ANBD 2019 Colombo exhibition to...
Asia Network Beyond Design (ANBD) special exhibition2019 would kick off in Colombo today (11) providing a platform for Sri Lankans, who think outside the box, to showcase their talents and creative designs. The special exhibition is being held for the first time in Sri Lanka and it would coincide with the official launch of the Colombo Chapter of ANBD. ANBD was formulated over a decade ago by a group of academics and design professionals representing Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan with the intention of promoting culture, designs and roots of Asia throughout the world. Today, the ANBD has expanded exponentially holding periodic and regular exhibitions in many permanent areas such as Taipei, Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lampur and Tianjin. Sri Lanka, Thailand and Germany are the three new countries joined the ANBD where special exhibitions are being held. The ANBD special exhibition2018 was held in Munich, Germany which was a huge success. Following this success, the board of directors of the ANBD decided to move the special exhibition of 2019 to Colombo, Sri Lanka. This year’s theme of the special exhibition is ‘Illuminating Asia’, a theme, which resonates with the cultural values of Asian countries well. About 175 designs and creations from a number of universities in Asian countries would be displayed at the exhibition which would be held till February 15 at the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) in Malabe. ANBD Chairman Professor Cho Youl, Secretary General Professor Jeehyun Kim, Honorary Chairman Professor Akira Harada, ANBD Taiwan Representatives Professors Guang-dah Chen and Sui-lan Chung and Malaysia Representative Professor Yinyoongsiow along with 15 other delegates from foreign universities would grace the opening ceremony and the exhibition which would be followed up with an awards ceremony. The visiting foreign academics and professionals would also conduct workshops for Sri Lankan students and industry professionals. If not for the Colombo chapter of the ANBD, the special exhibition would not have become a reality. The Colombo chapter, which was formed not more than two years ago, would be represented at the exhibition and the events that follow by creative conceptualist and marketing guru Athula Mahawalage (Representative), Prof. Janaka Rajapakse (Advisor) and Aruna Ishara Gamage (Secretary). Prof. Janaka Rajapakse feels that the ANBD would be a game changer in countries like Sri Lanka where the field of creative design is not popular and limited only to conservative arts and designs. The ANBD, he said, was focused on bringing together different societies, creativity and science with the intention of injecting the humane touch and creative design to the world’s next big thing, the Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). “The A.I. or robotic machines could assemble and create even a movie in the near future. However, the creativity only comes through people. That’s why the Asia Network Beyond Design is promoting and focused on talents and design which are ahead of our time; simply put, beyond,” he said. Prof. Rajapaksa, who is an academic based in Taiwan, said any creation, be it hand paintings or another creative design, could be displayed at the exhibition which is free of charge for the public. One of the key individuals behind ANBD special conference is Athula Mahawalage, the man who revolutionised the marketing and advertising sector of Sri Lanka. Mahawalage is also the Conceptualist and CEO of AM Creations, one of the leading advertising and marketing firms in the country. Mahawalage, a visiting lecturer at the SLIIT, has been handpicked by the ANBD because of his genuine talent and visionary thinking which has brought him to the soaring heights he is enjoying today. While he was lecturing at the SLIIT, Lecturer Aruna Ishara Gamage had sent some of Mahawalage’s work to the ANBD. The board of directors who were impressed by his work had felicitated him and then pitched him the idea of establishing the Colombo Chapter of the ANBD. The trio Mahawalage, Gamage and Professor Rajapakse thus formed the Colombo Chapter. Mahawalage is a man of many roles. During his career which spans over 40 years, he has been playing the roles of a photographer, script writer, journalist, advertising and marketing guru, film producer, trendsetter, art director, cartoonist, businessman and an entrepreneur. Among the plethora of creations, two of his works have been recognised as world’s firsts. Using of a photograph for a logo (Janashakthi Insurance) and the hand drawn and off centre newspaper header (Ravaya) are these two works. Two of his advertising campaigns - the episode based TV commercial (Nestomalt) and automated banking boutique of the Peoples Bank - are two key marketing case studies at Sri Lankan Universities. Mahawalage told Mirror Business that he prefers to think of him as a surgeon who knows what’s best for his patient when he takes up a task or a challenge from a client. “I know what is best for the client and am always up for a challenge. No matter how challenging the task is I’m not pestered with it. Amplification through simplification is my motto,” he said. With the experiences amassed throughout his career and his innate talent, Mahawalage would without a doubt take ANBD Colombo Chapter to new heights revolutionising and revitalising the creative design field of Sri Lanka.