NESTS: An Ode to Domesticity

Over the last 20 years, Manuel and Isabelle Der Hagopian have built various dwellings across Singapore, Vietnam, and Switzerland to house their lives and redefine their domesticity as a fundamental need. Each ’nest’ arises from intimate conversations between them and the spaces. They depict how these spaces are not only shaped by individual tastes and interests but also through the sensibilities informed by surrounding communities and cultures, across cities. ‘Nests’ features six of these dwellings as seen through the lens of Khoo Guo Jie, supplemented with texts and drawings. Presented like a set of ‘material swatch’ housed in a cardboard sleeve, the design of each book features specific combinations of material, ink, binding, and construction that translates the narratives and character of each ‘nest’ in print and book form.