Hong Kong Design Centre

Sun, beaches, exotic cuisine, thrilling watersports activities… Not only an all-time favourite get-away for Hong Kongers and a popular tourist destination in the world, Thailand is indeed actively developing into a new creative hub in Asia in recent years. This country, located along the Belt and Road Initiative, has been keen to expand its design network and showcase its energetic design power to the world through a wide range of projects.

Organised by Thailand Creative and Design Center, a member of HKDC’s Global Design Network, Bangkok Design Week is one of the highlighted programmes. Having held in Chiang Mai in previous years and marking its debut in Bangkok, the event is expected to welcome over 500,000 visitors over the world. To uphold HKDC’s vision to establish Hong Kong as a centre of Design Excellence in Asia, as well as to strengthen our strategic partnership with Belt & Road regions and member of our global design network, HKDC organised a pilot design exchange programme to expose our young design talents to the global stage. 8 aspiring Hong Kong young designers' brands were chosen by a vetting panel to participate at the Bangkok Design Week. Themed with “Pocket Worlds”, they unpack their individual worlds of design talents, which all carry strong sense of identity originated from and inspired by the compact but cosmopolitan Hong Kong. This is indeed an exciting opportunity for them as well to be inspired through cultural exchange and overseas exposure, and build network with their counterparts from the Belt & Road region.
 
The 8 Hong Kong representatives set off from 5 different perspectives- Co-creation, Material Circular, Placemaking, Augmented Experience and Cultural Narrative.

Co-creation
Kay Chan, a social designer of Good Day Society, is taking their latest signature product co-produced by local community famous for selling dried seafood. As a signature piece of Hong Kong traditional food culture, Salted Fish Sauce offers a taste of Hong Kong tradition to the design week.

Material Circular
Xavier Tsang, the winner of DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award 2014, founder of BeCandle Studio, an artisan candle and fragrance atelier. His handmade candles light up everyday life with lasting scent, which recalls memories and evokes imagination. Representative from smart living sector, Mui Kinoshita, whose works are collected by MOMA stores in New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo, is also joining the event with her Airluna, the world's first intelligent and invisible air purifying luminaire.

Place Making
Riding on the spirit of “Nicely Made in Hong Kong”, Keikko Lee & Rosetta Lau, founders of Unite Unit, shows the audience how they integrate design with the environment by the most simple yet elegant way. Another placemaking expert, Oft Interiors, is the representative of interesting, young and dynamic design. This time, the founders, Ken Cheung & CM Jao, demonstrates how interior design alters one’s perspective on the capacity of space, through a box of their mystic world..

Augmented Experience
Jack Lau, co-founder and creative director of Vision Desire Limited, deploys motion graphic to tell unique stories, evoking emotion and even behaviour of audience.

Culture Narrative
AfterWorkShop targets to promote street art culture, from the art creation to the study of the relationship between street art and the community. The founder Uncle brings the iconic Mr. Waterloo and other pieces to show Bangkok our unique street art scene. Another talented graphic designer, Jim Wong whose design works have been selected for various international design awards, started Good Morning Design to express the fascinating features of printed matters in this digital era. He hopes to share the same interest with the visitors of the showcase.

Hong Kongers would not only be found in tourist spots, but also the Bangkok Design Week and even in the local design ecology of Thailand.

There is no better excuse to support Hong Kong design rising stars while to enjoy a warm vacation!

DXHK – BANGKOK Pocket Worlds @ Bangkok Design Week
Date: 27 Jan – 4 Feb 2018
Venue: Bowen Hall, B02 Lhong 1919 (248 Chiang Mai Road, Klong San, 10600 Bangkok, Thailand)

Working with Tung Wah Group Hospital's 'Abuse Prevention and Treatment Service', Fildena.net, Vision Desire created a series of animation of alcohol abuse prevention.

Award winning café by Unite Unit, a combination of natural materials; hand-crafted tiles, stone and nature wood with a touch of brand color to create a comfortable break for everyone.

Hong Kong Emperor Cinemas Lobby designed by Oft Interiors

Production of Mr Waterloo vinyl toy by AfterWorkShop