UN Headquarters Exhibition " Sustainable Design in China": A New Generation of Creativity

China Eco Design #UN 2030 Agenda

Public Design X China’s Young Generation

Co-Organizations：
UNSRC Chinese Book Club
Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation

Support Organizations
Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the UN
Beijing Design Week
Zuo Jing Studio

Curator
Qiao Cui

Exhibition Info
Oct. 5-13, 2023
UN Headquarter Building, 1. Floor
405 E 42nd St, New York

[Press Contact]
Mrs. CUI
EMAIL: qiao.cui@bcaf.org.cn
TEL: 1-6464601906

Background

In November 2023, China will assume the presidency of the United Nations Security Council. The UNSRC Chinese Book Club and the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation jointly host a themed exhibition titled "Chinese Eco Design," with support from the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations, Beijing International Design Week, and Zuo Jing Studio.

The exhibition takes place from October 5th to October 13th, 2023, at the South Wall Exhibition Hall on the first floor of the United Nations Headquarters.

Exhibition INFO

“Based on the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda goals, how do sustainable design and creative living, community renewal, and future talent more directly interact? ”

The young generationin China has actively responded to the United Nations’ development agenda through exploratory practices and international cooperation.

With the advent of the artificial intelligence era, China's "unity of nature and humanity" is providing sustainable wisdom to support the long-term development of the economy, technology, and creative industries. The integration of sustainable design into everyday life has become a globally shared concern and a new focal point for innovation and cultural diversity in China's collaborative industries.

The exhibition will present a fresh outlook on future development prospects from the perspectives of rural revitalization, recycled materials, eco-space, green art, sustainable education, cultural diversity, female creativity, and young talent.

The exhibition primarily features projects selected from the "China Eco Design | Talent Grant Program" a cultural charity venture initiative. This program was initiated in 2020 and is hosted by the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation, with support from the Beijing International Design Week and the UNESCO International Center for Creative and Sustainable Development. The exhibited projects originate from 23 different initiatives across eight provinces in China: Henan, Zhejiang, Anhui, Yunnan, Qinghai, Beijing, Sichuan, and Shanghai.

——Curator: Qiao CUI(President, Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation)

#Sustainable Creative Living

China Eco Design @ Rural Revitalization

Bamboo Theater

Hengkeng Village, Songyang, Zhejiang Province

Designer:
Xu Tiantian, DnA_Design and Architecture
©DnA_Design and Architecture

Jinyun Quarries – The Quarry as Stage

Jinyun, Zhejiang Province

Designer:
Xu Tiantian, DnA_Design and Architecture
©DnA_Design and Architecture

D&Department by Bishan Crafts Cooperatives

Bishan Village, Huangshan, Anhui Province

Zuo Jing Studio
©Bishan Crafts Cooperatives

“Sounder Voices, Community Rises” Design Series
(Design for Stage, Public Community, Rural School)

Dananpo village, Xiuwu, Henan Province

Zuo Jing Studio
©Zuo Jing Studio

China Eco Design @ Sustainable Education

Nature Art Education project

Dananpo Primary School in Xiuwu, Henan Province

Co-Organizers: Beijing Normal University, Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation, Zuojing Studio
©Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation

Eco Art Park for Kids
“New Leaves” installation

Zhejiang Province, Beijing

Designer:
Danyi Design
©Danyi Design

“Sparkle” : Left-Behind Children Craft Construction Project

China

Designer:
Li Hao, One Take Architects
©One Take Architects

BCAF-East Oasis Charity Gift Box

Organizers: Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation, Herbeast
Artists: Chen Jie, Dong Yi, local elementary school students in Tacheng, Yunnan Province
©Herbeast ©Tacheng Central School

China Eco Design @ Recycled Materials

BCAF Eco Design Series
Biodegradable trash bags X Artist Collaboration Edition

Co-Producers:
Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation
Power Station of Art, Shanghai
Designers：
Guang Yu
Ma Shirui
Yin Xiuzhen
Yung Ho Chang
©Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation

“Colo” luggage made from recycled Coca-Cola bottles

Designer:
Dragon TAN
©Dragon TAN

Planetary Systems｜Study on Coffee Residue Materials

Designers:
He Yiwen
Li Ming
©He Yiwen & Li Ming

See Life Eraser, in the Shape of Deep Sea Animal for Educational Purposes

Designers:
Zheng Yucheng & Liu Xinran
© Zheng Yucheng & Liu Xinran

Artist Edition | Eco Facial Masks “We all have our strengths”

Co-producers: Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation,
Alibaba Health Pharmacy, Alibaba Health, Zhende Medical
Designer: Cai Yidong; Illustrator: Xiahe Deman
©Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation

ECO Package Design: BCAF-Duifang Charity Box

Designer:
Shuhei Aoyama
© Shuhei Aoyama

RecyCool Guitar made from bottle cap

Designer:
Liu Heisi
©Liu Heisi

“Silent Growth” Fungal Composites Performance Research and Design Application

Designer:
Li Mingliang
© Li Mingliang

#Sustainable Community Renewal

China Eco Design @ Eco Space

West Village - Basis Yard

Chengdu, Sichuan Province

Designer:
Jiakun Liu
Jiakun Architects
©Jiakun Architects

Community Participatory Museum, Free Down Space

Shanghai

“To Be Better” Libraries Building Dwelling Thinking
The Festival of Sustainable Community Architecture and Culture

Xinyang, Henan Province

Design Renovation for Peking Union Medical College Hospital Pediatrics

Beijing

Organizer: Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation
Designers:
Wanyu He, Kuan Wang, Tianmo Wang, Peng You, Wang A
©Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation

#Sustainable Young Talent

China Eco Design @ Cultural Diversity

Chinese New Folk Craft | Dulong Arts and Craft Aid Project

Gongshan, Yunnan Province

Handmade eco wool products by Patroba Cooperative

Qinghai

Organizers:
The Phadrobha Cooperative, Three-River-Source Environmental Protection Association
© The Phadrobha Cooperative

Dejia Zero Waste Community

Dejia, Qinghai

ORGANIZATIONS

CO-HOST：

The UNSRC Chinese Book Club (UNSRC)

The UNSRC Chinese Book Club is a staff organization of the United Nations Headquarters in New York. It was founded in early 1972 by several Chinese and Chinese-American staff members who were working at the United Nations Secretariat at the time, aiming to promote Chinese culture via books and audiovisual products.

Over the past 50 years, the UNSRC Chinese Book Club has grown to host a greater variety of events and made outstanding contributions to the promotion of Chinese culture on the international stage through forms such as painting and calligraphy exhibitions, performances, lectures, and cultural exchanges.

Especially since the establishment of the United Nations Chinese Language Day in 2010, the UNSRC Chinese Book Club, as the main organizer of the annual Chinese Language Day events at the UN Headquarters, has greatly contributed to the enthusiasm in the Chinese language learning and attention to Chinese culture at the United Nations and internationally.

The UNSRC Chinese Book Club also organizes galas, trips and other forms of celebrations during traditional Chinese festivals such as the Spring Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, in an effort to raise awareness of traditional Chinese culture.

Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation（BCAF）
https://bcaf.org.cn/

The only independent art foundation and think tank in China focusing on art and humanity

Vision: To share art and culture equally with all, building a diverse civil society
Mission: To discover cultural creativity and promote art for social welfare
Values: Respect for an independent, pluralistic civil future

Founded in 2008, BCAF aims to be China’s most pioneering art foundation, supporting young talents and enhancing civil spaces. As an award-winning independent foundation, BCAF supports tax deductions for public welfare donations. By the mid-year of 2023, BCAF has hosted more than 825 events in 20 countries worldwide and supported 1,500 creative talents with grants totaling more than US$ 6 million.

SUPPORTS：

Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the UN
http://un.china-mission.gov.cn/

Beijing Design Week
https://www.bjdw.org/

Beijing Design Week is a large annual cultural event and international creative design activity held in Beijing. It is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China and the Beijing Municipal People's Government. The main activities of Beijing Design Week take place annually from September to October in Beijing.

The event consists of main components: the opening ceremony, design awards, design market, smart cities, design talent, guest cities, and design tours. It serves as a platform for both domestic and international design organizations and talents to engage in regular exhibitions, exchanges, and transactions. It aims to create a "showcasing week" for the public, an "exchange week" for professionals, and a "transaction week" for the industry.

Zuo Jing Studio

Zuo Jing Studio was founded in Shanghai in 2018, with the aim of conducting interdisciplinary cultural research and practice using local knowledge from urban and rural areas as its subject matter. Over the past decade through various research, publications, exhibitions, and physical space projects in Anhui, Guizhou, Yunnan, Zhejiang, and Henan, the studio has gradually established the basic principles of their urban-rural work: "serving the community, marking the region, and connecting urban and rural areas." These principles encompass four key domains in "social design in urban and rural areas": relationship production, space production, cultural production, and product production.

The studio follows the path of "importing urban resources into rural areas and exporting rural values to cities," emphasizing cultural creativity and sustainability. Their goal is to cultivate cultural awareness within communities and improve the local cultural environment.