Singapore imagines new ways of living at Milan Design Week with the opening of Prototype Island

15 curated works showcase the nation's distinctive design approach, exploring innovative responses to pressing global challenges across living and world-making

SINGAPORE, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Prototype Island, presented by the DesignSingapore Council officially opens at Foro Buonaparte 54, located in the prestigious Brera Design District.

Prototype Island is the Council's all-new concept for the 2026 edition of Milan Design Week, following its successful Future Impact series. It showcases the nation as a living prototype – never static, but continuously evolving, optimising, and working to solve global challenges through ground-breaking design and technology.

The exhibition brings together established and emerging designers based in Singapore, offering unique insight into the future-focused design solutions being developed today in one of the world's leading design nations. Each participant has been carefully selected by lead curator Hunn Wai (Lanzavecchia + Wai) and assistant curator Eian Siew, both of whom were part of Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION in 2025.

At Foro Buonaparte 54, visitors encounter future-focused ideas that respond to the challenges of an increasingly globalised world, highlighting Singapore's reputation for bold thinking, creativity, and action at scale. The exhibition layout is thoughtfully conceived to reflect its key themes, with light, flexible structures that symbolise adaptability and continual change.

Visitors are greeted by an installation designed by Lanzavecchia + Wai, which introduces the 15 works brought together across three key themes: exploring modern challenges through experimentation with technology and materiality; rethinking how craft can be preserved and advanced alongside innovative interpretations of care systems; and reshaping the future of urban living.

Technological & Material Ecologies

Tackling global challenges through materiality, Parable's handcrafted modular ceramic system Iris blends unique artistry with ceramic design that can be reconfigured to suit the user's changing needs, while ODD M. repurposes post-consumer waste into lasting, functional objects. Jake Tan, Ezequiel Ignacio Rodríguez Chiacchio, Bao Songyu presents an interactive, quantum-inspired installation using classical computation to explore dynamic interactions reminiscent of everyday life. Meanwhile, Carlos Bañón and Yiping Goh display an AI-driven architecture and spatial planning platform that preserves creative ownership while streamlining the design process.

Care Infrastructures & Cultural Continuities

Exploring the preservation of craft and its integration with technology are Serina Lee's Language System, which draws from a bilingual Singaporean lens to merge traditional Chinese calligraphy with the English alphabet into a system for constructing both digital and physical garments; Roger Ng's Lustre Series, reimagining the traditional Peranakan tea table with mother-of-pearl motifs using contemporary materials and digital production; and collaborators Melvin Ong, Shervon Ong, and Andy Yeo, who explore how 3D printing and traditional lacquer threading can coexist, creating vessels that bring technology into dialogue with rare Southeast Asian craft. Aditi Neti reinterprets the traditional South Indian practice of kolam drawing through computational and mechanical systems, without losing its embodied meaning.

Centring design on care and accessibility, Tusitala's 3D-printed tactile book uses a modular three-tiered plate system that displays pictures in raised forms and words written in Braille to create a more accessible reading experience for children. Celeste Seah explores reminiscence therapy for people with dementia, using generative AI to construct images as memory prompts to foster connection, narrative, and dignity in care. Creative agency weareSuper showcases a collection of porcelain plates co-designed with persons with disabilities, available for purchase throughout the week.

Everyday Infrastructures

Offering solutions to help elevate everyday life, A*STAR Innovation Factory@SIMTech for Castomize presents their innovative 4D-printed, patient-centric cast system, offering a bespoke alternative to conventional fiberglass casts. Singapore's National Winner of the James Dyson Award 2025, Zoey Chan introduces Nido, a compact, modular insulin needle holder combining safety, convenience, and discreet design; while Interactive Materials Lab transforms the everyday barcode into an interactive design object. Noda, by Reynard Seah, draws inspiration from plant cells to create a flexible joint system suitable for shelters, playgrounds, and transformable structures.

"The fifteen works showcasing at Prototype Island were chosen for their ability to translate inquiry into action, shaping tangible responses that navigate constraint, uncertainty, and lived realities with rigour and imagination," said Hunn Wai, Lead Curator of Prototype Island.

Alongside the exhibitions, the DesignSingapore Council will be hosting a series of events throughout the week. These will include a talk series hosted by Maria Cristina Didero, which will explore key trends in contemporary design, from curation and collaborative practice to diverse approaches to prototyping, featuring curators and designers from the exhibition, and guest speakers.

Additionally, the Council invites all visitors to a special 'Singapore Night' event on Wednesday, 22 April, filled with Singapore-inspired food, drinks, and music.

"Prototype Island and our public programming bring Singapore, Milan, and the wider global design community into conversation. From panel talks with the curators and designers to 'Singapore Night', these moments create space for exchange—connecting perspectives across cultures and disciplines, and reflecting our belief in design as a shared language for shaping more liveable, loveable, and limitless futures," said Dawn Lim, Executive Director of DesignSingapore Council.

*ENDS*

Notes to Editors

Prototype Island is presented by the DesignSingapore Council, with Lead Curator Hunn Wai,  Assistant Curator Eian Siew, and support from Maria Cristina Didero as Global Perspectives Advisor.

For full list of designers and their works, refer to Annex A HERE

For images and further information, please see the link HERE.

Showcase details

Address: Foro Buonaparte 54, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Open daily from 10am - 7pm on 21st - 26th April 2026

Media Contacts 

DesignSingapore Council 

Sara Chong
Senior Manager - Marketing Communications 
sara_chong@designsingapore.org

Serene Lim
Assistant Director - Marketing Communications
serene_lim@designsingapore.org

FINN Partners for DesignSingapore Council    

Zi Jun Liao
Senior Specialist
zijun.liao@finnpartners.com 

Danny Huang
Director
danny.huang@finnpartners.com

About the DesignSingapore Council

The DesignSingapore Council (Dsg)'s vision is for Singapore to be a liveable, loveable, and limitless city by design. As the national agency for design, our mission is to develop the design sector to be globally competitive, champion the use of design for innovation and growth in Singapore, and make life better in this UNESCO Creative City of Design. The Dsg is a subsidiary of the Singapore Economic Development Board.

designsingapore.org.

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