„We are dreamers. And we are grounded with the drive to make dreams come true.“ This is how the team behind the art project DECK introduces itself on their website. Situated in the heart of the Arts & Heritage district, on a barren piece of land on Prinsep Street, only a 10-minute walk from the Singapore Art Museum near LASALLE College of the Arts, DECK will be a revolutionary art space in Singapore.

It is set to be launched on 3rd October for the opening of the 4th edition of Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) to accomodate the Festival Village. An independent, non-commercial space housed within 19 furbished shipping containers, it will host a gallery, resource library, activity studio, artist’s studio and café within the re-purposed containers, creatively assembled to overcome the challenge of land scarcity in our small city. After the festival, which takes place from October 3rd to November 30st, 2014, DECK will continue to function as an arts centre dedicated to photography programmes for the community till September 2015.

There have been loads of innovative adaptations to the boxy cargo pieces by artists, designers and architects worldwide. Containers offer a building model that is sturdy, cheap and flexible – and they represent an edgy alternative to conventional constructions. Together with the architects from Laud Architects, who offered the design services, the DECK team already went “container hunting” at a depot.

The initiative for this project was started by 2902 Gallery, a gallery with a mission to nurture and elevate the appreciation for art photography in Singapore and Southeast Asia. In the same year as the gallery opened, in 2008, they launched the inaugural Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF), steadily expanding the festival each year to reach out to more people in the community.

Since DECK’s structure and land usage is not funded by any government agency or organisation, DECK is crowdfunding on the platform Indiegogo till 30 September. The raised sum will go to construction and logistics costs, fabrication costs, the land lease for 1 year, and for setting up cultural programs.

To take action and be part of this epic endeavour to build Singapore’s newest, independent art space, go to the funding page on http://tiny.cc/RaisingDECK2014.

Event:     Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF)
Dates:    3 October – 30 November 2014
Venues:     National Museum of Singapore, SAM at 8Q, ArtScience Museum, 2902 Gallery, 51 Waterloo Street, Queen Street, and the Festival Village at DECK (51 Prinsep Street)
Info:     www.deck.sg, www.sipf.sg
Crowdfunding DECK:    http://tiny.cc/RaisingDECK2014