Design China

Bicycle Club

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:41:35 +0800

“Bicycle Club is a pavilion dedicated to bicycling in Hainan, China designed by Amsterdam-based, NL Architects. A rooftop cycling arena is supported by a glass-enclosed cafe at ground level. The oval-footprint structure’s protruding canopy is essential due to the tropical climate, shading the perimeter seating. The elegant upward curvature of the eaves evokes the form of a traditional and functional pagoda”. Via designboom.

Harvest Pavilion

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:36:30 +0800

Part of an eco-farm in Kunshan, a total of four public buildings will be designed by Vector Architects to promote organic farming in the area. The concept was a combination of light and simple: clad in glass and bamboo, with a horizontal plane juxtaposing the usual high-rise mass now found in most Chinese cities. Via EightSix.

NLGX Spring Arrivals

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:32:43 +0800

“The Year of the Dragon has been pretty good so far, so we’re very excited to launch our brand new Paper Dragon and Water Dragon designs! Our very popular ChinaType tees (pictured) received a colour revamp in time for the London 2012 Olympics. Cheer for China with the red/yellow China edition or show your support for the host with the blue/red UK edition. Furthermore, all our Kommute hoodies are now 20% off.” Find your closest store.

Zhu Chao

Tue, 22 May 2012 07:35:55 +0800

Born in Hubei, Zhu Chao is now a Beijing-based graphic designer who demonstrates real promise. His work was displayed at Tokyo TDC Annual Awards this year, and has previously appeared at GDC (in 2009 and 2011) too.

www.zhuchaoad.cn

AIM Backstage

Tue, 22 May 2012 07:31:09 +0800

AIM, or Architects In Mission, was founded in 2010 by a group of young architects seeking to “carry forward their social responsibility as design professionals”. The driving force behind AIM is to develop fresh design talent by provoking thoughtful responses to specific and timely creative challenges. Last year, AIM held their second design competition in Beijing with the help of ZNA Architects, exploring “green” architecture. This year, the Organising Committee are looking for up to 10 volunteers to join the “backstage” team. E-mail info@aim-competition.com for more information.

Experience UK Now

Mon, 21 May 2012 03:28:29 +0800

The organisers of UK Now are out to prove a point: that this is one creative festival not to be missed! Here are a few snapshots from the “Experience UK Now” party, which took place at the British Embassy Residence last week.

Affordable Art Beijing 2012

Mon, 21 May 2012 02:50:06 +0800

“The 7th Affordable Art Beijing will be held at 798 Space on 2-3 June and we’ve been meticulously preparing for it. Our team of art fanatics has been scouring art villages and schools for talent, and has already found a few special gems. We’ll be bringing you a diverse mix of styles and mediums to satisfy your [creative] appetite. With all artwork under 20,000 RMB, you may need to start clearing more wall space”. Details.

Wen Miao

Fri, 18 May 2012 07:31:00 +0800

Originally from Hebei Province, Wen Miao is a young creative based in Beijing. She completed an undergraduate degree in crafts at Tsinghua University and went on to complete a postgraduate degree in jewellery design under Teng Fei at CAFA. After graduating with her Masters in 2010, Wen Miao has been working in various roles, ultimately researching design aesthetics and collaborating with other designers. We spoke with her recently to find out more.

How do you view your role in design?
 I practice design, but I am not necessarily a designer. I feel like I have to learn more about the industry and how it works before I can contribute to and promote it. My aim was never to become well known, but to develop my own learning and to be part of a process.

How do you compare your design education experiences? 
There were a lot more restrictions at Tsinghua – we had to follow certain rules and work within certain boundaries. The course was also quite technical. CAFA, on the other hand, is a lot more open-minded, experimental and conceptual. Both of the courses I took balanced each other out.

Tell us about some of your design work.
A lot of the jewellery pieces I created at CAFA were very conceptual. One project, for example, was based on the individual experience of life – how different experiences mark and impact us in different ways. To demonstrate this, I create a ring embedded in paper. To free the ring, the user has to set fire to the paper. “Life” is symbolised by the paper, and “life experience” by the fire. How the paper is lit yields different results, much like our experiences in life.

You Are Here was a class project: each student was provided with a number that corresponded to a location on a map. We were then instructed to visit that location and generate something in response. I ended up choosing a mosque. The piece I created featured two circles. The larger circle is made up of magazines – a fast-paced publication that I thought embodied “Beijing” quite well. The smaller circle, which features 7 pearls (a special number in Islam), fits into the void of the larger circle to illustrate the mosque’s relationship with Beijing. Coral and garnet were also used for this piece.

In 2009, I also visited Australia. For one of the projects I undertook there, I handed cubes of red wax to friends and people that I met. Over time, the wax softened and started to mould itself. When the wax pieces were returned, I cast moulds of the resulting shapes. Each was different and unique.

How have you used jewellery to explore the world around you? 
In China, jewellery is usually used to indicate social status. It is very materials-based. One project I completed in 2010 looked at the most simple format of jewellery: a gold ring. I extracted 1g of gold from a ring, transformed it into gold foil and combined this with another material. It became a process of re-design. When does jewellery cease to exist as jewellery?

My thesis at CAFA also focused on industrial production. I looked at modern industrial design, our relationship with jewellery, as well as replication and production.

Why have you stopped designing more recently?
I don’t think I ever wanted to become a jewellery designer. This was just a good medium for me to express my ideas. I’m more concerned with broadening my mind via the conceptual.

What are your plans for the future?
 I am currently researching aesthetic philosophy and the directions in which the market is heading. I’m building on collaborations with other local designers and, generally, fulfilling my interest in the future of Chinese creativity.

With thanks to Lynn Zhang for assisting.

COLORS Magazine Lands in China

Thu, 17 May 2012 07:41:00 +0800

Following an agreement with Hong Kong publisher, Systems Design, COLORS Magazine will launch a Chinese edition of the publication that “talks about the rest of the world”.

From 20-25 May, Patrick Waterhouse and Enrico Bossan, respectively creative and editorial directors of COLORS, will be in Shanghai and Beijing to promote the initiative. A series of conferences have been organised “to present to the young people of China the story of a magazine that, for the past twenty years, has been portraying aspects of the world not usually in the spotlight”.

The first event will be held in Shanghai on 20 May, with a talk from Patrick Waterhouse at TEDxShanghai 2012. It will take place at Shanghai Concert Hall from 9:00am-7:00pm. Subsequent COLORS events:

22 May
2pm, Shanghai University, L’Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantiques, Shanghai

23 May
10am, East China Normal University, Institute of Design, Shanghai; and 6pm, Bee or Wasp, Jugend Space, 2F Taikang Terrace, 169 Jian Guo Middle Road, Shanghai

24 May
2pm, Tsinghua University, Beijing

25 May
2pm, CAFA (Central Academy of Fine Arts), Beijing

Putting the Fur in Furniture

Thu, 17 May 2012 07:36:29 +0800

“In his four decades as a furniture craftsman, Zhu Xiaojie has worked with stone, glass, steel, leather, hemp, acrylic, fossil, marble and elastic. But nothing has been as dear to him as wood, especially the striped zebrawood indigenous to West Africa. Then, two summers ago, Zhu discovered fur”. Continue reading.

Coterie

Thu, 17 May 2012 07:31:26 +0800

“When you think of traditional glasses stores, you can’t help but envision an environment void of atmosphere or passion and an overwhelming sea of products. This could not be further from what we experienced upon visiting Coterie, a boutique glasses store newly opened on Julu Lu in Shanghai.

What makes Coterie stand out is a passion that runs through every element of the store. From the original products through to the meticulous in-store design details, you know that an incredible amount of thought has been invested in every inch. Indeed, calling their glasses ‘products’ is perhaps unjust, rather Coterie’s founders consider their glasses original pieces of art that should be celebrated, not just sold. As a result, the atmosphere in Coterie is closer to that of a cutting edge, contemporary art gallery than a traditional retail space”. Via Flamingo Shanghai.

AnyShopStyle Offer

Wed, 16 May 2012 07:32:00 +0800

“If you’ve been looking for an excuse to spruce up your summer wardrobe, here’s your chance. For one week only, spend 1,000RMB or more at AnyShopStyle and receive a free gift from Shanghai accessories brand, D.D.0! As the debut designer for AnyShopStyle’s all-new leather bag collection, D.D.0 can carry all your miscellany this season, with a selection ranging from sparkling grape laptop bags to cute, studded coin pouches”. Details.

Guo Pei Exhibition

Wed, 16 May 2012 07:21:00 +0800

“Guo Pei is often described as China’s only couturier. The notes accompanying Chinese Bride, a two-day exhibition in Beijing’s 798, highlight the time taken to complete each of her outfits. The least time-consuming of all took 966 hours - well over a month if you worked round the clock. The most painstaking is an embellished pearl gown, which took 8026 hours to complete”. Continue reading.

Twin Trees Pavilion

Tue, 15 May 2012 07:31:19 +0800

“Located in a small, traditional town in the Yangtze Delta area, Twin Trees Pavilion is an architectural project by Shanghai-based Atelier Archmixing that transforms a former pigpen into a cozy pavilion. A supplement for two traditional-style residences, the space provides an extra place for meeting and recreation. Two big trees dominate the site, lending inspiration to the design as well as the name.

All bricks from the dismantled pigpen are recycled to build new walls in various laying patterns. A moderate yard is created around the trees via an oval void in the slightly sloping concrete roof. The exterior is painted white to meet historical preservation requirements while the interior maintains a natural appearance”. Via gooood.

MAD Travel Fellowship 2012

Tue, 15 May 2012 07:16:12 +0800

“The MAD Travel Fellowship was launched by MAD Architects in 2009 to provide Mainland Chinese students with the opportunity to travel abroad and research an architectural topic of their choosing. It is only through travel – the visceral experience of walking into a space – that one can begin to understand the full context and meaning of architecture.

This year, 5 students will have the opportunity to travel for 7-10 days in their city or region of choice for independent study. Following their trip, the students will give a public presentation of their experience”. Applications due 30 June. Click for details.

Microurbanism Interactions Exhibition

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:51:57 +0800

Personally on the Scene: Art Expats in Beijing Exhibition Project is delighted to present its inaugural exhibition Microurbanism Interactions by Italian artist collective Marcella Campa and Stefano Avesani.

Initiated by Beijing-based curator Tang Zehui, Personally on the Scene is dedicated to presenting and promoting the work of foreign artists living and working in Beijing through a series of solo exhibitions and accompanied catalogues. Microurbanism Interactions, the first exhibition of the series, opens on 18 May at the Lobby Gallery of the Landgent Center in Beijing.

Marcella and Stefano first came to China in 2003 to study the urban planning of Beijing and Shanghai for their graduate projects at the Venice Architecture Institute. Fascinated by the habits of people and the beauty of the old districts of the city, they moved to Beijing in October 2005, undertaking their investigation on the rapid urbanisation in China through a variety of mediums including architecture, design, art and urban studies. This interdisciplinary background has given multiple, overlapping layers to their work. At times they are scientific and strictly controlled, but can also be surprisingly poetic and improvising. Given their training as architects, it is not surprising that they have chosen maps as a major tool for their art practice. The maps they make, however, do not serve practical functions in the general sense, but rather they are metaphors for the ever-changing urban landscape and props for their street-level urban interventions.

Featuring 9 bodies of the artists’ work, including Instant Hutong, Blinking City and 120km, Microurbanism Interactions presents a comprehensive view on Marcella and Stefano’s creative practice since they moved to China. Hosted by the Landgent Center and supported by the Instituto Italiano di Cultura and First Cause Creative, the exhibition will be on view until 15 August 2012.

Xie Dong

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:32:00 +0800

Xie Dong is a porcelain artist/designer from Beijing. She graduated from Beijing Art and Design Institute in 1988 and has since built a strong following of her bone china works. “She works essentially on phenomena such as heaviness and lightness, on the dynamics of shapes, on elusive elements. Her approach to design is that of an artist able to translate into poetry great artisanal skills linked to ancient Chinese craftsmanship”.

www.xie-dong.com

Slaying the Dragon

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:19:00 +0800

“If there is one thing that can be gleaned from the graduate shows and design fairs held each year around Europe, it is how difficult it is for a designer to break free from the influence of the 20th century. But at the inaugural Beijing Design Festival last October there was a striking difference. While many of the Chinese designers on show did indeed look to the past for inspiration, their reference points were not the likes of Eames and Sottsass, figures who dominate Western design’s recent history. Instead they looked far closer to home, reworking distinctly Chinese ideas and motifs that date from as far back as the 10th century and earlier. Philosophical schools of thought, dynastic traditions and concepts such as ‘the propriety of sitting’ were all reinterpreted in modern furniture designs”. Continue reading.

More on Gao Yiqiang

Fri, 11 May 2012 01:22:03 +0800

We stumbled upon Gao Yiqiang late last year, and were intrigued by his playful furniture and product series. Here, we talk to him about his relationship to design, current projects and how scary aesthetics really are.

How do you view your relationship with design?
 On a larger scale, I consider myself as an industrial designer where I have to take manufacture and cost into consideration. On a smaller scope, I am a product designer that is always experimenting and playing with new designs. Ultimately, good industrial and product design should inspire feelings in the user – memories and/or something that people identify and connect with. If a consumer echoes with a product, then this is successful design.

How do you feel about industrial design in China? 
There is no soil for the industry to develop here because there is very little awareness across our society. Right now, China is mainly concerned with production, but there are no regulations or systems. This is changing now, but the process is slow. It all comes down to education in the end, but this is another problem: there are more than 600 creative institutions across China, but they are very basic or close-minded. Most curriculums are too theoretical and “teach” via design from abroad (rather than by method). This imposition of a Western aesthetic may not necessarily be the best way to teach our future generations.

Tell us about some of your projects. 
I like to focus on the psychology behind a piece of design rather than aesthetics. Aesthetics are frightening! They are too subjective.

I have a few projects that focus on connectivity, for example, my Lego-like furniture. I’ve also looked into Ming-style chairs that integrate cityscapes into the backrest. I’ve made prototypes of these in plastic at the moment, but I am now looking at experimenting with wood. More recently, I developed a wardrobe inspired by the abacus, which separates clothes more easily. I am now thinking of colour coding the system. Cracking, on the other hand, is a furniture series that was inspired by cracked glaze on pottery.

My most recent project is a light that features pebbles. Moving the pebbles changes the intensity of the light. The stones are also translucent and reflect the light at different angles.

How did you develop an interest in connectivity as a concept?
 Initially, I wanted to create multi-functional products. Creating products that connect and disconnect with one another is a way to accomplish this. Secondly, this method of producing small parts is low cost and can help small factories in China to grow. I want to be more practical this way.

What does the future hold?
 I am working on an exhibition of my teacher’s works now, as well as focusing on what to sell in my store (which is located close to The Forbidden City). I am also working on apothecary-style furniture where each draw is labelled as an emotion - selling via emotion, in a sense. I have an exhibition of my own taking place in Dalian in late June and, finally, I am looking to develop more furniture.

Thanks to Lynn Zhang for translating.

Zhang Da

Thu, 10 May 2012 07:31:20 +0800

Created in 2005 by Shanghai-based designer, Zhang Da, Boundless is a brand that has received national and international acclaim for its intellectual yet relaxed approach to design. Instead of producing consistent seasonal collections, Zhang Da creates capsule collections born from ideas and concepts. He works with basic shapes such as circles and squares to form 2-dimensional cuts that flow with the body (rather than create shape around it), reflecting a Chinese sensibility towards clothing. More recently, the designer has been working at Hermes’ experimental brand, Shang Xia. Via China Fashion Collective.