EXPERIENCING THE CITY
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As placemakers, we work with agencies, companies and communities to create places for people. Our vision is for cities to be inclusive and active places to live, work, and play in. To achieve that, we develop sustainable strategies, programmes, and interventions that create a sense of place and catalyse communities in both private and public spaces.
We strongly believe personal encounters with both the people and places help to spark conversations and inject vibrancy into communities. We want to showcase the awesome work by the design community in Singapore and make it accessible to the public. By bringing people up close and personal with the design community in their spaces, we seek to cultivate an inclusive and connected community.
This is why we are so passionate about Design Trails which has become such a treasured programme and platform for us to work on year after year..
IT ALL BEGAN WITH DESIGN TRAILS in 2014…
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We have been organising Design Trails as a highlight programme in Singapore Design Week for design students, enthusiasts, professionals, tourists, families, and young entrepreneurs. Each year, a well curated list of design stops and programmes take you to discover interesting and hidden design spots in our city. These stops are rich in design and heritage, and are not usually open to the public, hence giving the reasons for a successful trails year after year. The free hop-on-hop-off shuttle bus took participants to up to six to eight stops that were curated for the weekend. At these stops, they got to experience and appreciate design through talks, workshops, demos and exhibitions in a cosy setting.
Click on these following videos to see more about our previous trails:
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There are many interesting places in Singapore! Through Design Trails, we have been able to work with over 30 venue partners, such as Airbnb, Lloyd’s Inn, The Projector, The Working Capitol and more, to open their doors and share about design with the public.
There are many amazing creatives and designers, with amazing stories and work! We’ve had the privilege of working with almost 200 creative partners who bring their craft, knowledge, and inspiration to share with the public. These connections have sparked future collaborations and also helped visitors get to know exciting local brands and designers. In 2017, we had a record high attendance of over 4000 participants, making a total of over 10,000 over the past 4 years.
We want to take Design Trails further. Over the years, we’ve had feedback from participants who wanted to experience programmes at a more relaxed pace, seek for a deeper discussion with design professionals. Many have also requested for us to bring them to see stops outside of the city centre. We felt that it might be time to rebrand and reformat Design Trails in 2018.
In 2018, DesignSingapore Council, organiser of Singapore Design Week called for proposals for key anchor programmes. This flexibility in programming offered us the opportunity to build and grow this crowd-favourite, which made us extremely excited. The challenge is, of course, to make it financially sustainable.
Rebranding Design Trails to ....
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The City Ramble Design Trail will no longer operate as a free hop-on-hop-off format, but instead will offer three distinct experiences: The City Ramble Stories, The City Ramble Heritage, and The City Ramble Process.
http://www.thecityramble.com
The City Ramble Stories - Profiling young urban creatives under 35 in +65!
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...is the first creative urban guide profiling young urban creatives under the age of 35 in Singapore. This publication will feature a free walking trail of these creatives’ most inspired places around the city, interviews and stories of their creative journey, and an insight into their craft and interests. You can pick up the guide and explore these stops at your own pace; even after The City Ramble Design Trail has ended!
The City Ramble Heritage- A Design & Heritage Tour
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...is a tour led by design professionals and heritage experts to three sites rich in architectural highlights and histories. Participants will get an inside look into how businesses, societies, and entrepreneurs have shaped Singapore’s urban landscape. They will also get to exchange stories behind these buildings and understand what it takes to keep the heritage alive for a vibrant city.
Walk into the halls of the Goh Loo Club (left), a recently revitalised Chinese gentleman's club that has been around since 1905; The Quadrant at Cecil (middle), an art deco building that housed a bank in the 1930s and now sits juxtaposed amongst modern skyscrapers; and The Warehouse Hotel (right), an amazing new hotel converted from 'godown' warehouses built along the Singapore River in 1895 as part of Strait of Malacca trade routes.
The City Ramble Process - Up Close & Personal with Design
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...offers an insider's look into designers' process and conversations in three very different spaces. Get a sneak peek into a designer's behind-the-scenes, as well as their creative spaces. Participants can encounter design up close and personal through conversations, demos, workshops, and installations.
You can spend your weekend at Citizen Farm (left), a closed-loop farm in the heart of Queenstown; The Mill (middle), a mysterious and alluring colony of creatives; or Funan Showsuite (right), Singapore's creative intersection.
Become a backer and you'll be the first to know about all of our exciting content partners!
Why do we need your help?
Executing The City Ramble takes an immense amount of time and resources. Unlocking the spaces, speaking to the creatives, developing the branding, curating the content, managing the logistics, mapping out the route, booking the buses, marketing the trails and actual-day execution are just some ways these funds will be used. Last year, it took a team of more than 80 to run the trails over two days.
Self-sustaining our venture means we have to sell tickets. In the past four years, we’ve been able to bring you the trails for free as we were commissioned to produce the trails. However, to make this a sustainable venture that is now own by Shophouse & Co, we need to charge a nominal fee for tickets. We are working hard to make this an affordable experience without compromising on great content, and we plan to continue this way.
We’ve worked hard for funding, but it just hasn’t been enough. We've been on a very tight timeline since beginning this project on January 1st! Although we’ve gotten support from venue partners and sponsors, we are falling short of what we need this year. By showing us your support, you will not only help us with bringing to life The City Ramble Design Trail, but also help us secure more funding for next year; perhaps even making the trails free of charge once again in the coming years.
Selling tickets is becoming a bigger challenge, and securing support upfront gives us an assured stability. That way, we can focus on developing good content and work with even more designers. Every week, there is something happening in our city state, and many events looses visitors due to event fatigue. Securing sales from YOU - our loyal visitors who have been a part of Design Trails since its inception gives us confidence and stability to curate and deliver an amazing experience for you!
This is our first time from us in Shophouse & Co crowd-funding any of our programmes and we need YOUR help!
What do you get in return?
Tickets to our Trails! By helping us out, you get to go on the different trails we’ve curated – be it Process stops or the Heritage tour. You’ll get to meet and interact with exciting business owners and designers at the event.
Urban Guides! If you are based overseas or can’t make it on the weekend of March 10 and 11, you can always get our urban guide and go on a FREE walking trail whenever you want! Be accompanied by the inspiring stories of young urban creatives and discover amazing talents and works here in Singapore!
Special One-Off Unique Experiences! Be the first to visit the stop and have a brunch on a farm before you begin the rest of the stops. We want to take you around and show you these exciting spaces before we open them to the public.
Behind-the-scenes Updates and News! As a contributor, you'll have the first-hand scoop on the most exciting information about our trails! Some of our most exciting partners are at the very cutting edge of design trends and movements here in Singapore and we'd love to share their awesome work with you.
OUR TEAM
Here at Shophouse & Co,we are a team from diverse backgrounds - architecture, designers, event producers, arts managers, interior designers, illustrators, historians - all with one thing in common: our love for culture, communities, and our city.
Heading into our 5th year as a studio, we have curated and produced notable creative projects including Archifest - Festival of Ideas for the City (2012 and 2013); Transitional___ (Space) at 115 King George’s Avenue (2014), #seeyoursg, Arts in Your Neighbourhood (2017); and more.
A BIG THANK YOU
We really hope to see you on the weekend of 10 & 11 March!
If you've chosen a perk and contributed to The City Ramble, we will send you an email about collection and redemption details.
We would also really appreciate your help sharing this with everyone you know! Gift a ticket to that friend you know who loves design and heritage! Bring your family for a day out at the farm! And remember to come together in groups, it is definitely way more fun!
See you at The City Ramble Design Trails 2018 on 10 - 11 March! Join us to bring culture, community, and urban spaces together.
Your friendly placemakers,
Shophouse & Co
