Having been postponed for a month due to heightened public safety measures, SIDFest 2021 resumes from 18 June to 18 July at National Design Centre. It was officially opened yesterday evening by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, who is also Second Minister for Finance and National Development.

The month-long event celebrates the theme of Optimised/Optimism to honour those in the design community who have embraced new habits, and through their works, created new norms. Unlike its first and second editions, in collaboration with ArchXpo exhibition, SIDFest 2021 is an independent festival organised by the Society of Interior Designers Singapore (SIDS), supported by the DesignSingapore Council.

From left: Dennis Cheok, Council Member, SIDS and Festival Director, SIDFest; Dr Goh Chong Chia, Honorary Patron, SIDS; Prof Keat Ong, President, SIDS; Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office & Second Minister for National Development and Finance; Mark Wee, Executive Director, DesignSingapore Council; Ar Larry Ng, Registrar, Board of Architects; Mr Cris Cheng, Council Member, SIDS and Festival Advisor, SIDFest; at the SIDFest 2021.

The festival will also cater to both the national and global audience with innovative and experiential showcases that celebrate the innovation of the interior design industry in these pandemic-stricken times. Here are some exciting programmes you don’t want to miss at SIDFest 2021.

Design by Numbers

Design by Numbers will be the first multi-sensory, multi-dimensional showcase of its kind at SIDFest 2021. Meander through a master plan of spatial installations co-built by designers and industry partners such as Admira, Cosentino, Ipse Ipsa Ipsum and Synergraphic x Yume Architects just to name a few.
Where: Atrium, Level 1

Design by Numbers showcase use assigned numbered plots at the National Design Centre atrium to build large-scale inhabitable structures of varying heights and sizes. Photo courtesy of SIDS.

SIDS Symposium and Asia Roundtable

What is the future of design in a post-Covid world? This will be discussed in the SIDS Symposium (26 June) both physically and virtually by the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) delegates and the international design community. The Asia Roundtable (25 June) will have delegates from 15 countries and territories from the Asia-Pacific region in a roundtable webinar themed, The Paradigm Shift in the Interior Design Industry. Register your interest here.
Where: Auditorium, Level 2 and Online

[Outside] The Box

The Cha Project, JIA Studio and The Shelter Company dreamed up Doonya, which are flat-packed, solar-powered shop-homes for the urban poor and underserved. This transformative shop and live concept can be built in a day and will be showcased as an outdoor pavilion or sculpture.
Where: Courtyard, Level 1

Rendering of Doonya by The Cha Project, JIA Studio and The Shelter Company

Prototype of Doonya at NDC Courtyard. Photo courtesy of SIDS.

20 Under 45

20 of Singapore’s most influential designers under the age of 45 selected from a pool of nominations submitted by peers and third parties will be revealed during this award showcase. The inaugural award ceremony will take place at NDC on 16 July and be live-streamed on SID’s Facebook page. Visitors will also be able to appreciate some of the designers’ works that are on show at the venue. Some of the notable figures on the jury panel include Ar. Larry Ng, Registrar of Board of Architects; Mark Wee, Executive Director of DesignSingapore Council; and Peter Tay, Founder & Director of Peter Tay Studio.
Where: Auditorium, Level 2 (award ceremony) and Annex, Level 2 (award showcase)

The Other Numbers

Explore the showcase of next-generation thinking from students of Local Institutes of Higher Learnings (IHLs) and winning entries from the Singapore Interior Design Awards (SIDA) Youth 2020. The programme will also highlight SID’s initiative for the migrant workers through its Operation De-Covid 19 campaign aimed to raise funds via the sale of T-shirts created by local designers. Moments such as these resonate further with a motion installation, Lockdown, that features opinion, statement, strategy, and pandemic rants from interview excerpts of creative individuals.
Where: Various locations across NDC

Generation Next showcase of the post-COVID Community Centre. Photo by Siti Sarah Aziz, Singapore Polytechnic.

SIDFest 2021 is open to the public and professionals. Admission is free. For more info on the festival and its programmes, visit sid-singapore.org

Related: Glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly on display at Gardens by the Bay