Design mission to Hong Kong & Guangzhou

DutchDFA initiated two Dutch design missions to the Pearl River Delta: to the Business of Design Week in Hong Kong (2-4 dec) and to the Guangzhou Design Week on mainland China (6-11 dec). The two trips could be combined or joined separately. The overall theme for the activities was 'Design for Daily Life'.

Several Dutch delegations have participated succesfully at Business of Design Week in Hong Kong in the past three years and more and more design companies find their way to mainland China. For this reason, DutchDFA offers the opportunity to continue to the Pearl River Delta after visiting Hong Kong, since this industrial area is rapidly developing into an important center for design and architecture.

The programme of the design mission consisted of networking events, seminars, presentations and participating at a trade fair in Guangzhou. The overall theme for the activities is 'Design for Daily Life', a theme that finds wide support in China and offers great opportunities for Dutch designers. In this time of urbanisation and globalisation of China, the demand for good and sustainable products that enhance the quality of daly life for the majority of the population is growing fast.

BODW Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, Dutch designers joined their Chinese counterparts in a seminar on ' Design for Daily Life' on December 3 as part of BODW’s The Design Classroom. The seminar was attended by designers in several several sectors, including architecture, product design, fashion, art and graphic design. The seminar coincided with the conclusion of the BODW Detour Dutch Profiles programme.

Guangzhou Design Week

The 2010 Guangzhou Design Week took place at the Poly World Trade Center Expo. A feature this year was the 500 square meter Dutch Pavilion, designed by Maurer United architects. The pavillion was inspired by the work of one of the Netherlands’ best known artists, Piet Mondrian (1872 –1944). Mondrian’s grid-based paintings were translated into a three-dimensional modular system, which enables visitors to walk through the wonderful world of contemporary Dutch design in a unique setting. 

More than 40 Dutch designers exhibited here, representing the fields of graphic design, product design, fashion and architecture. Their work was presented through samples, presentation panels, websites and videos. Many works are finalists and winners of the Dutch Design Awards in 2010, including Happy Street, which represented the Netherlands at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai; VANMOOF No.5, the 20th century style bike with a rechargeable solar-powered LED light system; Analog digital clock, a playful iPhone application, and the Children’s Stamp animation “There are more than 11 trillion things to learn”. The Dutch pavilion in Guangzhou attracted 35.000 visitors and a lot of press.

Visitors could join the interactive design section “People’s Paint”, offered by Local Dutch, a group of independent Dutch designers based in the Greater Pearl River Delta. In the section, visitors could participate in the creation of a typical Dutch house. The house is initially blank, only its outlines are visible. The interior space will gradually appear as visitors color in the blanks.

“Design for Daily Life” also consisted of forums, lectures and other activities, focusing on sustainable design and eco-design. The events included participation from Mark Hemel, the architect of the praised Guangzhou TV Tower, Ab Stevels, a world authority on EcoDesign and David Gianotten, General Manager at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture Asia.

For more information on the design mission, please download the programme (275.8 Kb) and the flyer (2 pages, 0.9 Mb).