Malayan Orchid (re)introduces – by way of reference – histories of political and cultural silencing in the colonial, post independence, modern and the zeitgeist; and is suggestive of the speculative as an outlet for revising the course of history. Fumbling through speculative fiction, autobiographical truths, half truths, ‘hard truths’, and lies, the work is an attempt at revising revisionism. The cover features the title lettering of the work embedded as part of the comic panel gutters (these gutters usually a consequence of the panelling’s sequential story-telling format) in red, reinforcing the narrative by placing attention to the ‘gaps’ in storytelling. These red lines flow through the whole publication, integrating with the illustration while disrupting its format. (Credits — Story: Rafi Abdullah; Illustrated art: Tristan Lim)

The identity of ToNewEntities (TNE) is a visual embodiment of its aspirations. Inspired by creation myths, the logotype is envisioned as an object-in-motion, churning and forming something new, otherworldly. The type renders itself typographically inside its letters’ counter-spaces and apertures, lines set within text leading — reflecting the studio’s operational interests in the latent spaces/gaps, blank states, unexplored potentialities. As a nod to TNE’s interests in pop culture as well as corporate cultures, the studio’s brand manual is designed with card album sleeve covers and inserts — highlighting the parallels between trading game cards and business cards as collected objects for different games of trade.