.........................................................................“Design is the core and the essential baseline of my work. It is what drives me, grounds me, moves me and ignites me into action.”......................................................................... Dennis is the founder and creative director of UPSTRS_. His role encompasses guiding the artistic, technical and strategic directions that each project requires from conception to completion. Design is a perennial preoccupation for Dennis, who believes that every brief has the potential to offer genuine and new experiences for its uses..........................................................................“I have great passion for people, life, culture, stories, memories. What is truly magical about architecture and design is that they can encompass all of that, if we approach it sensitively and strategically.”......................................................................... Dennis’ ability to evoke moods, and make users question the status quo through unique reinterpretations of form, space, material and context stem from a non-linear and somewhat circular trajectory of experiences. Pop culture, music, graphic design, fashion and sculpture formed the bedrock of early influences until he found his place in theatre – both through school and performance – enamoured by the built visions of space, light, objects, fashion and music that come together to create holistic, visceral experiences through the a storytelling lens. Likewise, through architecture as a medium and vessel, he continues to tell stories. In the process, he builds upon preceding knowledge of poetics and narrative the necessary demands of pragmatism, concepts, ideation and the power of design to affect change and memory in the everyday life of users. Dennis graduated with a Masters of Architecture degree at the National University of Singapore and underwent professional tutelage with award-winning architect Colin Seah of Ministry of Design (MOD) in his formative years. He embarked on his own journey through UPSTRS_ to articulate his own voice, alongside a growing team whose voices he believes are as vital as his own. ▃ upstrs.co