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Aidan Walker talks about Design Shanghai Forum 2018

Ligné team
Feb 26, 2018
2 min read

Design Visionaries are pushing the boundaries of design, not only in the use of new forms, materials and technologies, but perhaps more significantly, in reassessing and re-fuelling the power of design to drive transformation. It is these people who are leading the way in the creative imagination, ideation and innovation crucial to the solution of the world’s most urgent issues.

It’s clear that in almost every aspect of modern life, the ‘old ways’ are no longer working. Sustainability, urbanization, pollution, transport, materials, technologies, communications, manufacturing, education – even clean food and water; all are demanding their own urgent responses, which in turn contribute to new social, cultural and economic landscapes. No one is better qualified to map those landscapes than our Design Visionaries.

The pace and temperature of change is arguably greater in China than anywhere else on earth. A country with such a vast population, in the throes of an urbanization programme on a scale that the world has never seen, is bound to be a hothouse for innovation and new design thinking. But it needs context. Add the influence of the West to China’s emerging native design culture – not forgetting the magnificence and elegance of ancient Chinese achievements – and we have a unique international melting pot that promises to question the nature and application of global design itself. Historically, Chinese design has taken a path independent of other civilizations, but now it is claiming its rightful place on the international stage.

With speakers from all over the world, including Japan, Europe and the U.S., the Design Shanghai Forum puts this complex and challenging interplay into clear focus. How does a nation maintain a distinct cultural identity when the world is now a global marketplace? Is a national design identity even necessary? What is the meaning of design authenticity, and given that it is undergoing re-definition like everything else, how do we recognize it? Where have the design relationships between East and West brought us, and where are they leading? And much more.

Design Shanghai Forum 2018: the pre-eminent platform for the world’s Design Visionaries to share their insights, create new exemplars for living, and inspire the creation of a better world. Make no mistake: these Design Visions are visions of the future of civilization itself. Aidan Walker, Programme Director, Design Shanghai Forum

Register Here

https://www.dezeen.com/tag/shanghai/

https://www.designshanghai.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Hoppen