Miki Charwin
Offcuts Teahouse

with in the wild
commissioned for National Arts Council’s Arts In Your Neighbourhood
Supported by DesignSingapore Council



Commissioned by National Arts Council as part of Singapore Design Week, Offcuts Teahouse is a place of meeting and contemplation in cosmopolitan Singapore, in this teahouse made entirely out of recycled and repurposed plastic, steel and wood off-cuts. The teahouse is made in the same size of a HDB Bomb Shelter – a consistent unit across the island. Enter the space, brew a cup of tea and contemplate nature through a single window and the urban city through the other.







The Offcuts Teahouse is a quiet, contemplative place of repose.

Drawing inspiration from the traditional East Asian teahouse, Offcuts Teahouse explores ways of re-imagining a place of meeting and contemplation within a cosmopolitan city like Singapore.


A reflection of the multiple brewing of tea, the teahouse is created from repurposed offcuts: second life materials collected from the region of Tampines, contributions from its residents and materials reappropriated from the artist's studio.

This repurposing of materials allows them to take on different characters and properties with each use and presentation.




As we re-brew the offcuts materials, we give them a new lease of life.




The measurements of the teahouse emulate a standard unit of measurement that unifies and relates to Singaporeans -- the standard dimensions of an HDB bomb shelter, a 1.2m x 1.2m square space. The design of the teahouse reminds us of tropical architecture, one of light and shade.






Situated amidst greenery in the neighbourhood, one is invited to enter the space, brew a cup of tea and contemplate nature through a single window and the urban city through the other.





Promotional poster, designed by Miki Charwin



-
Offcuts Teahouse, 2019
by HF/DF

research and development: in the wild
documentation and photography: Miki Charwin

a Jai Rafferty film
Co-directed by Miki Charwin

Special thanks to
Clara Yee, Cy Kim, Gerald Leow, Estella Ng,
Kenny Leong, Miki Charwin, Patrick Khoo, Tan Jia Yee,
Teo Dawn, Todd Tok