Shenzhen Design Week 2018

In the Chinese city’s second annual design week, sustainability reigned alongside exploring the values and possibilities of creativity. A spotlight was also shone on Italian designers in South China.

- Juliana Loh

Returning for the second year in a row, Shenzhen Design Week took place in two key venues: Design Society and the Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning Shenzhen. The programme paid homage to classic designs, celebrated innovative ideas, and spotlighted emerging designers.

Possibilities of Design was an umbrella theme that ran across all the exhibitions at Design Society, an art centre on the habour front of Shekou designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, and Coop Himmelblau’s Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning in Futian District.

In recognition of the contributions made by Italian architects and designers living and working in South China, they were given their day in the sun. The Italian Pavilion named “From Micro to Macro” at Design Society showcased works of 13 Italian design practices based in the region, examining their ideas, concepts and products, from their inception to how they function within a larger ecosystem.

Divided into four pillars, the Italian designers’ portfolio was named “Unexpected”, “Responsive”, “Mindful” and “Interaction”. The colour red was chosen, as “it is present in both the China and Italian flag, and a different visual way to connect both countries”. “The design of the pavilion has been developed from the concept of caravanserai, inspired by the many convoys that travelled the ancient Silk Road connecting China and Italy,” shares Francesco Carota, architect and curator of the Italian Pavilion.

“Here, merchants and traders gathered around a square (or piazza if you will) to exchange, trade and share. The interaction of these travellers [have] creativity at the centre to share and exchange ideas.”