Soul Brothers

DESIGNERS ALVIN TAN, Melvin Chee, Jackson Tan and William Chan could be brothers if they didn't have different mothers. They finish each other's sentences, understand what each is thinking about when coming up with design ideas, and see each other almost day in day out. It has been this way for the last 25 years, since they formed Phunk in 1994, when they were still graphic design students at Lasalle College of the Arts.

Driven by a common love for popular subculture and rock music, the four got together and wanted to form a band. But they soon gave up that idea, when they realised that they had little musical talent. "We traded electric guitars for the Mac, which we were better at," says Jackson.

William says they still pretty much function like a band. "We have the passion to create, to work together, but we jam with our iMacs."

Over the years, they have garnered accolades including the President's Design Award in 2007 for Designer of the Year, and have been described as "The Champion of Singapore's Graphic Scene" and "Asia's hottest agency" by various international media.

A collection of their works is now on display at the National Design Centre exhibition titled: Control Chaos: 25 Years of Phunk.

Of the exhibition theme which also describes Phunk's design philosophy, Melvin says, "there is control in our chaos, and chaos in our control."

Jackson elaborates, "Our artwork may look messy but there is actually an organisation to it."

Incidentally, Control Chaos is also the title of an artwork done in 2003, which depicts heaven, earth and hell in a time shortly after the Sep 11 terrorist attacks. The illustrations were inspired by the group's childhood memories, as well as landmarks in Haw Par Villa and Chinese mythology. Later on in the year, Phunk will update this artwork, putting in today's icons such as Instagram, and the yellow umbrellas to depict the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong.

The exhibition space is divided into two sections. In the first, visitors walk down a passageway surrounded by artworks that Phunk have designed over the years. The display looks chaotic and is intentional.

"We created the pieces like a montage, which is our typical style. Visitors can see the working of Phunk this way," says Alvin. The artworks had to be printed, pasted on the walls and then parts of it torn away to create the montage.

At the end of the passageway, visitors enter an all white space that evokes a feeling of calmness. "This is the controlled part," jokes Jackson. In the centre, is another Phunk installation, the Love Bomb, an atomic bomb with the Chinese character for 'love' on it. The idea is that love is the most powerful force in the world and not mass destruction.

These days, Phunk does more collaborations. One of their recent works was an art work for Rolls Royce and Singapore Airlines to mark their 20th anniversary. They also collaborated with The Rolling Stones on a collection of T-shirts.

William says that clients like working with them because, "our style is distinctive with a mix of Eastern and Western sensibility."

Influences from their early days, such as music videos, Japanese manga, traditional Chinese craft and Hong Kong drama serials still form a large part of their inspiration and ideas. "We are also in tune with what's happening today, but we are not driven by trends," says Alvin.

Twenty five years on, there is no talk of disbanding or getting in new members. "It would be hard, since we are so in sync with each other," says Jackson.

They say their passion for creating is still as strong as before. But there's one thing that has changed. "We are no longer as physically fit as before. After three days of putting up the posters, we've had to deal with body aches," quips William.

Control Chaos: 25 years of Phunk, is on till Mar 20, at National Design Centre, 111 Middle Road.