From micro to macro: Italian designers in South China

With its agenda recognized as a cornerstone for the development of design culture in Shenzhen and beyond, Design Society | Sea World Culture and Arts Center has been announced as the main venue for 2018 Shenzhen Design Week which will open on April 20.

Sponsored by the Shenzhen Municipal Government, Shenzhen Design Week takes place every year in late April. It is the largest and highest level international professional design event in Shenzhen, covering the widest range of categories. It aims to establish an international platform integrating exchange, promotion, display and education activities, to create a number of branded projects, to promote the exchange and collaboration between Shenzhen and other regions in design sector, and to supply a platform for foreign designers and design companies to enter Chinese market.

2018 Shenzhen Design Week with the theme of “Possibilities of Design” will open on April 20 at Design Society and conclude on April 30. There are also exhibition sections at the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning.

The Italian Pavillion of Shenzhen Design Week, organized by the Consultate General of Italy, Politecnico di Torino, NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti-Domus Academy Milano), and Italian Design Association, will be hosted in Design Society’s 1400sqm Shenzhen UCCN (Unesco Creative Cities Network) Exchange Center, on the second floor. The exhibition titled From micro to macro: Italian designers in South China will open on April 20 and run through May 6, features the Italian design system abroad in particular through the point of view of the sustainability.

The theme of the Italian Pavilion, From Micro to Macro: Italian designers in South China highlights the strong presence of Italian practitioners in China, operating in different fields of design. The exhibition hopes to enhance the ability of individual designers to manage in a flexible and coherent way their design activities, adopting an approach that could be relevant at different scales of intervention. Moreover, such an approach could also represent a clear Italian vision to investigate the complexity, that by necessity the idea of sustainable development puts in place: to amplify the possibilities in the design of single micro object, while being interactive and responsible within a broader complex system. A series of talks and workshops will also be organized on the topic of sustainability.

Ole Bouman, director of Design Society states: “The opening of 2018 Shenzhen Design Week exemplifies our rapid development of a rich and versatile portfolio of activities to capture the potential of a unique civic monument, to showcase our agenda to become a true interface of design and creativity between China and the world, and between culture and the social challenges we are facing. We are looking forward to more partnerships in a maturing cultural enterprise and have strong faith in our capacity to play energetic role in wayfinding creative Shenzhen as powerhouse of ideas.”

Alongside the Italian Pavilion, Design Society’s inaugural exhibitions are also part of the offerings of the 2018 Shenzhen Design Week: Minding the Digital in Main Gallery, Values of Design in V&A Gallery, and Nurturing Dreams: Recent works of Fumihiko Maki and Maki & Associates in Park View Gallery.

As a matter of fact, since the opening in last December, Design Society has already welcomed more than half million visitors, and organized more than 100 public activities, including talks, workshops, panel discussions, performances and concerts. Our coastal stairs and plaza, roof garden, Mountain View theater, learning space, EXTRA TIME café and lounge have witnessed the excitement and enlightenment of our visitors.

You are more than welcome to join us at the opening on April 20, to share ideas and enjoy our offerings, to meet and build relationships, and to learn and plan new projects in our public programmes.