03 Re-staging Heritage Artefacts
The Evolving Tiger
Designer Mentee: Sharon Tsang-de Lyster (Recipient of Design Trust Seed Grant)
International Mentor: Brendan Cormier
Lead Curator: Marisa Yiu (Co-founder/ Executive Director of Design Trust)
Design Brief:
The design mentee will re-stage objects or materials from the archive of Haw Par Mansion. Complementing the existing setting curated by Haw Par Music, the designer could narrate old stories, as well as new ones through the re-staging of artefacts, other documents and objects. The goal is to bring cultural conservation to attention, and emphasise the dynamism and publicness of heritage.
"The Evolving Tiger is a response to the ever-changing brand identity and iconography of the Aw family business, which welcomes flexible and creative interpretations across South East Asia in the early 20th Century." - Sharon Tsang-de Lyster
Designer Statement:
The Tiger Balm heritage is a legacy of Asian entrepreneurship - a story of constant innovation through the past century – with Haw Par Mansion serving as a landmark that witnessed this narrative. Today, we revisit this cultural heritage to explore elements in the city that shaped our experiences and identities. Tracing the history of the brand, the Aw bothers and the site, I discovered layers of connected narratives including visual cultures, collective memories, the experience of Chinese diaspora and entrepreneurs, and the broader Asian social values. The interweaving of these personal and public narratives will be the focus of my design approach.
