Hong Kong Design Centre Presents REFINED TOUCH: CROSSOVER BETWEEN DESIGN & CRAFT, Third DESIGN SPECTRUM Exhibition



Featuring 13 Designers from Hong Kong and Abroad ; Showcasing the Possibilities when Craftsmanship is Integrated into Everyday Design

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 11 December 2019 - Design Spectrum, the new design initiative organised by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) with  sponsorship from Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government), is showcasing Asian design philosophy in four thematic exhibitions at 7 Mallory Street, a Grade II Historic Building in Wan Chai. As we approach the halfway point of the four-part programme, for the third exhibition, Refined Touch: Crossover Between Design and Craft, different designers and artisans from Hong Kong and abroad have been invited to showcase their creations with origins in both design and craft, encouraging visitors to rethink the relationship between the two. Design Spectrum will also offer a series of workshops where design and craftsmanship enthusiasts can discover more at first hand. This year, Design Spectrum is one of the 16 anchor sites of BODW City Programme (CityProg)  to jointly promote the community creativity.



From December 2, 2019 to January 19, 2020, Hong Kong Design Centre Presents REFINED TOUCH: CROSSOVER BETWEEN DESIGN & CRAFT, Third DESIGN SPECTRUM Exhibition at 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai.


REFINED TOUCH: CROSSOVER BETWEEN DESIGN & CRAFT showcases 13 designers and design units, 30 design projects and more than 70 exhibits from around Asia including Samuel Chan, a designer at the British furniture brand Joined and Jointed, studied at the renowned London College of Furniture in the United Kingdom, and aims to bring out the potential of wood in his work.

 

A SHOWCASE OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF DESIGN WHEN IT DRAWS ON LOCAL CRAFT TRADITIONS

From December 2, 2019 to January 19, 2020, Refined Touch: Crossover Between Design and Craft, curated by cross-disciplinary design practitioner and seasoned international exhibition curator Amy Chow, showcases 13 designers and design units, 30 design projects and more than 70 exhibits from around Asia. Comments Amy: "The inheritance of craftsmanship reflects local culture. In this exhibition, most of the exhibits focus on the balance between contemporary design and local craftsmanship. This themed series of exhibitions highlights specific perspectives on materials, aesthetics, lifestyles and design concepts, and not only addresses a single art piece or mass production of design, but also discusses how craftsmanship adds to design." The exhibition presents the excellence of craftsmen and the way in which their personalities shape their work, and shows the possibilities of craftsmanship's influence on design.

 

A LINE-UP OF GLOBAL EXPERTS HIGHLIGHT THE POWER OF DESIGN

The designers and design units in the exhibition have received numerous international rewards. In addition to local Hong Kong designers, they include design practitioners from the United Kingdom, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and Korea who are experts in fields including clothing, furniture, lifestyle products, cutlery and more. Samuel Chan, a designer at the British furniture brand Joined and Jointed, studied at the renowned London College of Furniture in the United Kingdom, and aims to bring out the potential of wood in his work. Priscilla Shunmugam, the founder of Singaporean brand Ong Shunmugam, uses the cheongsam as the basis of her women's fashion collections, and is influenced by other craft traditions including Southeast Asian batik, tie-dye and Chinese brocade, etc. Other exhibitors include Taiwanese multi-disciplinary designer Chun Leung Chan, who has moved from graphic design to fashion design; Descry Taiwan-Alishan, an exhibition by I'DER Visual Image Design from Taiwan, in which the shape of the island is recreated using flowers and tea bushes; RE;CODE, which gives traditional Korean hanbok outfits a contemporary reinterpretation; OIMU, also from Korea, which is updating incense for a new generation; and hers design inc from Japan, which creates geometrically patterned furniture with strong roots in Zen Buddhism.


LOCAL CRAFTSMEN WIDEN THE DEFINITION OF DESIGN

The craftsmen in the exhibition focus on the practice of traditional skills, and how those skills can be migrated into design so that new territory can be explored. Among them are a group of local designers who incorporate both design and craft, and are helping to reinvent craftsmanship. One of them, Niko Leung, who is also an artist and product designer, has visited centuries-old ceramics factories in the Netherlands, Jingdezhen in the Mainland and Japan for internship and work. She started to investigate glass craftsmanship, which is more eco-friendly compared to ceramics, after becoming familiar with the skills of ceramics craftsmanship. Niko works in both ceramics and glass, and uses techniques from both to design and craft utensils. Other participating Hong Kong designers are Polly Ho and Andy Wong, founders of LOOM LOOP, a brand that makes clothing from tea silk; June Lau from Novel, an accessories brand that captures the beauty of butterflies using Suzhou embroidery and beads; Arto Wong, a young fashion designer who merges knitting patterns and Chinese characters; and Julie Progin and Jesse Mc Lin, Swiss and American ceramics designers who are based in Hong Kong.

 

ACTIVITIES GIVE THE PUBLIC A FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE OF DESIGN'S IMPORTANCE

To echo the theme of Refined Touch: Crossover Between Design & Craft, Design Spectrum organises various free activities in which the public can personally experience the crossover between design and craft, and also the interaction between design and everyday life. Among these activities is the Copper with You, a design workshop directed by local designer Niko Leung on December 14, in which participants can make their own exquisite labyrinths from brass pieces. Design Spectrum is also collaborating with MOViE MOViE on a public screening at 7 Mallory Street of the documentary The Last Stitch, which tells the story of a local family with three generations of tailors, featuring their travels overseas, and how their skills help to unite people in a globalised era.


Design Spectrum also offers free tours for members of the public, including an exploration of 7 Mallory Street's ground-floor gallery and third-floor exhibition hall, and an explanation of the design that feature in the exhibition, etc. Details of Refined Touch: Crossover Between Design & Craft are available in the attachments. Please visit http://www.designspectrum.hk/ for sign-up details.


Attachment 1: Event Happenings of "REFINED TOUCH: CROSSOVER BETWEEN DESIGN & CRAFT" Exhibition presented by DESIGN SPECTRUM

           

Refined Touch: Crossover Between Design & Craft

Date

From now till 19 Jan 2020

Time

10am - 7pm (Monday to Sunday)

Location

3/F, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai

 

Free Admission


Crafting with Brass Design Workshop

Date

14 DecemberSaturday

Time

10:30am-1pm

Location

3/F Exhibition Space, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai

 

Online Registration, Free of Charge

 

IDK Design Thinking Workshop: Designing Lifestyle Experiences through Play

Date

21 December

Time

10am-1pm

Location

3/F Exhibition Space, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai

 

Online Registration, Free of Charge

 

Screening : The Last Stitch

Date

10 January 2020

Time

7pm-9pm

Location

Public Open Space, G/F, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai

 

Online Registration, Free of Charge


Embroidery Bird Workshop for Parents & Kids

Date

5 January 2020

Time

10:30am - 12:30pm

Location

3/F Exhibition Space, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai

 

Online Registration, Free of Charge


Design Showcase by Local Design Power!

Time

10am -- 7pm (Monday to Sunday)

Location

Shop 7, G/F, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai

 

Free Admission


Public Guided Tour

Date

15 December(Sunday)

28 December(Saturday)

11 January 2020(Saturday)

18 January 2020(Saturday)

Time

12nn -12:45pm

Location

G/F, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai

 

Online Registration, Free of Charge

 

For more information, please visithttps://www.designspectrum.hk/


Attachment 2: About participating designers


 

Daily Essentials

 1 

Designer/ Brand : Chiaki Murata @ hers design inc.

Region:Japan

 

Designed for hustle-free living   Simple yet sophisticated

 

Established by Chiaki Murata in 1989 in Osaka, Japan involving in the fields of graphic design and diversified product design, the brand collaborated with METHAPHYS, a design consortium brand, in 2005 to fusion design image and share vision with each other. The Behaviour Design practiced by Chiaki Murata originates from the nature of an "Object". Reiterating the needs of the end users, the project features various collaborations with traditional craftsmen, such as the art of making tin and cast iron ware.

 

gekkaa drinkware set made of tin which is said to absorb impurities in water and make liquors mellower while acting as a powerful thermal conductor.

suiualso made of tin and featuring a playful design. When taking away its lid, the container is a drinkware of itself, and the lid could be used as a small serving dish. When stacked, it looks like the Japanese celebratory kagami mochi.

quoloa collaboration with Matsuda Yasu Ironworks Inc., this cast iron incense burner is particularly good as an ash guard.

saenanother collaboration with Matsuda Yasu Ironworks Inc., this chakoro features a heat-insulating base part and is safe to move around when in use.

2

Designer/ Brand : I'DER Visual Image Design

Region:Taiwan

 

Observe the ever-changing "Taiwan" design plan


This ambitious design project brings together the tea leaves produced by Mountain Ali Tea No. 35, the paintings by Apex Lin and the brand design by Izen Tu. The exhibition "Descry Taiwan-Alishan" is curated at the renowned Taiwan tourist spot, Alishan. Taking place in a hidden mountain forest, the exhibition merges Taiwan tea industry into the art through a form of cross-field combination, which brings tourists the scenic view and the beauty of both craftsmanship.

 

The images of Taiwan islands are taken as the subject of the artwork. Apex Lin transformed various plants into the outline of Taiwan. The most outstanding feature of the show is the use of three colours as the creative elements, namely green, yellow and red. The green colour symbolises the forest of Alishan, while the yellow colour and the red colour represent the sunrise and the sunset respectively. These elements are practically applied to the Alishan gift packaging and introduce a viewing perspective by the crossover of Taiwanese art and Alishan. It also unites artists, designers and business operators, and enhances their cooperation. Part of the exhibits is shown this time.

3

Designer/ Brand: Samuel Chan @Joined and Jointed

Region: The United Kingdom

 

Streamlining the details,  a complete return to the utmost of refined wood application

 

Hong Kong-born Samuel moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 13. His hand-made furniture is well-known and highly acclaimed in the industry. His client list includes the world-renowned singer Eric Clapton and the late founder of the British fashion brand, Joseph, among others. Famous for its clean line feature, his work demonstrates innovation, uniqueness and attention to the details, free of unnecessary parts. With the wise use of solid wood veneer, a fresh visual look is created. The designer adapts traditional woodworking techniques in the world of contemporary furniture design with a touch of unpretentious Oriental style. Refusing to go with the flow, he created a timeless style. 'I hope my design would not only last for one generation but also pass through generations,' said the designer.

4

Designer/ Brand: Julie & Jesse

Region: Hong Kong

 

When the Western humour meets spotless white porcelain


Jesse Mc Lin was born in California, USA, and Julie Progin is a Hong Kong-born Swiss. They are both husband and wife and work partners. The couple focuses on porcelain dinnerware and housewares, at the same time getting involved in graphic design and woodwork.

                                                         

Their creative career kicked off in Hong Kong. They bring the traditional craftsmanship to the contemporary world and create simple yet interesting designs by integrating modern elements. Famed for emphasising the collaboration with traditional artisans, the duo also create some cutting-edge designs by leveraging advanced technologies and materials. Their latest series Without Leaving Your Room is exhibited this time. 

 

 

5

Designer/ Brand: Niko Leung

Region: Hong Kong

 

Explore the world  Venture into the possibilities of ceramics and glass art

 

The Hong Kong-born designer graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven in Holland. Working as an artist and a secondary school teacher, the designer has practiced internship in Jingdezhen, the Mainland.  Following her graduation, she worked for a period of time at Holland's most established ceramics manufacturing factory Royal Ticheiaar Makkum. She also gained a lot when visiting the 150-year-old Kouraku Kiln in Japan as a resident artist. Her design focuses on craftsmanship and narratives. After graduation, she began to appreciate practicality, from her daily housework and cooking, while currently she tries to combine aesthetics, craftwork and culture with the scenic views she appreciates and develops design education programme.

 

Last year, she visited Taiwan to explore new materials. After that, she designed a series of glass arts through a collaboration with Spring Pool Glass. Furthermore, during her internship in Jingdezhen, she was astonished by the massive waste produced from the large-scale productions. A considerable amount of defectives were thrown away every day which made her realise the enormous consumption of resources during ceramics creation. It stopped her, the ceramics lover, from going into a ceramics studio for an entire year. However, this experience has also added the concept of environmental protection and nature connection to her creation afterwards.

6

Designer/ Brand: :Shin So Hyun & Jeon Min Seonge @ OIMU

Region : South Korea

 

New packaging rekindle the diminishing matchbox industry and light up your life

 

OIMU was founded by a couple, Shin So Hyun and Jean Min Seonge. The brand name, OIMU, means One Day I Met You. During the decline of the matchbox usage in Korea, the two vintage lovers are committed to the matchbox industry with a sense of mission, and they turned the dull match heads into a vivid kaleidoscope of colours while playing around with the shape design for the matchbox.  A sense of luxury comes with a quote written on a parchment paper found in the little match box. The graphic design is exquisite, eye-catching yet subtle. With an addition of promotional images filled with cultural ambiance to the matchboxes, people's love for vintage matchbox collection is instantly rekindled.

 

To extend the matchbox design, the couple started the Air Project which is another collaboration with an incense workshop to design incense stick collection, bringing natural aroma to daily life. Fully handmade by artisans, the collection features elegant simplicity. With reference to the traditional design of incense burners from the Three Kingdom period of Korea, the newly designed incense burner that features four short feet and rounded fine lines is a perfect match for the modern interior design.

7

Designer/ Brand: Upsetters Inc.

Region: Japan

 

Reviving Tobe ware of Ehime by the new generation

 

This project is led by Shuzo Okabe, the creative director and architect of Upsetters Inc. Born and raised in Ehime, Okabe was invited to initiate the project "Shiro Ao". The Tobe ware from Ehime prefecture has a history of 230 years, making use of the local raw materials. The beauty of Tobe ware comes from its white porcelain with slight thickness and the hand painting with indigo colour. Okabe not only studies the history and development of Tobe ware, but also studies the importance of the development project and its connection to the generations, in order to carry out continuous experiments on the adaptation of various sizes and shapes on different dinnerwares. "Shiro Ao" continues to gain support from new designers and keep injecting new craftwork and design elements into the traditional foundation, extending the centuries-old craftsmanship and heritage.


 

Fashion Design

8

Designer/ Brand: Arto Wong

Region: Hong Kong

 

New interpretation of knit design

 

Knitting is the iconic technique in the glorious era of Hong Kong's textile industry. With the rise of fast fashion, the amount of knitted fashion dropped significantly while the amount of produced garments increases rapidly, leading to a huge waste problem. Majored in knitting design, Arto Wong looks to reverse the trend and designed a series of knitting fashion demonstrating a balance of design and texture, bringing an eye-opening experience to the public.

 

Trained in a knitting machine manufacturer in Japan, Arto masters the practical knowledge of automated knitting with a better understanding of the knitting techniques and concept. She created a series of knitted fabrics with a theme Chinese poetry under  the"Word You See" series. The porcelain-like pattern is a combination of words and colours with great sense of time, thinking out of the box.

9

Designer/ Brand: Polly & Andy @ Creatique Studio Limited

Region:Hong Kong

 

Reborn of Canton gauze and knots

 

Gambiered Canton gauze is a traditional Guangdong handicraft and a unique fabric found in the southern China. Polly & Andy puts this fabric to the centre stage and created a themed collection that blends both trends and tradition with other materials and knitting methods. The collection presents traditional Chinese stories, such as Concrete Jungle featuring Chinese tiger, and Mang Zhong featuring an auspicious cat, giving the Canton gauze a new life and a contemporary twist.

 

Chinese knotting deserves an irreplaceable position in the fashion industry in China. Either known as cheongsam or qipao, they cannot be regarded as completed pieces without the Chinese knots. Inspired by the art of Chinese knots, Polly & Andy created the patterns featuring the delicate knotting and made a collection named KNOT, breaking the conventional concept for knots and putting spotlight on the intricate craftsmanship.

10

Designer/ Brand::JUNE LAU @  Novel Fineries  ltd
Region:Hong Kong

 

Passion turns Suzhou embroidery and Indian beading into a masterpiece

 

June Kimberly Lau, the founder and designer of Novel Fineries, presents Pocket Art and Gorget collection in the exhibition. She paid a visit to Suzhou in search of the local embroidery artisans for the butterfly patterned pocket square of Pocket Art collection. The beaded shawl from Gorget collection is a tribute paid to the heritage of Indian hand beading. Lau values authentic expressions and the traditional craftsmanship, while falling for the affection on the craft and its heritage. She incorporates the traditions into new media and daily lives, making unique and ready-to-wear accessories. Apart from Suzhou and India, Lau explored Kyoto and Kenya for local handicrafts, in a hope of more startling collaboration with artisans.

11

Designer/ Brand::Priscilla Shunmugam @  Ong Shunmugam

Region:Singapore

 

Oriental beauty presented in dyed textiles by a Singapore designer

 

The Indian Chinese designer, Priscilla Shunmugam was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Currently living in Singapore, Shunmugam established her own brand, Ong Shunmugam with an ambition to level up the status of Asian traditional costumes and in a hope of pushing haute couture fashion to a world beyond Europe and the US.

 

Shunmugam always incorporates South East Asian textiles into her Oriental design style, such as Java batik, Bali batik, Cambodian tie-dye and Chinese tapestry, as an action to show the importance of the declining and nearly lost craftsmanship on fabric dye in the fashion world. By validating the craftsmanship of various countries, she hopes it will bring the arts to the international stage and enhance Asians' sense of belonging.

12

Designer/ Brand: RE;CODE

Region: South Korea

 

A balance between fashion industry and the nature

 

As the fast fashion industry emerges, customers seek trends instead of fashion quality. That's why more and more clothes and fabrics end up in landfills. In order to cut the amount of off-season clothes and excessive fabrics, RE;CODE, an up-cycling brand under KOLON Industries FnC from Seoul, Korea makes good use of those unwanted materials to produce a collection of stunning recycle fashion design that makes people rethink the meaning of fashion.

 

RE;CODE values quality. Each piece is meticulously sourced and processed. Despite its limited quantity, each piece is unique. Those pieces chosen for the exhibition are something different from the typical Korean fashion. They are subtle in colour and design, showing details and complexity through a patchwork of fabrics and materials. Unique, sustainable and stylish.

13

Designer/ Brand: Chan Chun Leung @  SILZENCE style Ltd.

Region:Taiwan

 

A revolution of Tang costume

 

When it comes to men collection, you might think of tees, jeans, football jerseys and suits. Yet, don't forget Tang costume which has a long history despite the fact that it is gradually forgotten by the times. Wearing Tang costume might make you stand out of a crowd in the Western culture trends, which might discourage young men from doing it. Chan Chun Leung, famed as oriental design master, introduces Chinese culture as a backbone of his design, bringing ancient oriental charm to the world. Believing Tang costume is more suitable to the Asians, Chen creates the collection "SILZENCE men" to extend the history of Tang costume.

Selected pieces of SILZENCE men showed at the exhibition are specially designed for the Asian builds. Following the traditional tailoring techniques for making Tang costume, the design features low shoulder line, mandarin collar and buttonless edge, creating clean lines and a sleek silhouette for the masculine charm of mature men.





The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Design Spectrum
About Design Spectrum

Design Spectrum is a new initiative organized 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 Greater Bay Area, ASEAN cities and overseas, and contributes towards creative and cultural tourism.

For more information, please visit the website at http://www.designspectrum.hk .


About Amy Chow

Amy Chow is an interdisciplinary design expert and connoisseur with achievements in multiple roles. Trained in multiple creative hubs like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Rome, Amy joined The Hong Kong Design Centre as Design and Project Director (2005-2012), overseeing the DFA Awards, research, professional training workshops and exhibitions. Over the last decade, she has spearheaded numerous critically acclaimed design exhibitions to the local and international audience, including Creative Hong Kong: Project 9707 (2007) which was seen in Vancouver, Milan, London, New York and Seoul, the six-month-long Creative Ecologies of Hong Kong: Business Living Creativity (2010) at the Shanghai World Expo, Creative Ecologies+ (2012) at The Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Imminent Domain: Designing the life of tomorrow (2013), at Asia Society Hong Kong Center and Confluence 20+ (2017), a monumental roving exhibition series which has travelled to Milan, Hong Kong, Seoul and Chicago. As an intellectual and academician, she has lectured in many design institutions and coordinated academic programs.


About 7 Mallory Street

Established in July 2013, 7 Mallory Street is a preservation-revitalisation project of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), comprising a cluster of 10 pre-war Grade II historic buildings built in the 1910s. After refurbishment by the URA, prominent features of the project such as cantilevered balconies, tiled pitched roofs, timber French doors and internal timber staircases are retained and preserved. 7 Mallory Street also serves as a multi-functional community space for various community, cultural, art and design programmes to take place.

For more information, please visit the website at .


About Design Centre

Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) is a non-governmental organisation and was founded in 2001 as a strategic partner of the HKSAR Government in establishing Hong Kong as an international centre of design excellence in Asia. Our public mission is to promote wider and strategic use of design and design thinking to create business value and improve societal well-being, with the aim of advancing Hong Kong as an international design centre in Greater Bay Area and in Asia.

For more information, please visit the website at: www.hkdesigncentre.org .


About Create Hong Kong

Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) is a dedicated agency set up by the HKSAR Government in June 2009. It is under the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and dedicated to spearheading the development of creative industries in Hong Kong. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community. CreateHK sponsors HKDC to organise various projects to promote Hong Kong design. CreateHK's website: www.createhk.gov.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.

SOURCE:

Hong Kong Design Centre

CATEGORY:

Art & Culture

PUBLISHED ON:

11 Dec 2019

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