Fairs with creative flair

The next time you are shopping for quirky stationery and bags or one- of-a-kind jewellery pieces, visit a craft market.

Boosted by the burgeoning interest in artisanal goods in the past two years, craft markets have blossomed in Singapore.

There are no fewer than three such markets a month. Some are held in regular locations such as malls, while others pop up in more obscure spaces such as a rooftop or carpark.

This month alone, there are at least six such markets. The recurring ones include the monthly Market of Artists and Designers (Maad); Makers' Market by Singapore's largest flea market organiser Fleawhere, which takes place every weekend; and the monthly markets by Public Garden, a community of independent businesses and creative individuals.

The annual Maker Faire Singapore is also back. Organised as part of the Singapore Science Festival, the fourth edition taking place this weekend will be the biggest one yet.

Dr Kiruthika Ramanathan, senior manager of education services and outreach at Science Centre Singapore, which is one of the organisers, says the two-day fair will have more than 250 booths - more than double the number last year - spread over three floors in a former school building in Tampines.

As there are more booths this year, organisers are expecting more than 20,000 visitors. Last year, the fair had 4,000 visitors.

A pioneer in the scene is Maad, which was started by the Red Dot Design Museum Singapore in 2006 and is the largest regular craft market here. One Friday night a month, about 80 creatives, such as artists, designers, crafters and illustrators, set up booths in the museum.

Mr Elvin Seah, who curates Maad, notes that markets are moving away from peddling second- hand or mass-produced items to "one where visitors can find higher quality, unique, customised and better designed products".

Visitorship to Maad has jumped from 700 over two days in 2006 to between 2,000 and 3,000 a night.

A newer entrant into the fray is The Local People, an art market collective that provides a platform for home-grown budding artists and designers to showcase their craft.

A trademark of The Local People, which has 11 markets under its belt since launching in the middle of last year, is its unconventional locations.

From the rooftop carpark of People's Park Complex in Chinatown to a shophouse in Upper Thomson Road, the collective prefers to stay away from malls and commercial areas. Instead, they pick spaces "people would not normally associate with an art market", says co-founder Lu Yawen.

She adds: "The Local People events are less about buy-and-sell monetary transactions, but more about getting to know the people behind the products.

"Our markets are not meant to feel like a supermarket, but are places for customers to talk to vendors and get to know the work that goes into the products."

The turnout for the markets has soared since the first edition, which was held in May last year in an alley in the River Valley area and which drew 600 people. In November, 5,000 turned up for The Local People x Movember Night Market that was held as part of a charity event.

For crafters, these markets offer a cheaper alternative to brick-and- mortar outlets.

Sisters Hazirah and Fajrina Rahim of Ozzy & Lulu, a three- year-old outfit that designs and creates cute stationery and accessories such as passport covers and doodle books, dream of having their own shop space, but are turned off by high rents.

They have an online store and also sell their items at craft markets organised by Public Garden and The Local People. They decline to reveal their sales figures.

Ms Fajrina, 25, says: "Rental for a unit at Haji Lane can start from $5,500 a month. The high shop rentals in Singapore can break your business."

Rental for a booth at craft markets is $30 to $80 a day.

Retiree Davy Young, 68, who owns ceramic leaf business Leaves With Memories, does not have an online store and prefers to peddle his wares at craft markets.

He takes part in close to 20 craft markets every year, including Maad, Maker Faire Singapore and the ones organised by Public Garden. He says he has sold about 300 pieces since 2012.

He adds: "I get to meet and network with dedicated artisans with diverse expertise. It is also fun to meet customers and share with them the processes of making the leaves."

For teacher Nurul Musfirah Abdul Talib, 27, going to craft markets and meeting creative people are a refreshing change from shopping at mass market stores.

She says: "I like supporting local crafters because sometimes, you get a sense of Singapore's intricate history and cultural influence through the creation of the product."

Upcoming markets

MAKER FAIRE SINGAPORE 2015

Where: 15 Tampines Street 11

When: Tomorrow, 11am to 7pm; Sunday, 10am to 6pm

Info: makerfairesingapore.com

PUBLIC GARDEN MARKETWhere:01-05 Artspace@

Helutrans, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Rd

When:Tomorrow and Sunday, 1 to 7pm

Info: www.public-garden.com. The market is held every month at different locations.

PASARBELLA POP MARKET

Where: PasarBella, The Grandstand, 200 Turf Club Road

When: July 17 to 19, 10am to 9pm

Info: www.fleawhere.com or www.facebook.com/PasarBella

THE LOCAL PEOPLE X ALIWAL ARTS NIGHT CRAWL ART MARKET

Where: Carpark at Aliwal Arts Centre, 28 Aliwal Street

When: July 25, 5 to 11pm

Info: thelocalpeoplesg.com

MAAD (MARKET OF ARTISTS AND DESIGNERS)

Where: Red Dot Design Museum, 28 Maxwell Road

When: Aug 14, 5pm to midnight

Info: www.museum.red-dot.sg/maad/ or www.facebook.com/RedDotDesignMuseumSG

MAKERS' MARKET

Where: 01-10 TripleOne Somerset, 111 Somerset Road When: Every weekend, 1 to 7pm

Info: www.makersmarket.sg

Clay jewellery almost good enough to eat

One of the few full-time crafters in Singapore, Ms Tay Li Suan makes miniature food jewellery from clay that looks good enough to eat.

Her faithful replication of popular snacks such as Pocky biscuits, tutu kueh and Potong ice cream in the form of rings, necklaces and earrings is inspired by Singaporeans' favourite pastime.

"Singaporeans love to eat, so my products are catered to them as they can appreciate them better," says Ms Tay, 31, who has set up shop in flea and craft markets such as Maad and the ones organised by Public Garden.

The digital media design graduate from Nanyang Polytechnic also rents a space at Craft Assembly, a shop in Haji Lane that sells mostly handmade products. But she enjoys peddling her jewellery at craft markets as she can reach out to more customers.

Ms Tay, who adores pigs - her website is named thepigbakesclay - started working with clay 21/2 years ago after being inspired by a YouTube video that showed the making of realistic-looking clay cupcakes.

Some knowledge, plus a bit of luck, she says, are needed to create the right mixture of different colours of polymer clay for the perfect replica of the type of food she wants.

"I have to find the perfect colours and mixture by trial and error, so it takes me a few tries at the start to make sure that, for example, the chocolate in the Hello Panda biscuit looks exactly like the real one."

She then bakes her creations in the oven for 30 minutes at 130 deg C.

The former primary school teacher, whose husband is also a teacher, quit her job last year to pursue her passion full time, as well as to take care of her two-year-old son.

She has her own recipes for each of her creations. She buys dough from local stores such as Popular and Artfriend, as well as online marketplaces such as Amazon and Etsy.

Her dream is to open a cafe so people can "clay-jam" - make clay artwork to take home while nursing a cup of cappuccino.

"I also want to expand my business overseas," she says.

Making figurines of everyday people

Ms Ong Sze Sze made her first clay figurine when she was 10, as she did not have the toys that her three elder brothers had.

"I wanted my own toys and I remember making a snowman and a pig because those characters were missing from my brothers' Playmobil toy collection," she says.

That hobby has turned into a lifelong passion for the freelance digital art director, who is now in her 30s.

Ms Ong, a multimedia design graduate from England's University of Huddersfield, says her skill has vastly improved since her first creations, which she threw away as they were "very ugly". Her figurines are 5 to 8cm tall and made from epoxy or air-dry foam clay. Some of her works use Lego figurines as a base.

She gets "random inspirations" for her creations, such as Finn and Jake from animated television series Adventure Time, of which she is a big fan. Then, when the Minions craze hit, she made her own army of the banana-coloured characters from the Despicable Me animated films.

When Singapore's late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was hospitalised in March, she made her first figurine inspired by a local newsmaker, which depicts Mr Lee in PAP attire and carrying his signature red box that contains his daily work documents.

"When Mr Lee fell sick, I wanted to dedicate a figure to him," she explains. When he died later, she created a Mrs Lee figure "to go along with him".

Recently, she made a series of 10 figurines based on the people in her Whampoa neighbourhood, including her father on his bicycle, her skateboarding neighbour and the drinks stall uncle who makes teh tarik.

"I wanted to base the series of characters on archetypes that every Singaporean can relate to. Take, for instance, the summon auntie who dishes out fines to cars parked illegally - she's someone everyone recognises."

Although Ms Ong, who is single, has sold a couple of her figurines for $15 to $25, she no longer sells them.

"I love making them and I did not want to turn my passion into something I do for profit," she explains, adding that she can take up to a month to complete a piece as she "procrastinates a lot".

She will make her third appearance at Maker Faire Singapore this weekend to display her works - which are not for sale - and catch up with fellow crafters.

Riveted to leather crafting

When he could not find a tool roll pencil case in stores last year, undergraduate Sylvester Ng decided to make one out of canvas himself.

The 24-year-old felt so accomplished doing so that he got hooked on crafting.

Now, he is the co-founder and master craftsman of new leather goods brand Rivets Co.

The second-year mechanical engineering student at Nanyang Technological University started the business with six of his classmates in May. The items can be purchased from the Rivets Co website (rivetsco.weebly.com/) and online marketplace Carousell.

After Mr Ng made the pencil case - "it did not look the best but gave me a sense of satisfaction" - he continued experimenting with canvas and other fabrics before focusing on leather this year.

He says: "Leather ages well and the patina on each item is different depending on how the owner treats it. I like that you can add a personal touch to the material."

He learnt how to work with leather by watching online videos for three to four hours daily.

"It affected my grades slightly, but I found it addictive and enjoyed working with my hands to create something," he says with a twinkle in his eye.

When he took an entrepreneurship module in December, he told his teammates about his leather- crafting skills and they were interested to take it further.

Rivets Co, with an investment of slightly more than $1,000, was thus born. Mr Ng is the creative force behind the brand as he is the sole crafter.

The catalogue is kept to fewer than 10 items, which includes wallets and card and key holders. Prices start from $12 for a ring tag and up to $78 for a cable roll-up organiser.

Customisation is available too - customers can pick the colour of the leather and thread, and the size of the item.

Rivets Co has sold 15 items since June. Last weekend, it set up a booth at the two-day Makers' Market in TripleOne Somerset.

Currently juggling the business with their studies, Mr Ng and his partners intend to continue with the business after they complete the module in September.

And if business is good enough, they would possibly do it full time after they graduate in two years.

Mr Ng, who is single, says: "If there is a chance to take the business further, I will, but if not, I will continue to play with leather and learn all there is to know about it."

Turning leaves into art

Ceramic artist Davy Young, 68, is proof that you are never too old to learn a new skill.

He picked up pottery in his mid-50s - after he retired in 2010 as the vice-president of retail business in a brokerage firm - and now transforms actual leaves into ceramic pendants, dishes and ornaments. He sells them under the label, Leaves With Memories.

His daughter had come across British artist Judy Brown's ceramic leaves in a magazine 12 years ago. When she told her father about it, he contacted the artist, who e-mailed him the basic steps of the production process.

That kick-started his passion. He says: "I spent my childhood in the Changi countryside in the 1950s and developed an affinity for nature. For my ceramic creations, I chose to work with leaves because of their diversity, beauty and intricate vein structures."

Every minute detail of a leaf's labyrinthine veins is captured in Mr Young's pieces, such that it looks identical to the real thing. Each piece is also unique as no two leaves are the same.

Mr Young sources the leaves from the backyard of his terrace home in the East Coast area, as well as from friends' gardens and open green spaces. He has used leaves from plants such as the water lily, frangipani, wood nettle, Chinese Rose and grapevine.

He works at his dining table at home and spent $7,000 on a kiln and tools. One ceramic leaf takes up to four hours to make.

Urged by his friends, he started selling his works in 2010 at craft markets and has sold about 300 pieces so far. Prices range from $20 for a leaf pendant to $150 for a water lily dish.

Mr Young has a Facebook page titled Leaves With Memories, but adds that he does not have the time or expertise to maintain an online shop.

He also does not have plans to open a brick-and-mortar store because he is unable to produce large quantities.

He says: "I prefer to keep my prices affordable so that more people can enjoy my artwork. Besides, I'm not in it for the money. It is my passion."

He will be at the Maker Faire Singapore this weekend, where he will also conduct workshops on making ceramic leaves.

Sisters doodle away

When sisters Fajrina, 25, and Hazirah Rahim, 23, walked into designer stationery and accessories store kikki.K in Ion Orchard three years ago, it dawned on them that they could design stationery and make a business out of it.

After some serious brainstorming, they launched Ozzy & Lulu, an indie brand of stationery and lifestyle products that is named after their cats, which are siblings too.

With a motto of keeping their designs cute and quirky, but with a touch of style, they set up an online store (www.ozzylulu.com) in 2012 selling handcrafted doodle books, greeting cards, passport covers and tote bags. Prices range from $5 to $20. Their signature brightly coloured prints include watermelons, owls and salmon sushi.

While they decline to reveal sales figures, they say business is brisk. They also sell their products at craft markets and the items are stocked at several indie retailers such as online shop Naiise and lifestyle store Hotel De Cruz in Bugis Junction.

The sisters, who are not setting up shop at a craft market this month, say there is such a high demand for their products that they had to stop making the doodle books late last year - though they still design them - and now engage a printing company to do so.

Ms Fajrina explains: "One doodle book usually takes an hour to make. We have to manually cut the covers, assemble the papers, punch five holes on the spine, stitch the book together and manually round the edges with a corner cutter."

They design and make their products at home, a four-room HDB flat they share with their parents and cats.

Despite having to juggle day jobs - Ms Fajrina is an account executive and Ms Hazirah is a graphic designer - they relish the satisfaction of creating their own products.

Ms Hazirah says: "To make something with your own hands is quite amazing. It's hard to believe that with the right materials and patience, you can actually make a lot of store-bought items yourself."

Though they hope to open a brick-and-mortar shop someday, Ms Fajrina notes that they have yet to "realise the full potential of their business online".

Ms Hazirah adds: "For now, we hope to gain as much experience as we can and learn from others before eventually expanding our business."

gurveenk@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on July 10, 2015.
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