CONFLUENCE IN THE WINDY CITY香港設計匯聚城風
THIS MONTH, THE HONG KONG DESIGN CENTRE’S WORLD TOUR HAS ITS FINALE IN ONE OF THE GREAT DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE CITIES本月，香港設計中心的世界巡迴展覽終站來到舉世聞名的設計與建築重鎮
THE FOURTH AND final stop on Hong Kong Design Centre’s Confluence • 20+ exhibition is the biggest and most engaging yet: Chicago.
With the support of the Hong Kong Government, top designers from Hong Kong are bringing their most meaningful and spectacular projects, installations and ideas to Chicago’s Block 37 shopping mall from 14 October to 5 November. They’re spreading themselves over a 16,000-square-foot space – twice as big as the shows in Hong Kong and Seoul, and four times the size of the Milan iteration.
‘It’s centrally located in a beautiful cultural area. There’s more room for each exhibitor, so we’ll be bringing more products and doing some really interesting things,’ says Amy Chow, curator at HKDC.
From Hong Kong fashion designers
Lu Lu Cheung and Otto Tang (1), to architecture scholar Chiu Kwong-chiu (2), the free exhibition will continue the exhibition’s theme of collaboration: demonstrating how Hong Kong design thrives on strong partnerships.
‘Much of the work here is the result of the interaction between many people,’ says Chow. ‘ We’re focused on the hidden processes and the research, so we continue the theme of “Confluence” to show how designers, manufacturers and even users collaborate during the processes of creating a product.’
One of the highlights will be Gary Chang’s ‘wall of furniture’ (3): a look at compressed apartment living in Hong Kong. In Chicago, the installation will include a 32-squaremetre space, within which visitors will be able to arrange their own micro-apartment.
‘In the US they’re used to a lot of space, so this will be an interesting experiment to show how difficult living arrangements can be in Hong Kong and hopefully allow people to understand the concept and purpose of this exhibit,’ says Chow.
Visitors can muse on a Hong Kong challenge: designing a home in a compact living space.
The show is aligned with the Chicago Architecture Biennial, which took place from September, and also covers issues such as modern living, sustainability, space and luxury homes.
Julie Progin and Jesse McLin will discuss their work with the fine porcelain that hails from Jingdezhen. In previous shows, their work challenged the processes of creating ceramic products. In Chicago, these fragmentary ideas and notions of discovery will be realised into products experimenting with glazes, to show it as more than just a surface. 香港設計中心主辦的「Confluence • 20+」展覽，巡迴三個國城際 市之後，最後第四站來到芝加哥，這次不僅規模最大，亦包含最多動互 元素。
在香港政府鼎力支持下，一群香港的頂級設計師把他們最具意義及惹人注目的項、目 裝置藝術及理念，帶到芝加哥的Block 37購物中心，月於10 14日至11月5日展出。今次的展覽地積場 面 16,000平方呎，約為香港及首爾展場的兩倍，更比米蘭展場大四倍。
香港設計中心策展人周婉美：表示 「展場於位 優美的文化區中心。每位參展者都有多更 展示空間，所以我們能展出更多產品，並舉辦一些趣味十足的活動。」
參與今次展覽的，包括地本 時裝設計師張路路及鄧曉滔（ 1），還有從事設計及文化研究的學者趙廣超（ 2）等，而這免費入場的展覽徹作亦貫 「合 」的主題，顯示香港設計如何憑借緊密的合作關係而蓬展勃發 。
周婉說美：「這些作品大部分都是聚集眾人之力、彼此動流成互 交 的 果。我們專注於成品背後不為人知的過程及研究，因此繼續以『河川匯聚為』 主題，展示設計師造、製 商甚至使用者，如何在創產作 品的過程攜中 手合作。」
其中一個焦是堵點 一 由張智強設計的「家具牆」（ 3），展現香港的蝸居住宅面貌。在芝加哥的展場中，這件裝置作品包括一個32平方米間參的空 ，讓 觀者可以在親裡面 手佈自置 己的微型公寓。
「美國人習慣生活在寬敞的空間內，所
From ceramics, visitors can turn to ideas from Sharon de Lyster (4). Her fashion brand and textile studio has launched The Textile Atlas, a new online resource to preserve disappearing Asian crafts and their cultural stories. The Textile Atlas also connects brands to designers using traditional techniques and motifs.
‘ This is a functional tool where you can find people to collaborate with,’ says Chow. ‘ We hope this will encourage people to use Sharon and The Textile Atlas as a facilitator, a bridge between brands and craftspeople. Designers want to be open to other brands so a tool like this will help create those partnerships.’
Lee Chi-wing’s (5) operational tea stall will once again be present, but this time it will incorporate additional light and sound elements, allowing visitors to pour cups of tea while appreciating the tea ceremony and its central part in Asian heritage.
Freeman Lau’s ‘communication cloud’ (6) is given an evolutionary lift, turning from a 2D graphic representation in previous exhibitions to a fully realised 3D manifestation made from bamboo. ‘ We’re also giving kids the chance to make their own toy, to show the different properties of materials,’ says Chow.
Chicago is a fitting place to end the Hong Kong designers’ tour. No US city has a greater design, art and architecture pedigree, from the buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe to the classic works of American art in the Art Institute.
Chow adds: ‘ We chose Chicago because it was the partner city at the 2016 Hong Kong Business of Design Week, sending speakers and designers to Hong Kong. Because this show is all about exchange and collaboration, we wanted to cement the relationship with Chicago.’
This content has been produced in association with HKDC
以這是有實一個 趣的 驗，讓他們可以體驗一下在香港生活有多困難，也藉此讓人們了解這項展品的理念及目的。」周婉說美。道
參觀者可藉此思考一個香港的地難道題就， 是如何在狹小的空間佈內 置一個居所。
9月開始舉行的芝加哥建築雙展年 涵蓋現代生活、可持續發展空、 間與豪宅等主題，與這個展覽互相呼應。
另一組參展者Julie Progin與Jesse McLin則會展示他們的另類景德鎮陶瓷。在之前覽的展 中，他們的作品深刻反思了陶瓷的過製作 程。在今次芝加哥的展覽中，他們將這些零碎的想法及探得索所 的意念加以實驗，發掘釉彩在作為陶瓷表面塗層以外的無限可能。
除了陶瓷以外，觀眾亦可細味曾思朗（ 4）對紡織品的創作意。念 她的時裝品牌及紡織品工作室推出名為The Textile Atlas（紡織品地圖集）的全新網上資料庫，將逐漸消失的亞洲藝工 及背後的文化故存事 檔 保留。，此外 The Textile Atlas更為其他運用傳統技藝及圖案的品牌及設計師建立聯繫。
周婉說美：「這是非常實用的工具，你在可以 這裡找到合作者。我希們 望勵鼓其他人以曾思與朗 The Textile Atlas作為橋樑，連繫品牌和工匠藝人。計設 師期待與其他品牌接觸，因此這類工具有助他們建立合作關係。」
利志榮（ 5）的日檔將次再 投入運作，不過今次會加入額外的聲光元素，讓參觀者可以在品這裡 茗之餘，細味日道，體驗亞洲日文化的精粹。
劉小康（ 6）的作品「置身雲朵中」亦經歷進一步變的演 和提升，由以前覽展 時的二維平面圖像設計，變成由搭竹 建而成的三維立體裝置。周婉說我美：「 們會讓小朋友動手製作小玩具，藉此展示物料的不同性質。」
芝加哥擁有優秀的設計、藝術及建築傳承，美國有沒 一個城市可與之匹敵，從Frank Lloyd Wright與Mies van der Rohe的建築，到芝加哥藝術博物館珍內 藏的經典美國藝術作品，全城瀰漫一片濃厚的術藝風氣。這座城市可說是為這趟香港設計師巡迴展劃上完美句號的理想。地點
周婉美補充道：「今年我們選擇芝加哥是為因 芝加哥是2016年香港設計營商周的方伴城市，他們派講者和設計師來香港參與活動。我們希望能延續與芝加哥的合作徹，貫 這個展覽的主題。」
本文內容由香港設計中心聯合提供