Leading the Way in Design Innovation at Hong Kong's Premier Annual Event
HONG KONG, July 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Knowledge of
Design Week (KODW) 2024, organized by Hong Kong Design Center
(HKDC), has concluded after 30 forums, 7 workshops, 5 masterclasses
and a series of meet-the-speakers and networking sessions held by
over 30 renowned pioneers and creative leaders from a broad
spectrum of creative industries across the globe at W Hong Kong hotel and other offsite premises
under the theme "Inter/Section: Crafting Tomorrow's Design".
The speakers gathered to exchange, ideate and envision the future
of design, business and society through the innovative fusions of
craftsmanship and technology with over 2,300
in attendance in the three-day event, bolstering
Hong Kong's position as a hub for
design, technology and innovation between Asia and the world. The event's success was
made possible through the incredible support from the Lead Sponsor,
the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA),
our year-round Partner Country France, and Regional
Strategic Partners Guangzhou Design Week, Macau Designers
Association, and Macau Design Centre.
Prof. Eric Yim, Chairman of
Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) said, "HKDC is fully committed
to our mission of promoting Hong
Kong's design economy, inspiring design thinking within the
creative sector, and elevating Hong
Kong's desirability as a nexus for East-West exchanges in
design business and tourism, with continued initiatives alongside
France, our partner country
extending throughout the rest of the year. Our calendar of events
includes the annually recurring Business of Design Week (BODW)
2024, the Maison&Objet trade fair, as part of the 'Design
December' initiative, to celebrate the 60th anniversary
of Sino-France bilateral relations, and help shape the future
of Hong Kong as a true design
centre for high-quality arts, culture and creativity." Carrying
forward the momentum from KODW 2024, the BODW 2024 summit
later this year will feature a 3-day long programme that showcases
the exceptional talent and creative visionaries at the forefront of
design, brands and innovation under the theme
"Inter/Section: Design, Artistry, and Innovation".
BODW 2024 and the Maison&Objet trade fair in Hong Kong are also sponsored by CCIDA.
Prof. Eric
Yim expressed his gratitude to the continual
support from CCIDA, formerly known as Create Hong Kong, to KODW,
and to Mr Kevin Yeung, GBS,
JP, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Mr
Victor Tsang, Commissioner for
Cultural and Creative Industries, for officiating at the InnoDesign
Leadership-Forum-cum-CEO Dinner and the Opening Ceremony of this
year's KODW respectively.
The KODW 2024 theme "Inter/Section: Crafting Tomorrow's Design"
spanned a variety of discussion topics on Scenography and
Exhibition Design, Communication Design and AI,
Architecture and Built Environment, Craftsmanship & Artisans,
Design Education and Furniture & Product Design.
Some of the pointers raised by speakers are as follows:
Speakers from France
During their panel "Crafting Aesthetics in Exhibition and
Curation Design", Nathalie Crinière, Founder and CEO of
Agence NC, and Laurent
Ungerer, Founder & CEO of c-album, shared insights
on scenography and communication design. They believe that the
location is of utmost importance in scenography design, and that
designers need to consider its physical conditions alongside their
own emotional reactions. They stressed that designers and curators
must work together, as location and scenographic design "are really
to help visitors understand the content, and has to touch the heart
of every visitor", serving the critical role of conveying the
exhibit's intent to audiences on behalf of the curators.
On the topic "Aesop on Store Design", Director of Aesop's Global
Retail Design Marianne Lardilleux spoke on the necessity of
intelligence and sustainability in Aesop's interior designs, and on
prioritising both functionality and aesthetic appeal, sharing that
"We want to have engaging conversations with our customers, and to
do so we have the same level of intellect in the way we designed
our stores."
Sylvie Corréard, CEO of Les Arts Décoratifs, on her
forum "Craftsmanship, Design and Inspiration: The Unique Role of
the Musée des Arts Décoratifs", shared how the intersections of
design inspired her practice. "We could describe our collection as
a polysemic collection. The very principle of the collection was
structured around heritage and contemporary creation. The idea was
to showcase and preserve objects from the past or from other
cultures that could inspire current creativity. It was necessary to
acquire and exhibit ongoing creations that reflect technical,
artistic, and industrial evolution."
Speakers from Hong
Kong
Qeelin's Founder and Creative Director Dennis Chan spoke at length about the
importance of balancing inspirations from East and West traditions,
mechanical ingenuity with aesthetic design, and delivering
impactful brand stories through strategic boutique locations and
celebrity ambassadors during his keynote "Inter/Section of
Cultures: The Qeelin Perspective of East Meets West". Dennis
shared, "That's why I think the Qeelin design is not only about
Chinese design. The inspiration is from China, but we still take on a lot of
inspiration from around the world."
Discussing "Tradition, Innovation and Beyond: Journey to the
Inter/Section with Alan Chan",
Alan Chan, Founder &
Creative Director of Alan Chan Design Company, believes in "Never
go for references, but study it if you want to create
something. All your energy, memory, creatives should be from
your history and experience of life", which is integral to his
design philosophy.
Olivier Segura, Managing
Director of L'ECOLE Asia Pacific in his power talk on "Preserving
the Art of High Jewellery", talked about how intersection is
interwoven with the school's mission. "Intersection is there to
support and help young talents who have a promising future.
Intersection for us also means to create bridges between our
experts and our audience."
Speakers from The Mainland and Overseas :
On his power talk "Tea Beyond the Cup: Sustainable Solutions
Across Industries", Calvin
Sio, Founder, CEO and Director of Sustainability at
Zence Object Technology and Chazence, delved into how traditional
Eastern wisdom and philosophy guides his brand's transformative and
sustainable vision for innovating tea waste. "By providing valuable
insights for the application of bio-based materials, we can
integrate Eastern wisdom to create an environmentally friendly
material system. This approach is rooted in the Eastern philosophy
of harmony between humans and nature, ecological balance, and the
fusion of wisdom and culture."
Dong Gong, Founder and
Design Principal at Vector Architects, and Foreign Member at the
French Academy of Architecture, offered a profound perspective on
"integrating new design with existing structures" during his
presentation on "New into Old". "By respecting existing layouts and
natural elements, we enhance living environments, blending the old
with the new. This approach not only preserves the historical and
emotional significance of the sites but also improves the quality
of daily life."
Alexis Georgacopoulos,
Director at University of Art and Design Lausanne (ECAL), and
Rama Gheerawo, Director of The Helen Hamlyn Centre for
Design at the Royal College of Art, discussed the necessity of
leveraging design to solve the challenges faced by society during
their panel of "Empowering Tomorrow's Designers". Gheerawo said,
"Design bridges ideas to implementation and impact, turning
concepts into real-world solutions. This unique ability justifies
giving design a critical role in multidisciplinary
discussions."
Lex Pott, Founder and
Designer of studio LEX POTT, and
Frank Chou, Founder &
Creative Director of Frank Chou Design Studio, in their panel
"Craftsmanship, Culture, and Challenges: Exploring the Evolving
Landscape of Design in East & West", Pott shared that
"traditionally, when we speak about craft, it's a skill. It's
something that you train and that you master. But I think from a
design point of view, it's also about intellect, culture,
tradition, so many of those ingredients."
"Global Online Premier" - the full versions of KODW 2024 Forum,
will be available on bodw+ and social media channels on
July 17 for free.
-End-
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