Beijing Design Week 2011
Already home to a thriving art scene and many a starchitect's creation, Beijing upped its cultural ante last month by holding its inaugural design week. In true Chinese style, the ambitious 9-day event was spread over numerous locations around the mammoth city, and shone a light (despite the persistently hazy skies) on its eclectic fusion of past and present.
The main hub of the event was 751 D-Park - a striking cluster of disused boiler towers, railroad tracks and chimneys, which once served as a gas power plant, and has become the go-to location for creative events. Located just north of the famous 798 Art District, the park housed exhibitions from a slew of participating countries, most notably The Netherlands' Dutch Design Generator, and offered some insight to the state of Chinese design. Local design heavyweights, like Harrison Liu and Song Tao presented unique adaptations on traditional motifs in their pieces.
Across town, Beijing Design Week also orchestrated a series of pop-up shops and exhibitions in Dashilar Alley - one of the city's many hutongs, emphasising the value of these heritage areas to locals and visitors alike. The result was a charming hybrid of the city's most influential design and lifestyle businesses, such as Wu Hao, Lost and Found and even Ab Rogers' fictional 'Ernesto Bones' exhibition, all situated in modest courtyard houses located next to existing residences, neighbourhood eateries and shops, dating back to another time.
The week also saw the opening of Beijing's first design centre, known as the Liang Dian (which translates as 'Spotlight'.) Located in an ex-computer assembly factory, the renovated 8-storey building provides studio office space and a gallery for a community of architects, lighting designers and young talent. The inaugural exhibition was of 'Chinese Stuff', which translates the idea of 'super normal' into the Chinese lexicon and celebrates both its wackiness and beauty.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
This new lakeside house in Chile is a tour de force of contemporary timber construction
Cazú Zegers’ lakeside house Casa Pyr is inspired by the geometry of fire and flames, and nestles into its rocky site
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Kimy Gringoire’s ‘BigLoveCables’: heart-shaped seating and lighting, inspired by her jewellery designs
Kimy Gringoire’s ‘BigLoveCables’ exhibition in MASA’s Project Room, Mexico City, introduces lighting and seating inspired by a core symbol in her jewellery: the heart
By Siska Lyssens Published
-
Kia fields a pair of all-electric camping concepts, the PV5 WKNDR and EV9 ADVNTR
The 2024 SEMA show saw two new concept designs from Kia, exploring the art and function of the all-electric camping machine
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Bottega Veneta constructs ‘invisible' pop-up in Shanghai
Conceived by creative director Daniel Lee, the three metre-high, 100 sq m mirrored cuboid continues Bottega Veneta’s subversive denouncement of self-promotion
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Ripple effect: Trongyee’s undulating Shantou boutique
Shenzen-based firm AD Architecture has conceived a rippling, pared-back retail design for Shantou, China-located luxury womenswear boutique Trongyee
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
The China List: Chanel, Fashion
Wallpaper* and China’s Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Fund (CHSDF) present China By Design—a celebration of Chinese cultural heritage and the many global creatives who have been inspired by it. Explore the full list here.
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
The China List: Jean Paul Gaultier, Fashion
Wallpaper* and China’s Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Fund (CHSDF) present China By Design—a celebration of Chinese cultural heritage and the many global creatives who have been inspired by it.
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
Playing it spool inside Annakiki’s thread-stacked boutique
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
Atelier Tao+c designs monochrome multi-brand boutique in Zhengzhou
By Cat Nelson Last updated
-
AIM designs steely cosmetics boutique in Hong Kong
By Emi Eleode Last updated
-
Inside SND’s ceremonial boutique in China’s Chongqing
By Ali Morris Last updated