Cloth Tales

SOUTH AFRICAN TEXTILE artist and designer Deborah Mckellar grew up in a home that was considered very traditional in her birth country. "The house was over 100 years old," explains Ms Mckellar, who moved to Singapore with her family in 2002.

The first few years were tough as she missed her childhood home a lot. "As I was trying to adapt to my new surroundings I was immediately drawn to the old homes that I found in Singapore such as shophouses and black-and-white colonial homes," says the 38-year-old.

The stories behind these homes spurred her to learn more about Singapore's history and culture. She even began incorporating heritage houses into her artworks. "I find that artworks act as a visual diary, depicting what you are going through at a particular point in time."