At the time when I was at Asylum, I had seen more than a few interesting items – part-art and part-quirky keepsakes – for sale on the shelves. Singapore designer Casey Chen’s Dynaglow – lamps made from laundry detergent bottles quickly caught my eye. The bright and cheery lamps are sure to light up the dullest interiors.

Then was German artist Saskia Breitenreicher’s Water from the Fountain of Youth, which is in essence, to people who do not see the humor, just a glass bottle in a pretty box. Fill it up with water (distilled, tap or even the sparkling sort), it’s an irrelevant surprise gift to friends.

I quite had the urge to buy half the items in the store. But after a quick reality check with the wallet, I ended up only buying 1819 SuperMovement’s Majulah Stickapura Series//3 Stickers that I had been looking for a while. This is a set of stickers designed by Singapore artists and designers, where everyone is invited to stick them on public property around the world and take a photograph of the end result.

Next up, Asylum’s crew of 6-9 designers will be kept busy designing CD sleeves for Scandinavian artists, devising branding and identity for the new gifted school for the arts in Singapore as well as launching their very own music label amid everything else.

Asked on what he found most fulfilling from starting up Asylum, Chris believed it to be “the freedom to experiment on any ideas we have. While the design studio is a channel to help project other people’s messages, the store allows us to project our own messages.” Whimsical the messages may be, Asylum has definitely hit the right note with the young and edgy crowd.

Asylum
Address: 22 Ann Siang Road, Singapore 069702
Tel: +65 6324 8264
https://theasylum.com.sg