Design News: Nadya Hutagalung gets green award, Jade chef’s ceramics show, vinyl fest Side A

Nadya Hutagalung to get special award for green contributions

Producer, presenter and storyteller Nadya Hutagalung’s contribution to environmental sustainability will be recognised at Greentech Festival’s GTF Connect Singapore with a Special Achievement Award in October.

The 50-year-old Indonesian-Australian, who hosted the hit television series Asia’s Next Top Model in 2012, has also been a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme since 2015.

She also hosted and produced Let Elephants Be Elephants, a 2014 documentary about the link between Africa’s poaching crisis and the demand for ivory in Asia.

The Greentech Festival, an annual event in Europe since 2019, was founded by former Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg and green technology entrepreneur Marco Voigt. The Singapore edition of the festival debuted in 2022, and had its second run in 2023.

GTF Connect is a series of international events, which was first held in London in 2021. The 2024 GTF Connect kicked off in London in September, and is followed by GTF Connect Singapore from Oct 21 to 23, at Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa. It ends its run in Los Angeles in November.

The festival has become a go-to platform for ground-breaking ideas and innovations, featuring more than 40 thought-leading speakers, 10 exhibitors and about 1,000 attendees.

The centrepiece of the festival is its Green Awards, which recognises the most innovative green projects. Previous winners include well-known names such as Irish singer and activist Bob Geldof and billionaire Elon Musk. – Chantal Sajan

Info: For GTF Connect Singapore updates and a line-up of events, go to

singapore.greentechfestival.com

Jade restaurant chef showcases ‘kitchen to kiln’ ceramics

The Fullerton Hotel Singapore is holding an exhibition of ceramics and paintings created by Chinese executive chef Leong Chee Yeng from the hotel’s Jade restaurant.

On from Nov 1 to 30, The Art Of Jade collection comprises 50 ceramic pieces celebrating the fusion of Chinese cuisine and art.

The exhibition also includes 12 oil paintings by chef Leong. Some of the works are a visual exploration of the textures and flavours of the kitchen, while others capture fleeting moments of everyday life.

Selected pieces from the collection will be on sale, priced from $150 for an electric kiln-fired tea bowl. Part of the proceeds from the sales of the pieces will be donated to the Autism Resource Centre (Singapore).

Jade diners are familiar with chef Leong’s creative touches. He adorns each table at the 120-seat fine-dining Chinese restaurant with a handcrafted ceramic accent such as a teapot or a vase. “Both cuisine and ceramic art convey heartfelt stories shaped by the hands that craft them,” he says.

The processes of shaping raw clay and transforming fresh ingredients are interconnected.

He sees fire as the uniting element in both kitchen and art studio, as the same flame that fires his wok also fires the kiln for his ceramics. Both crafts require skilled hands, precision and sensitivity to transform an idea into a delight for the senses, he says, whether it is an elaborately plated dish with a range of flavours or a piece of handcrafted table art.

The restaurant, which opened to diners in 2007, will also have a special six-course menu inspired by the rich heritage of the hotel, a storied neoclassical icon built in 1928, and its surrounding landmarks. – Chantal Sajan

Info: Admission is free to The Art Of Jade exhibition from Nov 1 to 30, which will be held at the East Garden Gallery. Go to

str.sg/hR6T

Side A, A Singapore Record Show celebrates the physical format of music

Home-grown record label Mosta Records is celebrating the enduring appeal of vinyl records – a physical format of music listening that has seen a revival in recent years – with a one-day festival.

Side A, A Singapore Record Show will take place at the Drama Centre’s Visitors Centre in the National Library building on Nov 2.

Music lovers from Singapore and around the region – including collectors, dealers and other independent record labels – will be converging on the space to explore, buy, sell, trade and discuss vinyl records.

Attendees can also look forward to performances by local and regional musicians, including Singapore’s Redwan Hamzah and Indonesia’s Soleluna.

Mosta Records co-founder Azri Ali was formerly the proprietor of a record store in Arab Street, also named Mosta Records. But he closed the store in December 2023 to focus on the record label and vinyl pressing arms of the business.

He told The Straits Times in a June 2023 interview: “It’s very important to me that local artistes get to have their music on vinyl. Anybody can have a digital release. But with vinyl, it’s a way of having your own tangible legacy within Singapore music.”

Mr Azri is also passionate about providing a platform and community where vinyl enthusiasts can connect and support independent record labels, and is eager to see new and seasoned collectors stopping by the event.

“Side A is an event that came together because of the passion of many parties, from across the music fraternity. I hope it will galvanise more interest in music in the physical format – not just the releases from big international acts, but those put out by our local and regional artistes as well.” – Yamini Chinnuswamy

Where: Drama Centre’s Visitors Centre, National Library, Level 5, 100 Victoria Street
When: Nov 2, 12 to 7.30pm
Info:

str.sg/bQAu

Correction note: This story has been updated for accuracy.