Good Designs Never Age

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HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 20 May 2021 - The term "Hau Sang" (young) in Cantonese is commonly used to address young people with another meaning of "rebirth". With good designs, we can always stay youthful even after we have entered the second half of our life. From the interplay of these concepts, Design Spectrum, which is launched by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) and sponsored by Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, presents a design exhibition themed "Brand New Youth" at 7 Mallory Street from 13 May to 18 July.

The exhibition consists of five zones, providing innovative, innocent and interactive platforms to let visitors pay tribute to their future selves through experiencing the lives of the elderly: visitors can empathise with their daily challenges through specially designed tools and appreciate the many excellent designs made for them. The exhibition also features stories behind the craftsmanship of classics and a commissioned work "Beat of table & stool", as well as docent tour services by retired elderly and kid duos, themed workshops and a sharing session to promote inter-generational harmony, wisdom and energy that can be regained through "Brand New Youth".

"Brand New Youth" Exhibition: A design testing ground for cross-generational integration

The "Brand New Youth" Exhibition is curated by OHMYKIDS and co-curated by Littleurbanmountain Design. Its narrative is presented in a progressive approach, as the curators believe growing old is definitely not a mundane process; and good designs can freeze time and overturn the society's stereotypes of the elderly. People of all ages can benefit from this educational and interactive exhibition: young visitors at the exhibition can draw inspirations from the experiences of the silver-haired, while senior citizens can find resonance by revisiting the many classic designs of their age. Designed by Littleurbanmountain Design, the exhibition is specially equipped with round-shaped display installations of varying sizes to enhance accessibility and convenience of visitors. Also, sufficient lighting and large, legible description texts are provided to facilitate reading of the panels for enjoyment.

Five major zones: Go on an inspirational journey through "Brand New Youth" designs

Zone 1: Experience before getting old

The curators believe that design should be people-centred, and all good designs are certainly driven by empathy. Young visitors and children can put on elderly experience simulation suits designed by Eldpathy and use the interactive tools jointly created by Enable Foundation x Pascal Anson to 'feel' the day-to-day mobility challenges of seniors.

Zone 2: The story of us and design

This zone presents the design stories of 10 silver-haired seniors compiled by CR2 903 radio host Amber Au, including the owners of the century-old woodworking store Sze Cheung, 100-year-old umbrella factory Leung So Kee, Woo Ping Optical, ceramic factory Castle Peak Dragon Kiln, Yiu Wah Plastic Film Advertising Company which produces signboards in a font called "Lee Hon Kong Kai", Oi Mee Chee Fashion, Yau Yin Tong Chop Engravery, Luen Shing Foundry, PAPA Shoes and Hang Yue Jadeware. These owners have all come across many good designs that had an impact on their lives and were subsequently inspired to create more exceptional products. Visitors can come and savour these design stories celebrating the time and efforts they put into cultivating these iconic brands.

Zone 3: Evergreen Showroom

Visitors can wander through the two classic scenes of stores and cinemas from the good old days, which accompanied many Hong Kong people as they grew up. They can witness the rebirth of an old cinema palace as the wrecking crew rebuilds the masterpiece to its modern elegance with Paul Shepherd (HKBU, Academy of Film)'s film documentary and also revisit many well-known and evergreen designs that are still in use today: Red A egg lamps, mosaic tiles, Vitasoy milk warming cabinets, weighing scales and weighing cards, cinema seats, handbills and so on. All of these represent a formidable collection of folk wisdom spanning an epoch.

Zone 4: Guess What

In the interactive game area set up with three large, unique roller-shaped installations, visitors can participate in a Q&A interaction and listen to the stories behind several classic and innovative designs guided by the voice of seniors and children.

Zone 5: Design for Future Us

Many impressive designs tailor-made for the elderly have been launched through the years. The exhibition will showcase more than 30 pieces of contemporary, forward-thinking designs and products exclusively curated for the elderly sourced from Hong Kong and around the world from four major aspects - namely apparel, food, living and transportation - to demonstrate the ability to combine empathy and professional skills in designing thoughtful products for bettering the elderly's standard of living. Among them, the WHILL Model Ci electric wheelchair from Culture Homes, which won the Gold Award of the DFA Design for Asia Awards 2018, will be unveiled for the first time at an exhibition hosted by HKDC in Hong Kong.

Commissioned work "Beat of table & stool": Concerts amid the City's Hustle and Bustle

From 13 May to 30 May, the commissioned work "Beat of table & stool" created by Ng Ka- chun@MUDWORK will be displayed on the G/F public open space at 7 Mallory Street. Light and flexible in design, the cheap yet practical folding tables and stools can be seen anywhere around Hong Kong like at home or in street food stores, representing a classic and humble example of folk wisdom. These popular old-style folding tables and stools have been transformed into a series of musical instruments after re-design and remodification. Visitors are welcome to join in the fun and express their musical talents by slapping the musical instruments with their hands to fill the venue with powerful sounds. During the exhibition, Haw Par Music String Orchestra & Haw Par Music Jazz, Four Gig Heads Percussion Group (Angus Fu and Musicians) & Music therapist Carol Cheung, and the Hong Kong Youth Percussion of HKFYG will stage professional concerts using the stunning pieces.

Free docent tours, workshops and sharing session: Experience "Brand New Youth"

During the exhibition, Design Spectrum will be organising 10 free guided tours, a range of workshops and a sharing session for people of all ages. Led by Walk In Hong Kong, retired seniors and children who have undergone professional training will act as docents to guide visitors around the five major zones. Free workshops include the Parent-Child Cheongsam/Qipao-style Bib Workshop hosted by Rhys; an IDK Design Thinking Workshop: "A Tale of Two Generations" Interactive Theatre led by Eldpathy; "This is not a stool" Workshop where the instructor Ng Ka-chun@MUDWORK will demonstrate how to play the musical instruments modified from Hong Kong-style folding stools. Besides, a number of designers and start-ups serving the elderly will also be invited to the "Future Us" Sharing Session to divulge their experiences and introduce their unique designs for the "Brand New Youth".

More information about the "Brand New Youth" Exhibition and various activities are set out in the attachment. For more details and to pre-register, please visit www.designspectrum.hk.

About Design Spectrum

Design Spectrum is a new initiative organised by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) and sponsored by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) to foster a good design culture in the community. Located in a revitalised cluster of Grade 2 historic buildings at 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai, Design Spectrum features year-round exhibitions, exchanges, design appreciation and other promotion programmes to cultivate a creative atmosphere, while nurturing local creative capital. It serves as a unique public face for HKDC to strengthen linkages with the community and partners locally, in other cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, ASEAN cities and overseas, and contributes towards creative and cultural tourism. (Website: http://www.designspectrum.hk)

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