For Singapore Indesign, we partnered ipli Architects to create DEMATERIAL, our first contextual installation. The site and building are key; they serve to inspire the design. ipli Architects believe that design is never creating in a void, but in the situation that it is placed in. The site is a distinctive colonial styled building, which provides the backdrop for an external installation.
“Laminates have an uncanny ability to mimic the actual material and only the thinness of their profile betrays their disguise. The first motivation is to showcase this characteristic of the laminates.”
EDL’s iconic PianoGloss in white, and mirror laminates, were selected to distort the original form of the columns. White is the colour of the building while the mirror finish reflects that of the environment. Together, they are the best choices for visual illusion.
The installation is self-supporting and is made up of over two hundred laminate plates that are stacked and slotted in a lattice structure. It is effective, easily manageable with sound structural integrity.
The installation seeks to capture the attention of the audience through the distortion of the host building, with a ‘dematerialization’ process through the use of pixelation. On closer examination, they will realize the art is in the ‘deception’ by the laminates and experience the ‘lightness’ of the material itself.
About ipli Architects
ipli Architects is led by Mr. Yip Yuen Hong, a three-time President’s Design Award recipient. The architectural practice is primarily driven by his curiosity about the world and his solution-based approach to design. His work seeks simplicity in form and materiality while resolving issues in a single brushstroke. The result is often poignant and articulate, yielding an architecture that is quiet, soulful and timeless.
