Celebrating the emerging field of inclusive design.

Design Singapore Council tapped Lekker to curate and produce an experiential exhibition on inclusive design, as one of the three key festival commissions exploring pertinent issues facing the future of design. The resulting show, FI&LD, proposed a new philosophy of inclusive design based on play and improvisation. Through five areas of inclusivity­—Fun, The Emotions, Care, The Social, and The Senses—the installation showcased inspiring inclusive projects from around the world, alongside functioning prototypes of emerging technologies designed by Lekker and collaborators.

In contrast to the often-exclusionary sports fields from childhood – in which games only had one set of rules, and only certain abilities counted toward victory – this exhibition counter-proposed a “FI&LD.” This is an endless space (no matter how big it might be), because it allows an infinite number of capabilities, events, and outcomes. Anyone can play and contribute to the excellence of the game. This spirit, of levelling the playing field, is what this programme hoped to capture, for play as well as creative activity.

In addition to featuring inspirational design projects from around the world, the exhibition worked to increase awareness about issues of disability and diverse human experience more generally. The design placed a large amount of information across different surfaces and contexts, to enhance the joy of discovery. A virtual version of the show will be online in 2025.

Images by Don Wong & Lekker