Singapore is a place like no other, where the constant march of infrastructure is always accompanied by the spread of singular greenery
— a true City in Nature.
This urban biodiversity is certainly unique, but it also calls into question the ways in which we live in relationship with the natural world. How is our proximity to nature meaningful when our lives are fuelled by air-conditioning, moulded by office work, driven by material wealth? Can honest, earnest dialogue with nature exist when we lie in passive ignorance behind windows, occupying spaces previously inhabited by native species?
Loophole by Christophe Gaubert,
Singapore, Orchard, Mar 2019
As the main drivers of climate change, it might be time we listened to nature. And what better place than Singapore to question our relationship with the living world?
Designers may not have all the answers to the world’s problems, but their skills—in observing, identifying, and interpreting the myriad elements of our lived environment—continue to play a crucial role in fostering our curiosity and inspiring our empathy. This dynamic is embodied by the objects designed by the students from NUS’ Division of Industrial Design (part of the College of Design and Engineering). These objects, showcased in “The Nature of Things” exhibition, serve as tangible links to the living world around us, underscoring the potential impact of design on environmental issues. They propose contemplation, interaction, understanding, and, at times, provocation.
Augmented by various incubation and research projects led by the NUS Design Incubation Centre, the curated projects on display are diverse in their form and function, from the subtle to the striking. The delicate infrastructure of the oyster mushroom’s mycelium serves as an air purifier. The fragrant aroma borne by the night-blooming moonflower re-orients our understanding of the beauty of nature at night. A stark vision of factory farming practices manifests as a lamp. Each project is part of a larger story being told by the exhibition, addressing critical touchpoints in environmental discourse while exploring the relationship between nature and human habitats.
The exhibition itself is arranged within the scenography of a home setting, which calls forth a juxtaposition between two sides of a window—within human-designed spaces and without, across nature. This distinction invites us to re-examine our perceptions and pre-perceptions of cohabitation with nature and its phenomena. What does it mean to live in a City in Nature? How can we share meaningful space with nature, regardless of the side of the window we find ourselves on?
The exhibition’s projects also encourage dialogue with the various zoological specimens of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. By virtue of their purpose, as well as proximity to the Museum, they offer a secondary opportunity for visitors to survey the relationship between the disciplines of Design and Natural Science.
“The Nature of Things” exhibition, an augmented version of La Nature des Choses, is currently on display in Singapore after being showcased during Paris Design Week 2022, in collaboration with La Maison Deyrolle, and, most recently, Bangkok Design Week 2024, in collaboration with Greydient Lab.