SINGAPORE

WOOD: SOFT MAPLE, HARD MAPLE AND RED OAK

Wei Xiang graduated from Lasalle College of the Arts, Spatial and Product Design BA(hons) with First class honours in September, 2017. Upon graduation, Wei Xiang worked as a carpenter, making furniture from trees grown specifically in Singapore. He worked with various species such as African mahogany, rain tree and tembusu tree, which were given a second life amidst Singapore’s rapid land development. He is currently working as a Technical Executive at Temasek Polytechnic, School of Design. One of his recent works was a self-initiated collaborative project on Ceramic tableware, where he explored different slip-casting techniques. His work is inspired by everyday observations, conversations and different thought processes.

‘My piece is about the ever-changing landscape of Singapore’s environment. We are such a small country and yet we are rapidly developing our land. It looks totally different than it did five years ago.’ Wei Xiang describes the sites as Singapore’s new vernacular. The pandemic meant that he also had plenty of time in his room and he used the opportunity to clean up, in the process finding a variety of souvenirs. ‘I thought why not have a keepsake cabinet to officially store them in,’ he says.