randy Chan was featured in `20 under 40 up and coming architects by the URA in 2004 and in the acclaimed international magazine `Monocles’ by critic choice as the local firm to watch out .

Randy’s architectural and design experience includes work on projects as diverse as stage design, private housing, cluster housing and master-planning – all of which are guided by the simple philosophy that architecture and the aesthetics are part of the same impulse.

He takes a multidisciplinary architectural approach to his projects and specializes in the convergence between Art and Architecture. His works are published in the numerous

local architecture magazines and international publications like the latest edition of Singapore houses by Robert Powell.

He also won a Gold Award in the 3rd SIA Façade Design Excellence Awards in 2006 for his work on the Singapore Pavilion at the World Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan.

His other interesting works include the Stage Design for the Singapore National Day Parade 2005,2008 and 2009, and the Uniquely Singapore Pavilion at the 2nd China- Asean Expo 2006 Nanning, China. He is also currently the stage and set principal designer for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games.

Randy’s private art works, including “dark nights & white days”, “bodies” and “moves” have been exhibited to much acclaim commissioned by the French Embassy .

www.generi-city.net Goes LIVE!

Creative [SIN]ergy presents, Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project. An architectural project that investigates the urban spaces of Singapore, aiming to rediscover the uniqueness of Singapore's urban spaces through the most generic and banal scenes of everyday life. These 6 nominated categories of spaces sets the basis of comparison of similarities and differences in their spatial usage in hosting these activities in other cities.

To contribute to the discussion click here

For more information please visit www.generi-city.net

Msxi Presented In London Group Show

Creative [SIN]ergy member, Msxi will be part of a group show, Summer Showcase 2010, organised by Candid Arts which runs from 13 - 18 July. The private view of the showcase is on 15th July.

Msxi will be showing works from her latest series, Ten Years Of Work For Every Minute On Stage, which was exhibited as her first solo exhibition, in Singapore in April this year.

'Ten Years Of Work For Every Minute On Stage' is an outright documentation of: failure, process, training, suffering, bruising, determination and a toast to “the beginner’s spirit”. Serving as a reminder that success in anything never comes easy. It is her privilege to be able to showcase this new series here in London.

www.generi-city.net Launch Party

For more information visit www.generi-city.net On Saturday 3rd July 2010 Creative [SIN]ergy hosted the launch party for Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project at the Foxcroft & Ginger on Berwick Street in Soho.

The event was well attended by both the Singapore community and the UK public.

Peter Murray, London Festival of Architecture Founding Director also made an

appearance at the event.

This event was in celebration of the launch of Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City

project web site.

Most of the correspondents have identified generic spaces which revealed a certain
degree of specificity and 'unique-ness' in each city (London and Singapore) during
the presentation; while questions on the validity of spaces selected for comparison
and what entails a 'unique' space in the analysis were raised during the discussions.

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project is part of London Festival of Architecture

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project Correspondents:

Kelvin Ang - Head of Heritage Studies, URA (SG)

Vince Ong - Architect, Fosters and Partners (UK)

Justin Zhuang - Writer, reclaimland.sg (SG)

Lingxiu Chong - Architectural Student, AA (UK)

Randy Tan - Director, ZARCH (SG)

Agnes Yit - Architectural Student, AA (UK)

May Anne Lee - Director, Makk Architects (SG)

Kevin Hung - Architect, Serie Architecture (UK)

Yue Han Teow - Media Student, NTU (SG)

Janita Han - Architect, Fashion Architecture Taste (F.A.T) (UK)

Yicheng Pan - Director, Project Architecture and the City (P.A.C) (SG)

Voon Wong - Director, voonwong&bensonsaw (UK)

Curated by:
Calvin Chua

Launch Party

Come celebrate the launch of
Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project

Saturday 3rd July 2010

5.00 - 8.00pm

Foxcroft & Ginger, 3 Berwick Street, Soho, London W1F 0DR

Click here to RSVP.

Uniquely Singapore? a generi-City project
is part of London Festival of Architecture

Click here for more information about the project.