UBS Monocle
Creativity without boundaries
Ng Si Ying
Rattan weaver, atinymaker
It is fascinating to watch Ng Si Ying as she weaves: the rattan strips passing this way and that, feeding one under here and crossing the other there, as vine becomes weft, warp, knot, geometry and then beauty.
Ng’s foray began with an apprenticeship at Chun Mee Lee, one of the last remaining rattan shops in Singapore, where she worked on chair restorations. “I felt that there was a lot more that could be done with rattan than what we were doing in the shop,” she says of the dying trade. “I wanted to know how much I could push the material so I began wondering how many ways I could weave using rattan and how many ways there were to wrap an object.”
This curiosity led to the Rattan as Wrap and Rattan as Weave projects, where Ng, who also works as a digital UX designer, creates intricate designs. She often begins by looking for a weave to replicate. “If I can’t find instructions, I will reverse engineer it from the image,” she says. Once figured out, it becomes a base for further exploration. Ng experiments with variations in colour, layers, width and design, discovering new compositions both by instinct and by chance. In documenting her explorations, she is helping to not only preserve this ancient craft for future generations but also show its true possibilities.
A wide range of clients have taken notice, from luxury houses such as Hermès to an individual from London who sought a repair to a beloved figurine. These surprising requests are nicely expanding Ng’s passion project of finding new uses, aesthetics and meanings for rattan. “I love that there are no boundaries,” she says.
Make an appointment with Ng at her home studio in Jurong East to see her latest handiwork, including the ‘Rattan as
Weave’ collection.
ngsiying.com
