Making Their Mark: Chiara Calufetti-Lim

Long before lockdown, WATG and Wimberly Interiors’ global network of designers, makers and creators have looked beyond their every day to inspire ideas and innovations. In this new series, Making Their Mark, we shine a spotlight on our team members and creative associates, and the passion projects they pursue outside of 9–5 – not only for their personal mental health, well-being and growth, but for the benefit of their clients, projects and colleagues. Fostering a spirit of creativity, innovation, individualism and imagination among our ‘ohana’ (family) has been central to our firm since its founding seventy-five years ago, and we are proud to support one another not only at work, but externally as well.

This week, we speak with Chiara Calufetti-Lim – Associate Vice President of Architecture at WATG Singapore. Chiara’s global expertise spans three continents and includes many areas of architectural design, including concept development, schematic, branding, interior remodeling, historic renovation and more. Originally from Italy and having lived all over the world (you can read more about that in this Quick Six interview), Chiara was raised with a deep appreciation for traditional craft – something that has led her to make and create outside of her every day.

Chiara, tell us a little bit about your career and what a ‘normal’ day looks like for you.

My first passion was art, but it was not considered a good life choice at the time and so I became an architect to satisfy my desire for creativity and my parents’ expectation of me having a “normal job,” and eventually build a career out of my studies. I grew up in Italy where art was heavily embedded in the curriculum and where traditional craft and making are highly treasured. I still very much enjoy the serendipitous moments necessary for creation and find pleasure in making with my hands – whether that be an architectural pencil sketch, a physical painting (not digital), or a piece of jewelry which people can wear.

My normal day (pre-, during or post-COVID) revolves heavily around a very busy work schedule. The only difference is that, before, there was a lot of travel, while now I am mostly working from my living room. I miss interacting with the studio team and workshopping with clients and consultants, but, as with many creative industries, technology has helped a lot and we have been able to collaborate remotely thanks to new software, apps and tools. This lockdown period just gave me some extra time to “make” without the trips and social interaction.

In isolation we’ve been forced to find new outlets for entertainment and inspiration. Talk us through your side project(s). What is it and how did it begin?

I think that isolation is a good thing for the creative process… Time alone allows for more focused thinking and experimentation. Art is not a new outlet – I have been painting for a long time and have been lucky enough to participate in a few exhibitions, and tested oil, watercolor and gouache but settled for acrylic. I have sold some paintings through the years, but the continuous creative process takes up space, and I do not have an art studio or a garage and ran out of space fast! More recently I have been experimenting with pottery with mediocre outcome… and this also takes up space. For the last few years, I have been playing with jewelry, which started as a need to create things I couldn’t find, and then became truly just for the joy of making and wearing.

Have you found this new creative process to be cathartic or challenging? Has anything about it surprised you?

I particularly like the weaving-crochet process that I am using to create jewelry at the moment. It is a cathartic process inspired by traditional craft, which used to be passed from generation to generation. Weaving, stitching, knitting and so forth were things that mostly women did together… an art lost, which I am revisiting in a new way. I like the traditional aspect but at the same time I like the testing of materials and breaking the “rules”.

How has being creative outside of work positively impacted your outcomes at work?

Having the opportunity and the time to create and craft outside work allows me to find inspiration in new forms of making and concept development, but also very importantly it allows me to relax and forget the intensity of the every day for a little while.

Tell us a little bit about a maker or creator who has inspired you, and why.

I find inspiration for my recent work from two artists:

Alexander Calder, whose sculptures I saw for the first time in Venice at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection – a place I used to visit regularly. I liked his work – the lightness, the movement. I recall feeling inspired by the simplicity yet intricacy of his Silver Bed Head, 1946, which is made of silver ribbon.

Ruth Asawa, whose work I found when I lived in San Francisco. I really enjoyed it… I like the scale and the fact that she took something simple and made it in very inspiring large sculptural creations.

I love the action of making, crafting, and the surprising beautiful shapes that come out of it. To me, this is one of the most rewarding parts.

You can follow Chiara’s creations on Instagram, here.