From a young age Pann Lim loved to doodle and he failed most subjects at school apart from art. He fell in love with design and advertising whilst at Singapore’s Temasek Polytechnic, and landed his first job at DDB Singapore after graduating in 1998.

 

Image: Pann Lim

 

In 2001, Pann took up an invitation to start up ad shop Kinetic along with Carolyn Teo, Roy Poh, Adrian Tan, Sean Lam and Benjy Choo. “Looking back, it was failure, a little rebelliousness, mentorship, passion, friendship and fate that got me into advertising,” says the creative.

At the moment I am working on…

A brand identity project that involves an artist. The interesting thing about this artist is his rituals before he paints. He will play and compose music on the fly. The music will be played on a loop and immersed in his own music, he starts painting.

The best piece of creative work around at the moment is…

Something other than advertising work. I am more inspired by art and my recent trip to Art Stage in Singapore blew my mind. Looking at the work from Sam Jinks, Philippe Pasqua, Fabien Merelle and Yi Hwan Kwon moved something within me – something advertising have not done in a long while.

 

I am inspired by…

Any project with a fresh idea; an honest point of view with great insights matched with awesome craft.
And if it is naughty, funny, irreverent, witty, nonsensical – all the better!

 

This year I’ll be attending…

A music performance for a new album launch for Hanging up the Moon, a music project by a good friend, Sean Lam. I will also be attending mostly art events and will be exhibiting some work with a collective me and my wife started with our two kids called Holycrap.sg.

 

The next big thing in advertising is going to be…

Ideas that can remain fresh, intuitive and shareable regardless of whether it is technologically advanced or not.

 

The piece of digital/advertising work I wish I had thought of is… (why?)

Arcade Fire’s “The Wilderness Downtown”. I love music, I love Arcade Fire and I love how the site makes me go, “this is awesome!”. Then I go into a few moments of depression because I wished I thought of it.

 

In a film about my life, I’d like to be played by…

Ahmad Dhani from Indonesian rock band Dewa 19, because many people says I look like him.

 

My last social media update said…

“nice!” in reference to a link about Joji Jacob being appointed as chairman and jury president of the Creative Circle Awards.

 

My dream collaboration is…

With Sam Jinks. I think he has made me re-look at how lifelike sculptures even on a smaller scale can evoke in me so mmany feelings of surrealism and realism all at once.

 

In up and coming talent, I look for…

Someone with an interesting point of view, someone with passion, great attitude and unpolished skills.

 

A piece of criticism I’ve received was…

I like to recycle my jokes and I love laughing at my own jokes.

 

The last song/piece of music I listened to was…

Jazz album Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus on vinyl. I won’t say much here, go to YouTube and search for it: mind-blowing stuff from 1959. In addition, I am also addicted to 80s music, death/new metal, alternative rock, post rock, math rock and any music that makes me go “f**k, why didn’t I think of that riff!?”

 

 

Image: Working on “The Saddest Story”, a piece as part of Pann Limm and his family’s art collective, Holycrap.sg.