[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/a-uniquely-singaporean-showcase-at-expo-2020\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/a-uniquely-singaporean-showcase-at-expo-2020\/","headline":"A Uniquely Singaporean Showcase at Expo 2020","name":"A Uniquely Singaporean Showcase at Expo 2020","description":"The upcoming World Expo 2020 (postponed from last October due to the Covid-19 pandemic) will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Situated within the Sustainability District of the Expo, the Singapore Pavilion will showcase a range of innovative urban solutions to the global stage \u2014 […]","datePublished":"2021-09-17","dateModified":"2022-08-18","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/rachel-teng\/#Person","name":"Rachel Teng","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/rachel-teng\/","identifier":367,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rachel_Teng-100x100.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rachel_Teng-100x100.jpg","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1631878885056_A_Uniquely_Singaporean_Showcase_at_Expo_2020_Candles_of_Light2C_The_Art_Faculty2C_and_Supermama_1280X626px.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1631878885056_A_Uniquely_Singaporean_Showcase_at_Expo_2020_Candles_of_Light2C_The_Art_Faculty2C_and_Supermama_1280X626px.jpg","height":626,"width":1280},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/a-uniquely-singaporean-showcase-at-expo-2020\/","commentCount":"2","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/a-uniquely-singaporean-showcase-at-expo-2020\/#Comment1","dateCreated":"2026-08-23 13:23:43","description":"Can you be more specific about the content of your article? 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But, I have a question, can you help me? https:\/\/www.binance.com\/si-LK\/register?ref=LBF8F65G","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"binance referral bonus","url":"https:\/\/accounts.binance.info\/si-LK\/register?ref=LBF8F65G"}}],"about":["Asia","Community","Singapore"],"wordCount":1696,"keywords":["austic artists","autism spectrum","candles of light","daphne tan","dubai expo 2020","edwin low","galleria","local","local brands","singapore pavilion","sky market","special needs","special needs artists","supermama","support local","the art faculty","world expo 2020"],"articleBody":"The upcoming World Expo 2020 (postponed from last October due to the Covid-19 pandemic) will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Situated within the Sustainability District of the Expo, the Singapore Pavilion will showcase a range of innovative urban solutions to the global stage \u2014 a microcosm of the nation\u2019s transformed landscape.\u00a0The apex of the Pavilion will feature a Sky Market, a convivial area for international audiences to learn more about Singapore\u2019s multi-faceted heritage through a variety of media, including talks, workshops, and movie screenings for visitors to enjoy. Among these, a thoughtful curation of local brands will tell their stories through uniquely Singaporean design, some of which are inspired by the Pavilion so that visitors are able to bring home a piece of Singapore.\u00a0Says Larry Ng, Commissioner-General of the Singapore Pavilion, \u201cour vendors… were selected for their brand ethos and alignment of their values with the Pavilion themes of \u2018Nature. Nurture. Future.\u2019,… while aiming to tell our Singapore story through the boundless creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of our retailers and vendors.\u201dCandles of Light\u00a0When Daphne Tan, founder of Candles of Light, returned from her studies in perfumery in Grasse, France, she didn\u2019t intend to start a business at all. It was what her friends called an \u201cEat, Pray, Love\u201d period in her life. \u201c[The business] just took off when friends started asking me to make wedding scents for them,\u201d she says.\u00a0The name \u201cCandles of Light\u201d holds deep significance for Ms Tan as it symbolises the period in her life when scent played a huge part in inspiring and uplifting her. \u201cI really like the idea of being able to give light, as well as receive it,\u201d she shares. \u201cOne very rewarding part about the job is when clients come back to me saying it helped them through a tough time, such as a bad breakup.\u201d\u00a0Founder, Ms Daphne Tan, and one of her creations. (Photo courtesy of Candles of Light)Ms Tan incorporates local elements into her olfactory designs at every turn, from sourcing local suppliers for her patchouli oil, to mixing ingredients that are often associated with Southeast Asian culture, such as kaffir lime. She also gravitates towards lighter scents, which she has found to resonate better with Singapore\u2019s monsoon climate.\u00a0\u201cMany home scent brands from Western climates tend not to work in tropical climates,\u201d she explains. \u201cInstead of the four seasons, we have either rainy or sunny. So I felt we needed something a little more simple as well.\u201d\u00a0At the upcoming World Expo, Candles of Light will feature four special scents with the overarching theme of \u201cTropical Botanica\u201d, designed to provide an aromatic tour of Singapore\u2019s landscape. One of these scents, Torch Ginger, was inspired by Ms Tan\u2019s fond childhood memories of the \u201cRojak Flower\u201d. \u201cMy father would cut very thin shreds of these flowers to put on the top of our Rojak, which gives rise to this floral, citrusy, peppermint scent that I based this design on,\u201d she says.\u00a0Ms Tan works mostly with essential oils and natural raw materials which have been distilled from plants. Another upcoming scent that will be featured is Spice Route, a homage to Singapore\u2019s historical importance in the export of black pepper and nutmeg. These plantations used to line Orchard Road, which gave one of the country\u2019s most famous streets today its name.\u00a0SupermamaCo-owned by husband-wife duo, Edwin Low and Mei Ling, Supermama was, as Mr Low puts it, \u201cset to fail\u201d. \u201cIn 2010, my wife had just conceived our second child. We quit our full-time jobs and downgraded from a 4-room to 3-room HDB flat, so as to be able to spend more time with the kids,\u201d says Mr Low.\u00a0\u00a0Fast forward 10 years later, the gallery store has recently been appointed the official museum store for the National Museum of Singapore, as well as the Asian Civilisations Museum. The souvenir brand has worked with more than 100 local designers who want to tell the Singapore story from their perspectives and serves as a one-stop shop for fellow Singaporeans to show their support for the creative talent on the nation\u2019s own shores.\u00a0Mr Low struggled hard to find a uniquely Singaporean souvenir when his foreign friends came to visit, and all he could think of was the Merlion keychain. It was then that Mr Low felt an innate responsibility \u2013 as a Singaporean, and as a product designer \u2013 to put quality Singaporean design on the world map.\u00a0\u201cIf you think about good quality products, you always think of countries like Japan. I have the same ambition and passion for Singapore design,\u201d he says. \u201cIf I want us to be known as the best designers, then I must work with the best makers, and that\u2019s why we established the network of the best designers across the world.\u201d\u00a0Most iconically, the brand is known for its Japan-crafted cobalt blue and white porcelain collection titled \u201cSingapore Icons\u201d, which was awarded the President\u2019s Design Award \u2013 the foremost design accolade in Singapore. With access to historical records from the Asian Civilisations Museum, Mr Low was inspired by the role Singapore played as a trade hub even way before colonial times, and the medium of blue-and-white porcelain as a time capsule of sorts.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIf you want to move [goods] from east to west, you had to go through Singapore even thousands of years ago,\u201d he explains. \u201cAnd blue-and-white porcelain was the iPhone of that time. When people couldn\u2019t take pictures, they draw their everyday scenes onto porcelain, which lasts forever and gives us a glimpse into the life and times back then.\u201d\u00a0It is this East-West trade movement that also inspired Mr Low to look for that liminal space between the contemporary and the classical for all his designs. He distinctly remembers a famous Japanese designer looking at one of the products during an exhibition, and very puzzledly, going, \u201cthis is so Japanese\u2026 but this is so not Japanese.\u201d According to him, these designs may not mean anything to even the overseas makers themselves, but Singaporeans immediately understand the local references.\u00a0Regardless, it wasn\u2019t all a bed of roses for the duo. \u201cFor the first five years, I wanted to close at the end of every year,\u201d says Mr Low. \u201cI think things really happened for us during SG50. That was the time Singaporeans really started to celebrate Singaporean design \u2013 and they didn\u2019t just say they did, but they actually proudly consumed local designs and products.\u201d\u00a0Mr Low believes that products bring people together. One of the store’s bestsellers, like PM Lee\u2019s magic language-changing cup, is a symbol of hope and our multiculturality for Singaporeans. (Photo courtesy of Supermama)When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Mr Low was dangerously close to shutting down altogether; their sales came to a complete stop. As a response, he posted a thought-provoking exposition on social media. \u201cWhen we stop consuming local products when something like the pandemic hits, what kind of signal are we giving? That they are non-essential \u2013 which means our culture is not essential,\u201d he summarises. \u201cHow are we then going to tell the artists and designers of tomorrow that you really believe in them?\u201d\u00a0The next day, his sales immediately went up. \u201cThis was a turning point for us. Not only did our customers rally behind us by purchasing our products, but we also discovered a new channel \u2014\u00a0going digital,\u201d he says. \u201cI really hope that the world can celebrate our resilience and milestones achieved.\u201d\u00a0Finding himself at a very exciting time in Singapore\u2019s history, Mr Low chooses not to define what \u201cSingapore design\u201d really means to him. \u201cUnlike many ancient cultures with thousands of years of history, we are only 57 years old,\u201d he explains. \u201cSo I feel the best way to design is to allow time to design.\u201dFor the Dubai Expo 2020, these blue-and-white porcelain pieces will be sold as a set, to bring out the duality of Singapore\u2019s heritage \u2014 in between hand-drawn and digital, urban and natural, blue-based and white-based. (Photo courtesy of Supermama)The Art FacultyThe Art Faculty (TAF) is a social enterprise created by the Autism Resource Centre (ARC) (Singapore), dedicated to showcasing the unique talents of local artists on the autism spectrum. The social service agency has a mission to help these individuals maximise their life potential through employment and training.\u00a0\u201cWe were first inspired by the unique artistic talent that some of our students in Pathlight School possessed. The school started the Artist Development Programme (ADP), where professional artists are engaged to nurture these talents,\u201d says Jacelyn Lim, director of TAF and Executive Director of ARC.\u00a0Currently, the social enterprise has 53 artists on the royalties scheme, and helps to translate the artist\u2019s products into high-quality merchandise for retail consumption. \u201cThe artists earn royalties from the sale of these merchandise, thus giving them a dignified source of income,\u201d adds Ms Lim.\u00a0Contrary to what many might think, Ms Lim finds working with artists on the autism spectrum one of the most rewarding parts of the business. \u201cThey have refreshing perspectives, are very focused and always deliver within the timeline. We try to play up these key strengths of theirs,\u201d she says.TAF\u2019s engagement has helped many of these artists with their directions in life. One of them, Fong Bok Loong, was previously unsuited for open employment. \u201cBut when his mother approached us and we saw that he could draw incredibly well, we engaged him to become one of our artists,\u201d says Ms Lim.\u00a0Rice-husk fibre eco-friendly lunchbox featuring popular Singaporean hawker food, like Hainanese Chicken Rice, curry puffs, and satay, designed by Mr Fong. (Photo courtesy of The Art Faculty)Since then, Mr Fong\u2019s authentically local hawker food designs have been adapted into a variety of products, many of which have emerged as the store\u2019s bestsellers. \u201cHe has been very encouraged by this, and has been actively drawing as a merchandise artist and earning a very decent income for himself,\u201d she adds.Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia’s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"A Uniquely Singaporean Showcase at Expo 2020","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/a-uniquely-singaporean-showcase-at-expo-2020\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]