Design Social Opening Exhibition at the Young Gallery, i'mable Collective Space (extended to 12 December)

Synopsis:

An invitation to explore inclusive convergence and design for social impact

Design Social is a thematic fringe show exploring inclusive design and featuring community-led, accessibility-focused projects alongside works with social impact from EMERGE 2025: Dialogue through Design, which first showcased at FIND – Design Fair Asia, one of the region's most dynamic Pan-Asian showcases for contemporary design, and was co-curated by Low for the key event of the Singapore Design Week.

The opening exhibition at the i'mable Collective Space delves into design's role in addressing social, cultural, and environmental contexts. The revival and reimagining of tradition in contemporary contexts also remain as a defining influence on many of the works from Southeast Asia.

A dedicated showcase space that brings pan-disability creatives under one roof

SG Enable, Singapore's focal agency for disability and inclusion, commemorates 10th anniversary of Enabling Village with the unveiling of i'mable Collective Space. The Space develops innovative training and employment models in the design and arts sectors, while providing a dedicated showcase for the talents of persons with disabilities. By bringing pan-disability creatives together under one roof, it highlights both the potential of inclusive enterprise and the diversity of artistic expression. Spanning over 800 square metres and housing eight partners, the Space is an integrated experiential showcase featuring retail, gallery, studio and cafe experiences.

"Since i'mable Collective was launched in 2019, the initiative has grown from showcasing the creative works of persons with disabilities to developing various training and employment opportunities in the design and arts sectors. With i'mable Collective Space, it provides an additional platform for designers, businesses, and community partners to enable persons with disabilities to gain experience in gig and longer-term work, supporting them to lead productive and meaningful lives," says Edward Chew, Senior Director of Employment & Lifelong Learning, SG Enable.

Retail, incubation and lifestyle showcase for and with creatives with disabilities
Establishing the weareSuper flagship store and gallery in the i'mable Collective Space provides a platform for collaboration with social service agencies, social enterprises, small businesses and persons with disabilities to co-create, exhibit, and sell products.

"We believe in using art and design to reframe how disability is seen and understood. Our aim is to be a platform that turns inclusive design into impact. At weareSuper, we look forward to employing and engaging persons with disabilities, providing them a career pathway in design and opportunities to showcase their capabilities," says Edwin Low, Founder of weareSuper and Supermama.

Low is no stranger to identifying talents and pairing creatives with disabilities with Japanese makers, to create commercially viable collections at Supermama. Inspired by the community of artists with varying disabilities in Tanpopo-no-ye, he aspires to break the misconceptions of disability beyond stereotypes and elevate the recognition of their work.