[The following content is provided by Hong Kong Design Institute]

 

The “Tradition in the Future — GAFA Cultural Innovation Design Exhibition” marked the inaugural close-knit collaboration between the two leading design institutes in the Greater Bay Area following their memorandum of cooperation, which will further deepen and facilitate exchanges of new generations of designers across the regions. With 42 sets of outstanding designs selected from GAFA's School of Visual Arts Design and the School of Industrial Design in the academy's thematic Exhibition “Innovative LingNan”, it demonstrated how emerging designers integrate traditional cultural features with creative designs, as well as their reflections on cultural inheritance and development. 

 

The selected works in the forms of graphic design, product design, animation and IP design, interactive design and digital media art design explore Lingnan culture from a multi-dimensional perspective. Through innovative thinking, these designs manifest the unique cultural features and humanistic spirit of the Greater Bay Area, guiding the audience to delve deeper into tradition, pay close attention to the present and envision the future. The exhibition also featured lectures for sharing and discussions, where the visitors could have a deeper understanding of the artworks' narratives. 

 

Exhibition View

 

 

Create a humanistic bay area with innovative design and re-interpret traditional concepts 

 

With a strong and distinct cultural history, the Greater Bay Area has close geographical and transportation connections, as well as a rich and diverse range of cultural forms. Based on the research on traditional culture and the integration of current trends, young designers in the Greater Bay Area create artistic works that align closely with contemporary aesthetics and values. The brand design Hello, sea. research on Tai O's traditional fishing and tourism, and employ the most popular seafood among tourists as the brand image element for innovative design, which attracts younger generations to understand the traditional fishing village culture.  

 

Hello, sea. -  Li Han, Xia Wenwei, Li Peiru, Lin Xianman, Deng Ming  

(Brand Design: Rural Revitalisation) 

 

The communication design project titled Canton Porcelain × Emoji New Century Creative Pattern Design is based on the research of Canton porcelain plate pattern — a national intangible cultural heritage — and integrates the unique narrative of such traditional patterns with emojis in new era of social media, creating a series of experimental works that brings pleasure for audience's interpretation.  

 

 

 

Canton Porcelain × Emoji New Century 

Creative Pattern Design -  Chen Xiaowen、Liu Qiyu 

 

 

Integration of Greater Bay Area's natural landscape into design 

 

The extensive and profound Lingnan culture encompasses its unique natural scenery. In today's era of rapid technological development, teachers and students of GAFA integrate the natural landscape of the Greater Bay Area into various designs. This allows the public to appreciate the stunning panorama of the Greater Bay Area at all times. 

 

The lamp piece Growing-Lamp Design, extracting the common motifs from the intangible cultural heritage of Cantonese embroidery like peacock and plantain, not only exhibits strong and natural characteristics of the Greater Bay Area, but also preserves distinct stitching features of Cantonese embroidery, creating multi-functional chandeliers, floor lamps and table lamps among others.  

 

Growing-Lamp Design -  Wang Wenhua 

 

The digital work Danqing Lingnan, which combines AI, naked-eye 3D display and other technologies, integrates the style and characteristics of the Lingnan School. This immersive experience makes the audience feel as if they have stepped into a dynamic landscape painting, allowing them to appreciate the breathtaking scenery of green mountains and grass, clear water and blue sky. 

 

Danqing Lingnan -  Luo Baoquan, Chen Mingjie, Lu Yuhang 

 

 

In-depth study of the martial arts culture in the Greater Bay Area 

 

Wing Chun is also a significant component of the Greater Bay Area culture well-known to Hongkongers. Lecturers and students from the School of Visual Arts in GAFA have visited three intangible cultural heritage martial arts bases, including the MAI GEI WONG Wing Chun of Guangzhou, Beisheng CaiLiFo Boxing of Guangzhou and Guangzhou JuYing Hongquan martial arts Hall, where they recorded Martial Arts Photography and conserved precious imagery materials and information.  

 

Martial Arts Photography -  Zeng Yulin, Wang Mincong

 

The work Lingnan Martial Art IP Design·Mi Gei Wong WingChun Family integrates the four stages of WingChun, including Twelve-Road Sanshou, Siu Nim Tau, Chum Kiu and Biu Tze. It also incorporates the belt culture brought by Mi Gei Wong into the IP design to create a unique IP image, allowing the public to understand Lingnan martial arts feature. 

 

Lingnan Martial Art IP Design· Mi Gei Wong Wing Chun Family -  Wang Yuhan