Studio29

Wrapping up the year with the biggest smile on my face! Worked my butt off conceptualising and curating the Heritage Showcase portion of the Triennial Cultural Showcase 2025 and could not be prouder of what it ended up becoming. (Feel free to kaypoh the previous super official looking post to see full context of event) Here’s a little behind the scenes glimpse into the rollercoaster that was the last six months and all the amazing people who came together to pull off this vision. Onto the next adventure we go!

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was our Pasar Malam! Thought you guys might be curious about what went down behind the scenes to pull this off, so please kaypoh away!

Last month, I had the lovely opportunity to chat with @herworldsingapore about how and why I started Studio29, the array of projects we work on as well as the struggles one faces when running an independent business among many other things. If you’re curious to read more, the link is in our bio ✌🏽

Had the immense privilege of conceptualising and curating the Heritage Showcase as part of this year’s Triennial Cultural Showcase, a bilateral cultural initiative jointly organised by Singapore’s Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC). Held at the Permaisuri Zarith Sofiah Opera House in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, the event was graced by Singapore’s Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Mr David Neo, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, YB Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan and Chairman of the Johor State Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee, YB Tuan Lee Ting Han. Our showcase was themed “Made from Memory” with the intention of highlighting artists who celebrate the act of creative inheritance, taking what is passed down, reworking it their their own voices and carrying it forward (much like that line from Missy Elliott’s “Work it”) What an enriching process to be able to deep dive into creative forms and practices I had only ever seen on the internet and learn directly from such gracious artists who I’ve been and am now even bigger fans of 🫶🏽 Curator: Angelina Lourdes (me) @studio29.co Exhibition Design in Collaboration with: The Merry Men Works @themerrymenworks Artists: Abdul Shakir @abdulsha_k Aditi Neti @functionditi Eman Raharno Jeman & Nadirah Abdul Razak @clogtwo @inkten @inkandclog Hu Ruixian @studio.hhfz Jaie Ramlee @jaieramlee Marcos Kueh @marcoslah Mohd Azwarin Bin Ahmed @azwarinahmed Ng Si Ying @atinymaker Pamela Tan @pohsin_studio Zhang Fuming @zhangfumingstudio Event Producers: Global Cultural Alliance @globalculturalalliance Exhibition Production Assistant: Kelvin Loh @kelvinlohys Event Branding: Currency Design @currencydesign Team work really made the dream work ;)

Had another fun opportunity to moderate a panel recently, this time for the lovely folks at @outeredit as part of REINVENTION, the inaugural Singapore Science Park’s district activation for Singapore Design Week 2025. The panel featured @hahahafi @siahlah and @kaiyuanng from @ourgrandfatherstory , and we unpacked the theme “Singapore’s Spirit of Reinvention” by exploring our relationship with identity across culture, community and heritage through our creative practices. We then closed out the festival and ran off to form a band! Kidding! Thank you @outeredit @sgsciencepark @designsingapore

Some (long overdue) highlights from our recent sustainable design workshops with @yabaiyabai__ and @plastify.sg for the Singapore River Festival, part of Singapore Design Week 2025. Participants got hands-on with upcycling, rethinking everyday materials and creating their own products, reflecting how small shifts in our habits can go a long way. Big thanks to @yabaiyabai__ @radioriotgrrrl @weiweizznicole and the team at @plastify.sg for developing and delivering such enriching workshops and @singaporeriverone for the opportunity!

“Trash” talk only lands…if it’s heard! Which you will at our hands-on plastic recycling workshop, turning trash into tray-sure ;) 📅 20 & 21 Sept 2025
🕑 4.30pm to 6PM
📍 InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay Limited spots! Sign up now via the link in our bio! Pressed to Impress by Plastify is part of the Upcycle Lab: Design Thinking for a Sustainable Future by Studio29, a workshop series for Singapore River Festival Design Edition @plastify.sg

Old fabrics, sew what! Join us and learn how to customise tote bags with textile scraps using simple sewing techniques and lots of creativity! 📅 20 & 21 Sept 2025
🕑 2pm to 3.30PM
📍 InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay Limited spots! Sign up now via the link in our bio! Totes Fun Club! by YABAI YABAI & Friends is part of the Upcycle Lab: Design Thinking for a Sustainable Future by Studio29, a workshop series for Singapore River Festival Design Edition @yabaiyabai__ @radioriotgrrrl @weiweizznicole Reel by: @yabaiyabai__

Was invited by my friends at @lovefrankieco to host and moderate their recent Trusted Creators Lab Regional Summit! Context! Trusted Creators Lab is a regional initiative designed to strengthen the capacity of content creators in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia to tackle the rising challenge of misinformation; a collaboration between @lovefrankieco , @temasekfoundation and @tiktoksingapore Had a fun time holding my mic and pointing in different directions. Amidst the laughs and (intentional) lies, it was a privilege to learn from and witness up close the people, processes and platforms behind our digital companionship and doom scrolls. ALWAYS fact check what you consume online man and be kind to each other on and off, we’re all trying our best ✌🏽 #trustedcreatorslab

Throwback to exactly a year ago when we pulled off the maddest collab with @skinplusbone ! It was an epic dodgy ride filled with all kinds of insanity and fun. Huge shoutout to our amazing collaborators who brought their A+ pasar malam game. Can’t believe it’s been a whole year…who knows what we pop up with next 💥 Btw our 12 hour Unofficial Pasar Malam playlist can still be found in our bio ✌🏽

After three years, we’ve reached the final issue of ‘Beyond the Bricks,’ a publication series created in collaboration with @sgforfws to shed light on the lives of migrant workers in Singapore. Our last issue is a special one dedicated to our friend @rubel_arnab , who has been instrumental in connecting us with other migrant workers in this series. He is now battling incurable cancer. Despite the tough news, he’s still bravely advocating for workers’ rights and hopes Singapore can create a better system to support workers facing medical challenges during their time here. We’d also like to express our gratitude to @rubel_arnab for using his voice to bring our communities together as the founder of @migrant_cultural_show_sg , @migrantlibrary and his love for our country. We’re grateful for his lasting impact and send him all our love ❤️ To read the entire publication, click the link in our bio or visit: beyondthebrickssg.com/home/issue_10 This special edition was designed in collaboration with @vanessa_ban #studio29sg #sgforfws #DesignSG #migrantstories

@rubel_arnab , one of many who helped build Singapore 🇸🇬, has an incurable cancer. But in the face of bad news, he’s fighting for his life, and speaking up about worker rights. He hopes Singapore will be able to develop a system and framework to better support workers with medical issues which may surface during their time here. Click the link in bio to learn about Rubel’s journey to date. We’d also like to thank @rubel_arnab for using his voice to knit our communities together as the founder of the @migrant_cultural_show_sg and for his love for the city! You’ve made your mark ❤️🫡 and we wish you well ❤️❤️❤️ With many thanks to @studio29.co and @vanessa_ban for the design of our final issue #singapore #foreignworkers #advocacy