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Established in 2015, POW Concepts is the brainchild of Kuala Lumpur-based artist collective Kyle E and Jun Ong.
It was began
unintentionally when the 2 males determined to strive designing their first venture
collectively on the facet.
By no means did they anticipate
that it’d have led to the superb alternatives they’ve had to date.
The circulation of design
Jun and Kyle are each
skilled architects with very totally different trajectories of curiosity; Jun enjoys
gentle artwork whereas Kyle likes panorama structure.
It appears nearly
unimaginable that they might work so effectively collectively.
Picture Credit score: POW Concepts
On how they might’ve gotten this far regardless of their totally different pursuits, Kyle defined, “It’s a very good stability that permits us to capitalise on one another’s talent units.”
“Whereas I’m extra into the outside and pure components, Jun brings in a extra product-focused and manufactured standpoint.”
POW Concepts desires to
current one other perspective within the Malaysian design scene, a never-before-seen
standpoint.
“To us, we must always not
be pigeon-holed into our design streams however as a substitute be inspired to discover
totally different types of design and to specific ourselves freely,” Kyle acknowledged.
Discovering a method to
stand out
Malaysia has no
scarcity of design companies, one thing that Kyle and Jun are conscious of. How they
stand out with POW Concepts is by developing with designs which have very distinct
options.
Kyle acknowledged that their designs will not be everybody’s cup of tea, however shoppers who’re drawn to their fashion will undoubtedly search them out.
Picture Credit score: POW Concepts
“To be trustworthy, we do
not suppose now we have a definite fashion however we do take a look at issues with maybe a
totally different eye,” he added.
“We like taking issues
which are mundane and placing them in a brand new gentle in order that others as effectively can
take a look at them with a contemporary perspective.”
This has earned POW Concepts a variety of shoppers now well-known for his or her “Instragammability” such because the Kuala Lumpur Journal Resort, Inside Scoop’s refurbished first outlet and Service provider’s Lane.
Picture Credit score: Service provider’s Lane
They provide you with
designs catered to their shoppers’ particular tastes and necessities via wanting
on the shopper’s transient and site.
From there, they struggle
to search out inspiration as a place to begin, “Whether or not it’s the meals they serve or
the situation it’s in or perhaps a guide they’ve learn,” Kyle mentioned.
Picture Credit score: POW Concepts
These initiatives don’t simply look fairly—every one has to have a stability of performance alongside its artistic aptitude.
“Instagram is one thing
that we learnt alongside the way in which—the significance of framing issues in a sq.
body,” he informed us.
“As architects, we
take a look at designs as extra experiential than as simply being for Instagram.”
Conquering
creatives’ challenges
Artist’s block is the
bane of many creatives and the group behind POW Concepts is prone to it, too.
They recover from that
impediment by bouncing concepts off each other, consistently in search of somebody
else’s perspective to enhance their proposals.
Picture Credit score: POW Concepts
“We additionally take journeys to
see the bigger world of design on the market and the way totally different communities come up
with their very own set of options to artistic blocks,” Kyle acknowledged.
“We’re at all times
impressed by various things round; our travels, designs outdoors of
structure and inside and even Netflix.”
The problem of an
artist’s block is an inside problem, however POW Concepts additionally faces exterior
challenges from most of the people.
“I believe there’s a
lack of respect and appreciation for design in Malaysia. Most individuals really feel that
there isn’t a lot worth in what we do and suppose they’ll do it themselves.
Oftentimes now we have
individuals who underestimate the quantity of labor that goes into designing and
constructing areas,” Kyle lamented.
To fight that, POW
Concepts tries to coach individuals on why design is necessary and the way it could make a
change in lives.
Taking a chunk of Malaysia
abroad
Picture Credit score: POW Concepts
This yr, POW Concepts is
bringing an artwork set up impressed by a Malaysian-Chinese language customized to the
Venice Biennale 2019.
They have been invited by
the World Artwork Affairs (GAA) Basis to arrange their Gerai Tai Tai set up
in Venice for worldwide artwork lovers to expertise.
“Three years in the past, we got a grant by Astro to arrange an artwork set up in a pasar malam (night time market).”
“We wished to create an area the place individuals would enter with nothing and depart with nothing, however have a change of their impression of issues,” Kyle mentioned.
That artwork set up
would find yourself being Gerai Tai Tai which match proper into its unique
setting of the night time market.
The venture was
conceptualised as a pop-up gerai (stall) manned by a Tai Tai (a
Chinese language colloquial time period for a rich married girl who’s unemployed).
The Tai Tai would
present fortune-telling providers from behind a window of colored jellies
separating her and her buyer.
With its lined sides
and prime, the sales space permits for privateness within the bustling atmosphere of the night time
market.
Picture Credit score: POW Concepts
Prospects can inform the
Tai Tai their deepest secrets and techniques and qualms, then roll six cube and obtain
three totally different jellies.
As they take a chunk of
every jelly, the Tai Tai does her readings with the flavours, colors and
textures of the jellies displaying elements of the client’s previous, current and
future.
Blueprint for the
future
Positioned in APW
Bangsar, POW Concepts collaborates with the house for initiatives inside APW itself.
Kyle described their relationship with them as “symbiotic”.
When requested what the
objective of POW Concepts’ designs for every venture is, Kyle replied, “To generate profits.”
It’s fairly the
sensible reply and objective seeing as it’s a enterprise and it’s what
allows the group to proceed its initiatives.
POW Concepts hopes to develop
the group and tackle extra initiatives after their transfer from a brief house in
APW to a everlasting one, additionally in APW Bangsar.
Picture Credit score: POW Concepts
Present initiatives that
the group is tackling embrace workplace, residential and retail initiatives. Nonetheless,
F&B initiatives stay POW Concepts’ regular stream of labor and earnings.
For the longer term, POW
Concepts goals to participate in influential initiatives on a world scale and
signify Malaysia on the worldwide design stage.
With their Gerai
Tai Tai artwork set up getting an opportunity to shine in Vienna, we’d say
they’ve already received their foot within the door.
Discover out extra about POW Concepts right here.
