From Trees to Tales:
Unearthing Stories within Nature

Millenia Walk - Christmas With Our Trees 2023

After seven years of bringing Christmas to life through campaigns, decorations, and celebrations, we were grateful to be entrusted by Millenia Walk once again, to create a unique festive experience. This collaboration involved crafting an overarching creative vision, art direction, and a thematic in-mall installation that truly captures the spirit of the season. 

With the encouraging response from the seeds planted in the inaugural "Christmas with Our Trees" initiative and the momentum of our award-winning work with Millenia Walk, we felt a renewed sense of purpose to further our commitment to a more intentional, local-inspired, eco-conscious approach in the way we design festive decorations each year. 

 

We recognized that Christmas could be more than just the glitz and glamour but a chance to inspire one another to embrace more thoughtful and mindful ways of celebrating. This perspective guided us to discover new ways to blend creativity, ecological awareness, and community engagement, ensuring that the festive campaign we create leaves a lasting impression well beyond the holiday season. 

Seeds of Inspiration

In conceptualising the second instalment of the ‘Christmas with Our Trees’ initiative, our team faced an intriguing challenge with the project: How can we further enrich the significance of CWOT for the community?

Revisiting the foundational principles of our initiative, we were reminded of the conversation we shared with local wood specialists, Timber Actually and Tat Hin Timber. Our interaction with them, which revealed insights into the fate of our felled trees and their second life as upcycled materials, sparked a growing curiosity, broadening towards questions revolving around our local ecology and biodiversity. Driven by this thirst for knowledge, we knew our solution lay in cultivating a growth mindset. We expanded the initiative by engaging the wider community to share stories and lessons about our local ecology and its enduring connection to our lives.

We enlisted the help of brands, environmental experts, and local specialists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. Their stories and insights became the cornerstone of the initiative, embodying the essence of MW Creative Neighbourhood, championing its community-led, story-driven approach.

  


The Millenia Walk Seed Tree

The narrative of this year’s edition begins with the return of The Millenia Walk Seed Tree at The Great Hall, celebrating the everlasting beauty and timeless impact of our local trees and native plant species. Upon entering, visitors were greeted by a 7-metre tall centerpiece structure made from over 5.5 tonnes of locally salvaged wood of the African Mahogany tree species, felled due to redevelopment or natural causes.



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The Millenia Walk Seed Tree was designed with longevity and waste reduction in mind, using modular shelves as building blocks for the structure. Partnering with our friends at Timber Actually, the installation was assembled by hand with zero bolts and screws, but a seamless connection of 16,000 dominoes. A powerful testament to how the simplest materials can be be reimagined into complex and meaningful structures.

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A Forest Oasis Within

The installation was stylised into an amphitheatre with layered seating extending from the exterior walls, providing a tranquil resting spot for visitors within The MW Seed Tree. Here, visitors could admire a lush foliage installation by Charlotte Puxley Flowers, featuring greenery sourced from a local nursery. Enhancing the experience, the installation was wrapped with special pixel-mapping light technology synchronised with a curated soundscape.

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Honouring our Native Botany

Adding new layers to the tree installation were artistic sketches of our native plant species, inspired by Singapore’s herbarium, highlighting the significance of perserving our natural heritage.

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The Neighbourhood Tree Trail

Encompassing the outer rings of The MW Seed Tree were exhibition panels that revealed personal perspectives and invaluable insights about our local ecology, from the wider community. Part of the extended Neighbourhood Tree Trail, these panels inspired visitors to explore novel and unexpected relationships with our local ecology, while paying tribute to the enduring significance of our local trees and their legacy.

Our amazing lineup of contributors included Chua Siew Chin (Senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore, Department of Biological Sciences), Chih Min Boo (Master Flora Specialist), Qiyun Woo (The Weird & Wild), Elliot James Ong (Conservationist and nature guide) and GreenSG COLLAB.

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The Neighbourhood Tree Trail also continued with a creative showcase, inviting local talents who place sustainability into the heart of their practices. Using salvaged wood supplied by Timber Actually, the collaborators experimented with various mediums to create interactive exhibition pieces. With a special focus on sustainability and innovation, visitors were treated to a visual spectacle.


A Tropical Christmas

MM (Marcus & Milon) reimagined the festive season in a tropical archipelago by creating a communal table that integrated plants and trees from the forest, envisioning a more seamless cohabitation with the natural world

 

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The Trees that Pass It On

Sustainable superbrand, Pass It On, promoted the idea of conscious consumption and gifting with kindness. Upcycled ornaments were presented for the public to take and use for their own gift-wrapping needs.

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Flower, Grass, Tree

Dawn Ang, better known as Aeropalmics, created a dazzling structure exploring the profound connection between nature and humankind, reflecting how trees can strengthen bonds between individuals, communities, and our environment.

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Promises Made, Promises Kept

Continuing our tradition of sustainable design, The MW Seed Tree was creatively transformed to fit each seasonal campaign, gracefully evolving from Christmas cheer to Lunar New Year celebrations. To close the loop, the MW Seed Tree was repurposed into 800 modular seed shelves, which were then distributed to households across Singapore, embodying our dedication to minimizing waste and leaving a lasting positive impact on how our community engages with and values our local natural resources.

We are pleased to announce that The Millenia Walk Seed Tree made its way to the Straits Times, and Lianhe Zaobao among other features, marking a significant milestone and underscoring the widespread impact of our initiative. Truly one for the books!

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Creative Concept, Curation, Creative Direction, Art Direction, Design, Spatial Design & Strategy
OuterEdit

Spatial Production
2iDEAS

Exhibition Participants 
Chua Siew Chin
Chih Min Boo
The Weird and Wild
James Elliot Ong
GreenSG COLLAB 

Artist Collaborators
Aeropalmics
MM (Marcus Yang & Milon Goh)
Pass it On

Photography 
Nic Loh

 

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