Design Spectrum of Hong Kong Design Centre Presents “Delightful Design” Exhibition Happiness Finds Expression in Design Ingenuity

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 17 December 2021 – ‘Happiness’
is the ultimate pursuit of humankind, but how does design inspire happiness? One
of the fundamental principles of design is problem solving, so most products
are designed to offer ease and comfort for everyday life. But the value of design
is much more than just ‘functional’. Good design not only solves everyday problems
but can nourish the mind and soul by channelling positive energy and perpetual
joy. From 6^th December 2021 to 28^th February 2022, Design
Spectrum, the public-facing platform of Hong Kong Design Centre, sponsored by
Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region (HKSAR) is launching a new thematic design exhibition titled ‘Delightful Design’.
Curated by Lee Chi-Wing, the Founder and Design Director of Milk Design and an
experienced of designer and educator, Lee will share his views on how to
imagine, measure and pursue
happiness with the public and explore these ideas through showcasing more than
30 local and overseas design projects at the exhibition.

Curator Lee Chi-wing, the Founder and Design Director of Milk Design

Through the application of Design Thinking, designers
can express their vision and pursuit of a more positive and happy world
through Positive Design from four aspects,
including Sense, Mind, Ideology and Social.

30+ Exhibits Reveal Designers’ Formula for Happiness from
Four Aspects

Commodities may make you feel happy, but
it is short-lived and temporary, and not the true source of happiness. The
exhibition theme was inspired by “PERMA”, a scientific theory of
happiness proposed by Martin Seligman, credited as the father of positive
psychology. It promotes a formula of Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships,
Meaning, and Accomplishment to sustain happiness. In recent years, designers have
attempted to connect their designs with happiness, and take the spirit of “happiness”
as their inspiration. Through the application of Design Thinking, designers can
express their vision and pursuit of a more positive and happy world through
Positive Design from four aspects, including Sense, Mind, Ideology and Social.

At the
exhibition, more than 30 outstanding local and global design projects from different
regions including Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the UK, the US and the Netherlands
will be showcased, revealing how happiness is formed through the four design
aspects, and igniting dialogues on how design sustains happiness from an
individual to a social level.

1_Sense:

Seeing,
hearing, smelling, tasting and touching through the senses is how we experience
the external world. In this section of the exhibition, designers make use of colour,
shape and texture as the medium, allowing users to savour happiness from design
in our everyday products.

2_Mind:

Besides serving a functional
purpose, design can also nourish the mind and soul, like creating a moment of
peace or a humorous twist. Designers present their unique vision in a gentle
and delicate way through their design works, reminding visitors of the little
things they may have overlooked in everyday life.

3_Ideology:

The pursuit of happiness gives meaningful depth to life when it
converges with the pursuit of truth and universal values in the context of enhancing
common good. In this section, designers show their engagements with social and
environmental issues such as climate change, equality, and freedom to drive social
change for a better tomorrow.

4_Social:

A people-oriented approach is the key to
happiness and a fundamental element of good design. With empathy as the first
step of creation, designers contribute to community building through design
innovation, and applying a bottom-up approach to think, create, listen and
cater for the needs of different social classes, inviting the public to work
together to build an inclusive society.

Happiness
for All: A Co-design Experience

After walking through the exhibits from
the four aspects, visitors will be invited to share their own views and
understanding of ‘happiness’. Through the integration of space utilisation, STICKYLINE , a local art design team specialising
in paper art crafts, created a large-scale art installation named ‘In the Wild’.
The public are welcome to adorn the installation with paper flowers made with
materials provided onsite and create ‘A Garden for All’ together until mid-January
2022. Then, KaCaMa Design Lab, whose expertise is sustainable design, will take
their turn with another creation. Stay tuned!

Bring Designer‘s
Happiness Home

The key visual of the exhibition is
created by Sandy Choi, well-known Hong Kong designer .
W ith a palette of red, yellow, blue and
green, Sandy has developed a dynamic system that brings forth endless
possibilities. Visitors can redeem a masking tape, inspired by the four-colour
design by collecting stamps in the exhibition venue!

Free Featured Public Events
for Hunting Happiness

During the exhibition, a series of public
events such as sharing sessions, workshops and a community trip will be held to
inspire public imagination on the connection between design and happiness,
including a sharing session hosted by Corrupt the
Youth , a community experience day led by
Peng Chau Islanders , multisensory workshop by Beyond
Vision , and Signage Lab workshops
co-instructed by Milk Design and KENNIFSTUDIO . Join us to
make your happiness statement!

Please refer to appendices for more
information about ‘Delightful Design’ and related activities. For registration
details, please visit www.designspectrum.hk . Pre-registration is required.

Design Spectrum website: www.designspectrum.hk

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