This year, the objects displayed at Designtide Tokyo were joined by a small but carefully curated exhibition of products from Singapore.

Trophy Hunter by Hjgher for Made for SAM

’The U Exhibition’ was held at the Tokyo Midtown Hall for the 5-day period of the Designtide Tokyo event. It was instigated by Hjgher and UNDERSCORE and curated by Japanese curator Yoichi Nakamuta.

A Bag of Gold by J. Yu Studio for Made for SAM, Molecule by VW+BS, and Clown Nose by Foundry

It featured the work of Foundry, Hans Tan, Kwodrent, Made for SAM, Outofstock, The U Store and WW+BS in the bounds of a minimal frame structure with hanging display platforms.

Flipping through Creative Cultures: The Singapore Showcase

The exhibition also offered a special preview of UNDERSCORE’s new book, ’Creative Cultures: The Singapore Showcase’, which will be launched in Singapore in early December. Stay tuned to indesignlive.asia to find out more!

The U Exhibition

Also on show was ’The U Bicycle’ – the product of a collaboration between UNDERSCORE and Singapore bikesmiths Vanguard.

Teapot from Spotted Nonya Collection by Hans Tan, Meander by Kwodrent, and Hanging Vase by Outofstock

“We’ve been studying the life cycles of other creative cultures for a while now,” says UNDERSCORE’s Editor-in-Chief and Hjgher co-founder Justin Long. “London, Tokyo, New York, etcetera. Comparatively,” he continues, “Singapore is exactly where these cultures were just before they took their own brand of creativity to the world.”

Says Long, “We have the talent, the hunger, the energy, the persistence, the economics, the confidence, and most importantly, the spirit. But that spirit can’t be realised alone. It needs a community of like-minded people. We’re here to celebrate that spirit.”

Views of the exhibition

Hjgher has also directed a number of other UNDERSCORE events in Tokyo during November. ’The U Documentary’ (outlining UNDERSCORE’s projects and initiatives since its establishment) was shown at Creative Lounge MOV within the Shibuya Hikarie tower.

The U Cafe at Lattest-Omotesando Espresso Bar

The team also took ’The U Café’ magazine library to Tokyo, continuing its mission of providing an inspiring reading experience to café goers with more than 40 international independent magazines. It was hosted by three independent cafes in this first overseas installation.

The final component of UNDERSCORE’s satellite events in Tokyo was ’The U Gallery’ – an exhibition of photography that is currently being held at Clear Edition. It features the works of Singaporeans Yang Tan, Jovian Lim and Zhao Renhui (Institute of Critical Zoologists).

The Hjgher team with Masaki Yokokawa of CIBONE (which sells ’The U Bicycle’ in Tokyo) and Dean & Deluca Japan

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