How does a boutique hotel that opens to immediate critical accolades and ensuing national architectural awards continue to maintain its lofty profile?
Nearly six years after rapidly becoming Singapore's most fashionable establishment, Gallery Hotel has managed to achieve just that, with a revitalising project that has not only brought it back into the spotlight but empowered young artists and designers from all over Asia.
Initially though, this was not part of the hotel's long term game plan; Gallery came on board incidentally and after long consideration of a proposal made by noted Singaporean creative director, Johnny Lau who had been approached by Creative Industries Singapore (CIS), a division within the Ministry of Information, Communications and The Arts (MICA) to fulfil a brief - to create fusion, cross pollination - on any subject encompassing art, design and media in the form of a youth oriented competition. It was Johnny Lau who actually suggested using the 3D canvases in the form of a hotel room. Then it took over three months to persuade CIS and Gallery Hotel that they both needed each other.
According to CIS, their fully developed concept entitled '5 Walls: Defying Definitions' was to "Bring together 16 youths from diverse backgrounds from across Asia Pacific. Provide them with 16 rooms in one hotel to live, work and play in. Bring in six very different mentors from across the creative industries to guide them. Challenge them to transform these spaces in two weeks with a limited budget, limited time, very little rules and no help".
The project officially began last May in conjunction with the launch of Gallery Hotel's new branding programme. In collaboration with CIS, the hotel announced sponsorship of the "Creative Youth Xchange @ Gallery Hotel".
Young artists and designers were encouraged to "go beyond exploring a space as a space ..... to challenge themselves to address these questions and express their ideas through realizable concepts, plans and prototypes that cut across the disciplines of arts, design and media".
The actual competition was held in November and attracted entries by youths from across South East Asia, including Australia. The 16 entries won a flight to Singapore and were selected from over 114 submissions. Most of the creative action happened during the exciting, intensive and sometimes explosive two week workshop. The participants were also aided by the School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University with creative coaching and guidance by Samuel Seow Law Corporation through legal advice for the commercialisation of their ideas.
They were mentored by Mr Ashidiq Ghazali (Ogilvy and Mather, Senior AD and DJ), Mr Goh Boon Teck (Theatre Director), Ms Eunice Olsen (Nominated MP, youth advocate and musician), Ms Ketna Patel (artist and gallery owner), Mr Benny Ong (fashion and lifestyle designer) and Mr Sebastian Chun (Head of Design at Asian Civilisations Museum). The 14 day creative process was not without its ups and downs, Johnny Lau becoming a virtual baby sitter to the artists, some of whom had never lived away from home and were suddenly thrust into a highly competitive environment with deadlines, total lack of privacy (the doors were always open) and gruelling work schedules.
Every two days the entrants had to complete a task and were given points for their efforts.
Sleeping on average only about three hours a day, they were all under intense pressure from the stress of competition, being away from home, sleep deprivation and the odd artistic temper tantrum.
According to Johnny, "It was important not to create a hostile environment. Sometimes they got carried away with their own ideas. Sometimes I had to be quite fierce. Week one was full of stress and high tension. For the second week I brought in a yoga teacher for morning relaxation and meditation sessions and a youth councillor to console the anguished artists."
"Having to wake up at 7:30 every morning was not greeted enthusiastically by some of them and they weren't all inclined to the yoga sessions. They didn't have any privacy because their doors were always open. It was like a boot camp. But by the end of the two weeks everyone agreed it had been a wonderful and rewarding experience".
The onerous task of judging was done by a select team of judges from across the creative industries - Yasmin Ahmad (a Malaysian film-maker); Richard Cook (Executive Editor of Wallpaper); Man Shu Sum (Media Development Authority Programme Director); Prof. Russell Pensyl (Vice-Dean of School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University); Tang Guan Bee (co-architect of Gallery Hotel), and Tham Khai Meng (Co-Chairman, Asia Pacific Executive Regional Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific).
The top six finalists were then paired up and graduated to designing a suite. The first prize winners, Mohd Anwar Bin Rafiee and Roy Pang for their creation 'Singaporean Dreaming' won a four-year scholarship, leading to a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Singapore's School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University, plus a cash prize of S$10,000.
The 16 creations of the youths were exhibited from 18th to 24th November 2005 and together with the three very recently completed suites, have now been converted into permanent rooms on the fourth and sixth Level of Gallery Hotel.
With its continued support and encouragement for artists and designers, art and design, the Gallery is certainly living up to its name, and its slogan as "The Hotel that Inspires".
Words by Jimmie Wing
