Designed for creative excellence

UK design center to showcase Chinese design and build global partnerships

Fostering better understanding of contemporary designs from China and establishing creative partnerships with British designers would be the key priorities for the newly-opened China Design Center in the United Kingdom.

"It is not just about being "made in China", but also about "designed in China", says Qu Zheng, chief executive of the center.

"Chinese designers are often misunderstood. There is a perception that the Chinese designers copy rather than come up with fresh ideas. The reality is that the Chinese designers are as creative as their European counterparts, and second to none in craftsmanship."

The center, he says, is an independent initiative that attempts to showcase China's design excellence to the rest of the world.

Located in the Building Center at Store Street in central London, it will serve as an exhibition center for Chinese materials, furniture, industrial designs, architecture and arts and crafts.

"Beyond Architecture", an exhibition now on at the center, is the first major initiative there to showcase Chinese designs globally.

On display are exquisite products like the tea table designed by the Shanghai-based design firm Sitoncloud which showcases gaiety, freshness and exquisite taste. At night, when a projector is switched on, the tea-table becomes the stage to project everything that one desires. The projected movie specifically created to accompany the table is a montage of various videos of the universe, the sky, the earth and microscopic life forms.

A movie starts with the explosion of a nebular system at an altitude of a few million kilometers. In the following video one can see images of clouds floating over a valley, with the distance falling to a few thousand kilometers away from Earth.

As one approaches Earth, images of a luxurious forest are followed by images of a prairie with flowers and butterflies hovering over the ground. The movie continues with a video revealing life at the microscopic level, and eventually goes on to the Big Bang. In short, the videos enact the eternal cycle of change that constitutes the elementary principles of Chinese cosmogony.

Because the table is an abstract art form, it can be matched with multiple views and various scales. The movie creates a surreal environment; it is as if there is no border between the real and the unreal world.

Asianera, a Chinese designer, is showcasing its gongbi-style China products. Gongbi is a traditional Chinese painting style that is characterized by highly detailed brushstrokes. The subject matter often pertains to realistic and narrative forms, rather than interpretive or abstract.

Qu says the center will provide a permanent home for exhibitions and events, and will seek to enhance cooperation with global designers.

"The center is also inviting leading British designers to further strengthen ties between the two sides," he says.

It will also strive to be a driving design force for all sectors of the built environment and increase knowledge sharing. "We will exhibit changing patterns of Chinese design and host events that will cover all the major aspects of design. But our main crux will be to drive home the message of 'created in China' rather than 'made in China'."

The center will also play an important role in catering to the varied tastes of Chinese people in areas such as culture, fashion design and antiques.

Qu, who is also the China business development associate at Building Design Partnership Ltd, a firm of architects and engineers that employs more than 800 people in the UK and internationally, says China can gain extensively through such initiatives.

"The UK is one of the most advanced creative and cultural industry centers in the world," says Qu who was the key architect for big-ticket projects like the Wulin Road project, a new district linking West Lake, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, to the city center; Guangzhou Tennis Center; and Nantou Square in Shenzhen.

Though he started off as an architect designing residential projects in Shanghai and Suzhou, he says the real breakthrough in his career came after he joined BDP in the UK. The British firm's considerable exposure to architectural designs and master planning projects and the practical experience gained being associated with big global projects have taught him more about design, Qu says.

In addition, the British firm has been a major advocate of using modern technology in design projects. "Techniques like creating 3D visualizations for major projects has been a key learning experience for me at BDP," Qu says.

Terry Farrell, a British architect, well-known for designing the MI6 building in London, is one design expert who has been working with Chinese designers for several years now. "I had no idea at that time about how much China would progress in designs and on what it would mean to the rest of the world."

Farrell says the past few years have been extraordinary. He is also the main designer of the KK100 project in Shenzhen, the highest building designed by a British architect.

The China Design Center in London is a very tiny reflection of what's going on in China, Farrell says. "Unless you go there, you don't really understand the scale, the energy and what is happening ... I have great hopes that we are going to build bridges with China.

"Designers from China have been quick to catch up with their global peers in expertise and skills. What I like about the center is that it also provides a platform for UK designers to learn from their Chinese counterparts," Farrell says.

Qu, the chief executive of the design center, says it works as an independent entity with most of the funding coming from private sources.

"We want to bring together interesting and exciting companies and individuals who can use the center to its full potential and to allow it to be a platform for progress and productivity."

Monica Wyithe contributed to this story.

zhangchunyan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 05/09/2014 page20)