30 LifeStories – Remembering Parks, is organised by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) and co-presented by the Sculpture Society (Singapore) and the National Parks Board (NParks). The project features 30 home-grown designers and artists who have been invited to specially design creative furniture items, inspired by their memories of parks.

The furniture pieces have given logs a new lease of life after these trees from our parks were removed because they were damaged due to inclement weather. Hailing from the combined pool of local design talent from various disciplines – architecture, product, interior and fine arts, these inspired furniture creations will depict a fascinating cross-section of memories of our City in a Garden, and will be showcased at Dhoby Ghaut Green and the National Design Centre as part of SingaPlural 2014 – the anchor event of the Singapore Design Week.

“No matter how advanced our society and technology is, nature remains as a contributing factor to the many inspirations,” says Mr Simon Ong, Chairman of SingaPlural 2014.

“Inviting our artists and designers to transform their personal memories of time spent in our parks and gardens to creative, interactive furniture items provided them with a vibrant starting point to meld traditional design elements and their thoughts. Thanks to the help and assistance of our outstanding sponsors and 13 SFIC manufacturing members, the 30 resulting works of art are truly inspirational and I am sure all our visitors will relive many fond, personal memories when viewing these pieces as well.”

The 30 LifeStories journey began in October 2013, when participating artists and designers were invited to a series of briefings to learn more about the logs that they would be working on to bring their memories to life. They also received feedback on their preliminary ideas from expert manufacturers that were skilled in bridging design ideas with feasible and sustainable construction methods.

Hearing from industry veterans from Tan Huan (provider of raw logs), Sim Seng Hin (sawmill), Hock Hin Leong (sawmill and timber transportation), and TEHC (timber transportation) provided the creative minds with a ground-up understanding of the construction process, giving their interpretation and memory conservation process a greater sense of purpose.

Some of these trees stood in parks which hold special memories for many, such as Fort Canning Park and East Coast Park. For instance, the Yellow Flame tree which used to be in Fort Canning Park was witness to vows of love as marriage solemnisation ceremonies were often held under its canopy.

Mr Chia Seng Jiang, Director of Parks at the National Parks Board said, “The work of the artists and designers complement the urban environment of Dhoby Ghaut Green, a pocket of nature in the middle of the bustling city. Our parks and green spaces are popular spots for leisure and recreation, and we are heartened that the participants are sharing fond memories of our parks. These pieces will enhance the vibrancy of these places while increasing the public’s appreciation of our greenery.”

The remarkable creations that make up 30 LifeStories – Remembering Parks include contributions from 15 creative design houses such as Anonymous, Asylum, fFurious, Lekker Design, and 15 acclaimed artists and designers such as Baet Yeok Kuan, Chiew Sien Kuan, Olivia Lee, Steven Low Thia Kwang, Sun Yu-Li, Yu Yah-Leng, and many more.

The 30 designers worked with 13 manufacturers – Cathay Interiors Pte Ltd, Cheng Meng Furniture Group Pte Ltd, CT Wood Pte Ltd, Facility Link Pte Ltd, Kingsmen Creatives Ltd, Luxx Newhouse Group, Mansource Interior Pte Ltd, McWell International Holdings Pte Ltd, Pico Art International Pte Ltd, Renovator Hub Pte Ltd, Serrano Holdings Pte Ltd, Sunray Woodcraft Construction Pte Ltd and Yang Ah Kang & Sons Pte Ltd to produce the actual creations based on their designs.

This project is also made possible through partnerships with platinum sponsor - Singapore Tourism Board, silver sponsor - City Developments Limited (CDL), and other key sponsors - Aesop, Krislite, Bloomsbury Bakers, Tan Huan, TEHC, Hock Hin Leong, Sim Seng Hin Sawmill, and many more.

For more information, please refer to www.SingaPlural.com.