The First Campaign of Hong Kong Design Centre at 7 Mallory Street

DESIGN SPECTRUM: A New Design Initiative

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• Debut Thematic Exhibition Features Nearly 100 Design Objects
  Made of Bamboo, Paper and Wood
• Internationally Renowned Local Architect William Lim
  Designs Unique Flower Plaque Installation to Honour Hong Kong’s Cultural
  Heritage

HONG
KONG, CHINA –
Media OutReach - July
24, 2019 –
Since
its establishment in 2001, the Hong Kong Design Centre has been the key
driving force in establishing Hong Kong as a centre of design excellence in
Asia, promoting the use of design and innovation to drive value creation and
improve the well-being of society while connecting Hong Kong innovative designs
with the rest of the world. To further its mission, the Hong Kong Design Centre
partners with the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), with the sponsorship from
Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR Government), to inaugurate the large-scale
design campaign Design Spectrum at 7 Mallory Street, URA’s first
preservation-revitalisation project comprising a cluster of 10 pre-war Grade II
historic buildings built in the 1910s.

Revolving around the theme of Asian design philosophy,
Design Spectrum features a series of year-round exhibitions, workshops and
seminars to showcase Asian arts and crafts, design and aesthetics while
exploring how these elements are integrated into people’s daily lives, and how
design culture contributes to the community and cultural tourism.

Four thematic exhibitions connecting design, culture and
lifestyle to showcase Asian design and aesthetics

Curated by Amy Chow, a world-renowned interdisciplinary
design expert, Design Spectrum will roll out a series of exhibitions with four
unique themes, namely materials, reading, lifestyles and creative industries.
The debut exhibition entitled Material Modernity: Incredible Bamboo, Paper
& Wood looks at the visual culture and language of Asian design through
material innovation. This will be followed by the second exhibition that guides
design enthusiasts through the rich and fine details of design by reinventing
reading space and reading culture. The third exhibition of the series explores
the role of design in connecting humans with life community. The exhibition
series will be concluded with a showcase of the implementation of design that
leads to the development of cultural and creative industries and promotion of
Asian design.

Material Modernity: More
than 90 exhibits that demonstrate the happy marriage between traditional
materials and innovative designs

The debut exhibition Material Modernity: Incredible Bamboo,
Paper & Wood, which runs from July 19 to September 8, 2019, looks into
the visual culture and language of Asian design through material innovation.
Bamboo might not be the finest raw material but its abundant use across Asian
countries have been giving inspirations to generations of designers and
architects as well as artists and craftsmen. Wood adds warmth and vitality and
paper brings friendliness and charm. The exhibition explains how Asian
designers have been making great use of these materials to appeal to and
innovate traditional sensibilities.

The debut exhibition
Material Modernity: Incredible Bamboo, Paper & Wood looks into the visual
culture and language of Asian design through material innovation.

The exhibition features more than 90 award-winning
designs by designers from across Asia, including Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, The
Mainland, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Design enthusiasts will
enjoy a design extravaganza that travels through the similarities and
differences among different cultures while experiencing the individuality and
cultural identities embodied in designers’ creations.

A unique art installation by renowned architect William
Lim to be unveiled alongside authentic Hong Kong designs by young designers

Design
Spectrum is honoured to feature a unique art installation by the
internationally renowned architect, spatial designer and artist William Lim. An
award-winning local architect and the recipient of 2017 Chinese Design of the
Year, Lim utilises bamboo to build an artistic flower plaque installation,
created especially for this campaign. Lim stated that bamboo is a versatile and
environmental-friendly material, which is widely used in Hong Kong’s
construction industry and bamboo is arguably the most symbolic material that
can represent Hong Kong.   Flower plaque,
on the other hand, is another important cultural symbol of the city. Hence, the
commission work “The Flower Plaque” is a key fixture of the local traditional
celebratory and festive events. Commissioned by Design Spectrum, Lim skillfully
unites bamboo and flower plaque together by creating an inviting flower plaque
installation with bamboo, paying tribute to the art of bamboo scaffolding and
Hong Kong cultural heritage.

Internationally
Renowned Local Architect William Lim Designs Unique Flower Plaque Installation
to Honour Hong Kong’s Cultural Heritage

Innovative
designs from homegrown young designers will be also displayed in the Design
Showcase of Design Spectrum. Featured in the showcase are Aries Sin, founder of
fashion brand MODEMENT, the recipient of the bronze award of “Design for Asia
Award 2013”; candle and fragrance studio BeCandle founder Xavier Tsang, winner
of the DFA Young Design Talent Special Mention Award 2013; and jewellery brand
AOGP founder Maggie Tse, who was named one of the “Next Generation of Design
Talent–40 under 40” by Perspective Magazine in 2014.

Workshops by top designers to invigorate Hong Kong design

Design Spectrum will also
offer a series of workshops and seminars to design enthusiasts and industry
practitioners. Homegrown design talents Aries Sin, Xavier Tsang and Maggie Tse
will be taking participants on a creative trip to create the Wan Chai flavour
in Design Lifestyle Workshop, which is truly interactive and dynamic. Creating
a platform for exchange among industry practitioners and those who aspire to
join the design industry is another mission of Design Spectrum. “Designer
Sharing: Material Modernity” will be co-hosted by Zhang Lei, founder of the
Hangzhou-based studio Pinwu, and renowned Hong Kong designer Freeman Lau. The
two design heavyweights will respond to the exhibition Material Modernity while
sharing their design stories about raw materials bamboo, wood and paper,
dissecting the secrets behind developing design objects into a sustainable
industry. Moreover, “IDK Design Thinking Workshop: Materials Inspired by
Nature” will be offering design solutions in the style of collaborative creation,
allowing participants to discover the possibilities of various raw materials.

Design Spectrum will offer
free guided tours to visitors. The tour will take visitors through the
exhibitions on the ground floor exhibition gallery and 3/F gallery while
explaining the ideas and stories behind the designs. Details of the exhibition
and activities can be found in the Attachment, while registration details of
the workshops, seminars and guided tours are available on project website at www.designspectrum.hk.

Attachment 1: Details of
DESIGN SPECTRUM Exhibition & Activities

Material
Modernity: Incredible Bamboo, Paper & Wood Exhibition

Date ?	19 July 2019 — 8 September 2019
Time ?	10am to 8pm
Location ?	Rm 301, 303, 305, 307, 3/F, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai
	Free Admission

The
Flower Plaque x William Lim

Date ?	19 July 2019 — 27 July 2019
Time ?	10am to 10pm
Location ?	Public Open Space, G/F, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai
	Free Admission

 

Design
Showcase by Local Design Power!

Date ?	19 July 2019 — 15 November 2019
Time ?	10am to 8pm
Location ?	Shop 7, G/F, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai
	Free Admission

 

 

  

IDK
Design Thinking Workshop: Materials Inspired by Nature

Date ?	10 August 2019	Quota ? 20
Time ?	2:30pm — 5:30pm	Language ? Cantonese
Location ?	Exhibition Area, 3/F, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai	Online Registration, Free of Charge

 

Design Lifestyle Workshop

Date ?	24 August 2019	Quota ? 25
Time ?	2:30pm — 4:30pm	Language ? Cantonese
Location ?	Exhibition Area, 3/F, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai	Online Registration, Free of Charge

For
more information, please visit https://www.designspectrum.hk/.

Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does
not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or
recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the
project team) are those of the project organizers only and do not reflect the
views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the
Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development
Bureau, CreateHK, the CreateSmartInitiative Secretariat or the
CreateSmartInitiative Vetting Committee.