On 26 September 2024, the Museum held an exclusive showcase, the opening of ‘The Nature of Things’ exhibition! As a community event of the Singapore Design Week 2024, this exhibition is a joint effort between the Museum with the Design Incubation Centre (DIC) at the Division of Industrial Design, National University of Singapore (NUS), and design studio Greydient Lab.  

Arranged on two sides of a window in a home setting—one on the inside (human-designed) and the other on the outside (nature), ‘The Nature of Things’ invites visitors to reflect on their relationship with nature and the human space, as well as the urgent need to address the effects of climate change. 14 projects by students and recent graduates of NUS Division of Industrial Design are displayed alongside LKCNHM’s zoological specimens, bridging the fields of design, natural science and technology and offering a holistic experience for visitors. 

Opening of The Nature of Things 

The event was kicked off by a welcome address by Associate Professor Darren Yeo, Head of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM). “In this exhibition, the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum takes a slight detour from our typical specimen-based and natural history-centric narrative to displays designs by National University of Singapore staff and students inspired by nature and biodiversity,” Professor Yeo explained.  

“The exhibition is not only an excellent validation of how nature and biodiversity can shape creative thinking and design, but also an illustration of how more broadly the natural world can inspire all of us.” 

Associate Professor Christophe Gaubert, Director of DIC, also touched on the links between design and reconnection with nature.  

“We have challenged our students to design objects that may initiate a conversation with the nature around us. There are some problems, like climate change, that are obviously too big to be solved by designers. But the design philosophy—with the capacity for observation, the ability to question, to connect the dots, and to create meaningful and tangible messages—can hopefully contribute to opening minds and envisioning opportunities for a better future.”

This was followed by the presentation of a gift, a small feng-shui porcelain figurine from the ‘Ji Jian Wu’ collection, to Her Excellency Ms Minh-di Tang, Ambassador of France to Singapore, who graced the event as our Guest-of-Honour. This figurine is a modern take on the traditional ‘Qilin’, which is believed to bring good fortune.  

Our guests were then brought on a tour of the exhibition, where Assoc Prof Christophe Gaubert shared more about the stories behind the designs with VIP guests.  

Let’s zoom in on some of the designs in ‘The Nature of Things’!  

Kanopi 

Ms Siti Sahrah and Ms Sim Lee Ting pay tribute to Singapore’s forests via ‘Kanopi’, a collection of coloured pencils representing a forest. Each pencil represents a different tree in its own material and hue. 

Ms Sahrah explained the idea behind this project. “Singapore is coined as a ‘garden city’, and we took inspiration from that. There are so many trees in Singapore, but in particular, the saga tree inspired us to create this project, as we collected saga seeds as kids. We hope that kids who use this collection will be surprised by the different colours and learn more about the trees that the pencils are made from.” 

Tsikato  

Mr Rizwan Sahabudeen and Mr Kent Limanza thought of the idea of ‘Tsikato’ after discovering numerous dead cicadas and pondered on the reason behind this phenomenon. They realised that noise pollution in Singapore drowns out cicada mating calls, and this inspired them to create an instrument dedicated to preserving the song of cicadas. 

“In Singapore, it is easy to take nature for granted. We hope this project raises awareness and inspires more empathy about the problems faced in nature.” Mr Rizwan explained. 

Find out more about the other designs in The Nature of Things website (designed by Greydient Lab)! 

‘The Nature of Things’ runs from 27 September 2024 to 5 January 2025.  

Explore the relationship between nature and human habitats for yourself today! Book your tickets to the Museum here! 

‘The Nature of Things’ exhibition is an augmented version of La Nature des Choses, which was showcased during the Paris Design Week 2022 (in collaboration with The Maison Deyrolle), and, more recently, Bangkok Design Week 2024 (in collaboration with Greydient Lab, sponsored by DesignSingapore Council). It is a community event of the Singapore Design Week 2024, sponsored by DesignSingapore Council.