Panel Sessions

Featuring rising design talents from the exhibition Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION – Homecoming Showcase, this three-part panel series, organised by DesignSingapore Council and the National Museum of Singapore, unpacks the multifaceted dimensions of design, from sustainability and care to heritage and identity. Discover fresh perspectives, inspiring ideas and the significance of design in shaping how we live, remember, and care for the future.

1. Trash talk: Reimagining waste through design

Randy Yeo, Wong Eng Geng and Ng Sze Kiat

Moderated by Kong Yen Lin

Sunday, 28 September 2025, 2pm – 4pm

National Museum of Singapore, The Salon, Level 1

From transforming fungi into furniture to giving urban detritus a new lease of life, this panel will dive into how seemingly “wild” or unconventional design ideas – especially those rooted in reclamation, upcycling, and circularity – can be brought to life with purpose and creativity. The discussion aims to inspire new ways of thinking about waste, material value and the role of design in cultivating more sustainable ways of life. To spark ideas on mindful creation and consumption, the session will conclude with a show-and-tell of prototypes and samples, offering practical first-hand insights from three unique perspectives on how to start discovering waste as a resource for creative intervention.

Panellists:

Ng Sze Kiat

Ng Sze Kiat is the founder of Bewilder, a mycological design studio positioned at the intersection of design, agritech and sustainability. Working exclusively with fungi, Bewilder’s design practice focuses on our relationship with these ancient organisms, where elements of surprise and wilderness interplay with containment and control.

With circularity at its core, Bewilder develops and produces various fungi products such as medicinal mushrooms, mycelium materials and designer mycelium products. Pioneering the mycological scene in Singapore since 2020, Bewilder comprises boutique brands such as Bewilder Farms, MOLD (Mycological Design Studio), Myeats (Mycelium-based foods) and Bewilder[ED] (Education).

Bewilder now cultivates over 40 different gourmet and medicinal mushroom species, with a special focus on Ganoderma and native species.

Randy Yeo

Randy Yeo is the founder and Creative Director of Practice Theory, a creative agency working across Singapore and Vietnam. He is shaped by a mix of late modernism, contemporary culture, and the eclectic influences of JDM cars, cricket and ’90s British bands.

In 2015, he established Practice Theory, a branding and creative agency with a reputation for concept-driven work and a sharp typographic sensibility. His projects span the public, cultural and commercial sectors, with clients including the National Gallery Singapore, DesignSingapore Council, Samsonite (APAC), Everon (VN), and Gogolook (TW). Practice Theory’s work has also been recognised globally by the British D&AD, the Tokyo Type Directors Club, The One Show and Taiwan’s Golden Pin Design Award.

Wong Eng Geng

Wong Eng Geng is a designer whose profound passion for photography informs his distinctive approach to research. A graduate of the National University of Singapore’s Division of Industrial Design, he leverages photography as a potent storytelling medium, capturing the essence of people and environments while seamlessly merging the worlds of photojournalism and design.

As a maker, Eng Geng embraces rapid prototyping and constant experimentation in both physical and virtual spaces. Known as a natural conversationalist driven by curiosity, Eng Geng is not one to shy away from approaching others, and will never hesitate to strike up conversations or jump into new projects when something intriguing catches his eye.

Currently, he works as a designer and researcher at brief. and an adjunct lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic’s Media, Arts & Design School.

Moderator

Kong Yen Lin is an Assistant Curator (Design) at the National Museum of Singapore, where she researches on photography, graphic design and industrial design. She is especially curious about the influence of modernist aesthetics on Singapore’s design and visual culture from the 1950s to 1980s, and how everyday practices, such as vernacular photography and grassroots design interventions that emerge beyond institutional or professional frameworks, serve as a rich embodiment of agency and cultural expression.

2. Road to recovery: Designing the shape of care

Claudia Poh, Eian Siew, FARM, Vouse and Changi General Hospital

Moderated by Samuel Lee

Saturday, 11 October, 11am – 12pm

National Museum of Singapore, Gallery Theatre, Basement Level

This panel brings together designers whose practices centre on interventions that empower individuals and uphold agency, empathy and dignity. From the personal to the systemic – such as adaptive clothing that enables persons with disabilities to dress independently, harnessing air as a lifting mechanism, and reimagining systems and experiences within an emergency ward – this session invites participants to think about how design can reshape the ways people care, heal, and support one another.

Panellists:

Claudia Poh

Claudia Poh is an inclusive design strategist, researcher and fashion designer at the forefront of accessibility-driven fashion innovation. Having trained at Central Saint Martins and Parsons School of Design, Claudia builds with care and is on a mission to make clothing easy to wear for every body.

As the founder of Werable, Claudia drives design thinking and strategic partnerships, ensuring that fashion serves as a tool for versatility and mobility. Her designs integrate one-handed dressing and modular fastenings to improve the ease of wear.

Claudia works alongside global brands, occupational therapists and communities to push the boundaries of inclusive clothing. Whether through ready-to-wear collections, or research-driven workshops, she develops tools that simplify dressing, ensuring that we fashion a world where everyone belongs.

Eian Siew

Eian received his Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Throughout his undergraduate studies, he has been involved in many cross-disciplinary collaborations to push the boundaries of design. His works and ideas steer towards innovation for healthcare, where he has worked and co-designed directly with clinical professionals from various specialisations. Eian’s creations have gained international recognition and garnered multiple design awards such as the James Dyson Award, iF Design Award and Red Dot Award.

Currently, Eian is a PhD student at the NUS Division of Industrial Design. He specialises in pneumatic interfaces, digital fabrication, auxetics deformations, metamaterial structures and healthcare innovation. He also supports the facilitation of undergraduate studios and classes focused on Textile Innovation and Design for Medicine.

FARM, Vouse and Changi General Hospital

FARM is a cross-disciplinary design agency and a community-centred arts organisation. In collaboration with artists and designers, FARM works on a diverse range of projects including architecture, interior design, product design, merchandising, graphic design, branding, art installation and sculpture, exhibition design and curatorial work.

Vouse is a cross-technology design practice based in Singapore. They have worked on various commercial and community projects and are dedicated to developing platforms and software that tell stories of space and design.

Changi General Hospital (CGH) is a tertiary referral centre with over 1,000 beds, caring for more than one million people in Singapore. CGH is committed to medical research and education, clinical innovation and care for patients.

Moderator:

Samuel Lee is an Assistant Curator (Design) at the National Museum of Singapore, researching on and collecting post-war and contemporary architecture and fashion. He organised the special exhibition AMAZÔNIA: Photographs by Sebastião Salgado (2024) and is part of the curatorial team working on the revamp of the Singapore History Gallery (2026). He joined the National Heritage Board in 2020 and was previously Assistant Manager at the Heritage Conservation Centre.

3. Heritage Futures: Weaving Identity Through Design

Nazurah Rohayat, Supermama and Olivia Lee

Moderated by Hunn Wai

Sunday, 2 November 2025, 3pm – 4pm

National Museum of Singapore, The Salon, Level 1

From reimagining traditional textiles using AI-generated motifs to rethinking domestic rituals and revaluing everyday objects, this panel will explore how design can both preserve and re-invent cultural identity. It brings together designers whose work bridges the past and the future, merging heritage crafts, vernacular traditions and local narratives with contemporary materials, technologies and forms.

Participants will gain insights into how cultural symbols and traditions can be reinterpreted for a global stage without losing their soul, and how design can foster belonging, pride and inclusivity in an increasingly homogenised world. A closing activity will invite the audience to collaboratively create a new “future relic” – a shared artefact that captures the evolving spirit of Singaporean identity.

Panellists:

Nazurah Rohayat

Nazurah Rohayat is a designer exploring the intersection of AI and cultural heritage. As the founder of Tapestree, she merges AI with traditional craftsmanship to create contemporary fabric designs that celebrate multicultural identity. Her work has been recognised on national platforms, including the National Day Parade 2024 and ASEAN Day, where ministers and delegates wore Tapestree motifs as a symbol of unity in diversity.

Beyond design, Nazurah’s practice extends to community engagement and storytelling, using technology to bridge tradition with modernity. She is passionate about reimagining heritage through design and innovation, ensuring that cultural narratives remain relevant and accessible to future generations.

Olivia Lee

Olivia Lee is an internationally acclaimed multidisciplinary designer. Having graduated from Central Saint Martins and with roots in industrial design, her practice straddles conceptual design, product innovation, scenography and immersive experiences. Olivia’s nuanced and narrative-driven approach is agile and distinct, attracting commissions from global clients such as Hermès, Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, Samsung, Hendricks, The Balvenie and Wallpaper* Handmade.

Olivia is passionate about design education and thought leadership. Her work has been showcased internationally at prestigious platforms such as the Triennale di Milano, Museum für Kommunikation Berlin, Maison et Objet Observatoire de la Maison and Daikanyama T-Site. She also serves on design award panels such as the INDE. Awards and the Singapore Good Design Awards.

Supermama

Supermama is a Singapore-based design studio and store that creates and curates objects reflecting the country’s multicultural identity. Founded by Edwin Low, with Priscilla Tan as Principal Designer and John Tay as Lead Designer, the studio moves fluidly between design, craft and material culture.