A column covered by plastic forks & knives at the Singapore design festival
Usually the three months before New year is a busy time for people working in the design fields because there are numerous design festivals across the globe in different major cities. I am not sure why all of them are squeezed into the 3-month period, because it is hard to pick and choose which one to visit/ attend. This year, I was able to visit four within 3 months and personally I think London's was not only the largest but the most well-sponsored and organised of the four. All the major designers and architects were in town, with tonnes of activities, exhibitions and lectures, I would say it was also the most 'matured' and 'glamourous'. I did feel a bit 'over-designed' after all the festivals, but it also allowed me to distinguish and recognise good designs when I see them.
Unfortunately in Singapore and Hong Kong, there were not so many young designers/ new designs that really stood out. I feel that young designers there are not ambitious enough and are still stuck designing 'decorative' everyday objects that have very little impact on our lives. I got bored of seeing fun mousepads, fancy placemats and candle holders, I think we already have enough of these items in the market, do we really need another pretty vase? However, in terms of the overall festival standard, Singapore was far more organised and enthusiastic, whereas Hong Kong was disorganised and a bit wishy-washy.
The themes that dominated almost all the design festivals were: 'eco-friendly', 'sustainability' and 'craftsmanship'. From what I have learnt, the design world is now entering a new stage, and the throw-away culture/ way of consumerism will soon be a thing of the past (Can't wait!). With the economical situation in the US and Western Europe, people are already changing their buying habits and way of living. I see this as the 'detox' or cleansing period, and hopefully all the changes will enable new ideas and opportunities to emerge very soon.
LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL (Sept)
The 9-day festival was jam-packed with exhibitions, talks, workshops and seminars, but perhaps it was too packed... I was exhausted after running around town for days and got sick afterwards... Perhaps my body just couldn't cope with the 'over-designed' brain!
100% Design London, Earls Court
I have been to at least three 100% design London and I have to say that this year's event was the most commercial and disappointing. Perhaps it had something to do with brand consultancy, JAM, taking over from Tom Dixon as the Creative designer(s)? I still remember the excitment I felt a few years back when I first attended the event, it was fresh, creative, inspiring and I could spend hours wandering... this year, I was bored after about 45 mins and I left just over an hour. Sadly, the most interesting part for me was the bicycle hall, the rest was either commercial and simply uninspiring!
FT Business of design seminars, Victoria & Albert Museum
I attended four out of five morning design seminars at the V & A and they were all excellent with interesting topics and well-known speakers/ designers like Tom Dixon, Jaime Hayon and the CEO of Liberty. The seminars explored different issues and trends of the design market, which I thought was insightful and informative, they were the highlights of the festival.
Other interesting events included a talk by the founders of Innocent on how they use creativity and design to relate to their customers; a talk on how craft and design thrive in recession at the British Library as well as free Greengaged events (including lunch & beverages) at Design Council.
TOKYO DESIGN WEEK (Oct-Nov)
Like London, many events were held in different parts of Tokyo within 10 days, but all the main ones took place in Aoyama and Midtown/ Roppongi district. Since Tokyo is already a Mecca to designers, it is probably not crucial to come during design week to experience what this city has to offer. However, it is interesting to see how the Japanese embrace designs and observe their reactions/ excitement at these design events. The Japanese love 'new' things but at the same time, they also appreciate 'old or traditional' things, so they are constantly creating something new by reinventing the past. For me, one of the most memorable event was the 'Design touch' exhibition where they showcased many inspiring and wonderful designs like the Aquaduct water purify bike (see photo below) by the design firm, Ideo.Another was Naoto Fukasawa's exhibition at 21_21 design sight museum, where design, art and photography all merged into one.
100% design, Aoyama
I had high expectations for this show, but was slightly disappointed. First of all, it was a lot smaller than the London one, and like the London one, many participants' products in the main hall were quite commercial. Most of the interesting work were outdoor and were produced by design students from different universities on sustainable designs.
Snoopy in Chanel!!
Design Touch, Midtown
This design event's aim was to promote "enjoyment of design through the five senses", and this year's theme was "realizing dreams through design". The Ideo design exhibition was a highlight for me...
DesignTide, Midtown
The DesignTide trade show not only exhibited Japanese products but also designs from all over the world by new and some more established designers. The rooms were filled with hanging 'clouds' made of cotton, which was quite fun... the standards varied but it was overall a visually stimulating experience.
SINGAPORE DESIGN FESTIVAL (Nov)
Just like the city itself, the Singapore design festival was very well-organised and the official website was informative and user-friendly (esp. for foreigners). There were many interesting exhibitions, talks and events around town and I was pleasantly surprised by the organiser's effort, which demonstrated the 'seriousness' of this festival. Although I wasn't struck by many major talents, I was impressed by their enthusiasm and devotion. A very good effort indeed.
The Design Gap – How Asian Brands Lose Out, free talk by brand consultant, Jorg Dietzel at Singapore Management University
This was an interesting talk on how Asian brands struggle to find their own identities and create global branding that appeals to a wider audience. Apart from Japan and Korea, it does seem odd that other Asian countries are unable to create global brands that appeal to the Western audience. Will this change in the coming years? We will have to wait and see.
Icsid World Design Congress Exhibition & Portfolio Show for Young Designers, Suntec City
A large exhibition where young local and foreign designers gathered to showcase their work. Interesting enough but nothing really ground-breaking.
Various exhibitions at City Hall
This was much more interesting than the conference room at Suntec hall, both in terms of venue and work. Designers were given their own rooms within the building and each had different themes and topics. 'V for vases' was one of the memorable ones where designers had to interpret/ re-invent the meaning of vases (see below).
Red Dot design awards, Red Dot Museum
I was surprised by the overall standard of the museums in Singapore but was particularly fond of the Red Dot Museum in Chinatown. The red building itself is unmissable but I think the organisers had done a great job in terms of utilising the space. It felt airy, contemporary and relaxing. The work exhibited were award-winning designs from the Red Dot design competitions. Definitely worth the trip!
HONG KONG: Business of design week (Dec)
Hong Kong was the last stop of my design festival tour in 2009, and my feelings were mixed towards this 2-week design festival. Reason 1: Unlike other cities, Hong Kong named its design week as 'Business of...', so the emphasis was more on the buiness side and charging $2,800 for a 3-day pass for the forums! Reason 2: 'Detour' delivered on concept but not on execution. Reason 3: Poorly organised with misprints in brochure and clueless telephone operators...
This was my experience: I followed the official detour guide and traveled to HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity to see an exhibition on Young Design Talent from Taiwan and Hong Kong. But to my surprise, the staff there said they had never even heard of the exhbition! I showed them the guide and one of the staff told me that it was probably a misprint and asked me to call the organizers (Hong Kong Design Centre). I called and spoke to an officer who was rude, clueless and told me the exhibition had already finished?! (I actually arrived on the 1st day of this 'mysterious' exhibition) The staff at the school were as bemused as I was, the whole experience just left me very peeved off... How could they get it so wrong?!
Detour, Hollywood Road
Back in Central, the Former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road was used as a base for many young designers to showcase their work, which I thought was a good idea. The bamboo scaffolding designed by William Lim was also very unusual and eye-catching. However, the 'beach' in the middle was quite pointless and the overall layout and intallations inside looked unplanned, rushed and very student-like. Like City hall in Singapore, designers were given individual rooms to exhibit their work. I think they could have done something a lot more exciting... but instead it all reminded me of some 1st year art/ design students' show!
HKTDC Inno design tech expo, Hong Kong convention and exhibition centre
A large trade show with designs/ products from all over the world. The Inspiration hall was the more interesting one and I particularly liked the packaging designs for Kanpyo udon by Japanese designer, Nosigner... kawaii-ne?
DesignEx 09: Young Design Talent from Mainland China, InnoCentre
I have to admit I was quite pleasantly surprised by the standards of young designers in China showcased here, particularly on graphic design. A lot of the designers explored their identities and created something unique, without looking tacky or over-Westernised. Although the design market is still very immature in China, but I can see the potential and I think these designers showed more creativity than many Hong Kong designers. I don't want to put Hong Kong designers down, but many of them seem to have some identity issues, they don't see the bigger picture and are stuck doing gimmicky designs that only cater for the local market. I blame it on laziness... i.e. if one idea sells, everyone will follow or do variations until the next idea appears, then everyone will switch and follow again...
Fa Pai (flower plaque) heritage - local craft aesthetics, Gallery @ HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity
Although I didn't get to see the exhibition I intended to visit, I visited this small exhibition on the traditional flower plaque craft which was quite fascinating. There were also some great photos on cage homes exhibited at the entrance...
