HOME IN FOCUS

Home in focus: The many faces of Yang Derong

Designer's year-long passion project is a visual dialogue with a new look for each day

Every photo shoot produces six to 20 portraits, depending on the make-up, props and styling. Mr Yang lists down and groups his various looks for the day depending on the complexity of the make-up. "Everyone is happy to chip in, touch up the make-up o
“Everyone is happy to chip in, touch up the make-up or redo the shots and make it work. That’s the magic of working together, that’s what we call jamming,” says veteran designer Yang Derong on his passion project Face Of The Day. ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
Every photo shoot produces six to 20 portraits, depending on the make-up, props and styling. Mr Yang lists down and groups his various looks for the day depending on the complexity of the make-up. "Everyone is happy to chip in, touch up the make-up o
“Everything we do is with our hands, our hearts and our creative juice,” says Mr Yang. His inspiration often comes from the stories he hears from people around him, thanks to his inquisitiveness and penchant for eavesdropping. ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
Every photo shoot produces six to 20 portraits, depending on the make-up, props and styling. Mr Yang lists down and groups his various looks for the day depending on the complexity of the make-up. "Everyone is happy to chip in, touch up the make-up o
Mr Yang usually spends hours rummaging through thousands of costumes and accessories at Moephosis Concepts. He will then lay items out in the living room of the shop to match them and see what he needs for his outfits. ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
Every photo shoot produces six to 20 portraits, depending on the make-up, props and styling. Mr Yang lists down and groups his various looks for the day depending on the complexity of the make-up. "Everyone is happy to chip in, touch up the make-up o
Face Of The Day is made possible with a team of around 30 – photographers, videographers, hair and make-up artists, a writer, web designer and digital team. Each photo shoot often involves no more than five people, depending on availability. ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
Every photo shoot produces six to 20 portraits, depending on the make-up, props and styling. Mr Yang lists down and groups his various looks for the day depending on the complexity of the make-up. "Everyone is happy to chip in, touch up the make-up o
Other than using them for photo shoots at his place, Mr Yang also goes out dressed in his costumes to film short narrative or documentary videos, and is often met with stares from curious onlookers. ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
Every photo shoot produces six to 20 portraits, depending on the make-up, props and styling. Mr Yang lists down and groups his various looks for the day depending on the complexity of the make-up. "Everyone is happy to chip in, touch up the make-up o
Every photo shoot produces six to 20 portraits, depending on the make-up, props and styling. Mr Yang lists down and groups his various looks for the day depending on the complexity of the make-up. ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
Mr Yang’s various costumes include: A tray of completed food on his head to remind people to return their tray after a meal. COURTESY OF FACE OF THE DAY
Mr Yang’s various costumes include: A military outfit to celebrate 50 years of national service. COURTESY OF FACE OF THE DAY
Mr Yang’s various costumes include: Dressing up as Chang E to celebrate the Moon Cake Festival. COURTESY OF FACE OF THE DAY
Mr Yang’s various costumes include: An outfit to educate people on the dangers of modern loan sharks. COURTESY OF FACE OF THE DAY
This traditional opera outfit is part of Face Of The Day, which uses 369 photos of 369 different faces to tell 369 different stories. Each portrait has been posted on Mr Yang’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, and website. ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
"Fortunately, or unfortunately, I'm not a soloist," says Mr Yang. Face of The Day requires a lot of assistance, and his team helps him achieve what he envisions. ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
Mr Yang's biggest challenge is removing his make-up after his shoots. He recalls an occasion when he had his body painted blue and did not have sufficient time to fully clean up before a dinner appointment. He ended up attending it with patches of blue paint on his skin.

 ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
Face Of The Day is veteran designer Mr Yang Derong’s year-long passion project, which involves him wearing a different get-up everyday. Started since August 2017, each portrait will be posted on his Instagram, Facebook and website, in hope to encourage viewers to feel and think beyond their everyday lives. ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
"I will always start or end my day here," says Mr Yang while drinking his cup of tea at Dong Po Colonial Cafe. This is his usual routine whenever he visits Arab Street to buy materials for his costumes or design project.

 ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
Lee Jia Wen Photojournalist
Updated
Aug 07, 2018, 12:47 PM
Published
Aug 06, 2018, 05:00 AM
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A 1.8m-tall man dressed in a majestically embroidered traditional opera outfit walks out of Chinatown MRT. "Woah!", a boy immediately exclaims.

The man's eyes were painted black in contrast to the white base of his face make-up, leading onlookers to snap away on phone cameras.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 06, 2018, with the headline Home in focus: The many faces of Yang Derong. Subscribe

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