People as Focus | BCAF in 2023

2023 | BCAF Work Planning

In 2023, we will continue to uphold the principles of an independent, diverse, and free civil future.

We are committed to promoting cooperation and sharing in several areas, such as talent support, think tank, and art public welfare, with a focus on people-oriented initiatives.

In 2022, we overcame the challenges of the epidemic and achieved a satisfactory outcome with our donors, partners, and funding groups. As we move forward, we are filled with hope and optimism.

We welcome like-minded partners to contact us for cooperation in any of our three focus areas:




01
ARTIST | Talent Support 

Our focus areas include international cultural cooperation, supporting youth original talent, promoting gender equality development, and integrating art and technology


02
AGORA | Think Tank Space 

We are committed to equal and authentic thought dialogue and specialize in international research, urban cooperation, and maintaining a contemporary humanities and thought library.


03
ALL | Art Public Welfare

Our aim is to create a diverse and interesting cultural life for everyone. Our focus areas include sustainable design, promoting art and growth together, providing rural children with aesthetic education, showcasing Chinese New Folk Art, and promoting art therapy.

01
ARTIST Talent Support | Free and Independent Art Expression

International Cultural Cooperation

Public Welfare Film "HEARTBEAT": A Unique Reflection on Mental Health

Producer: Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation

Produced by: Momo Technology (MOMO)

Cooperating Organizations: World Health Organization (WHO)

Director: Lee Changdong (Korea)

Lee Changdong, a famous Korean film director, has won many awards at the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals. His new movie "HEARTBEAT" is focused on mental health and depression. We hope to spread awareness and knowledge about depression through Lee's work, by showing it internationally and promoting international conversations about it.



Berggman's Film Adaptation of the Opera Cries and Whispers: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue between the New Generation and the Classics

Artists: Zou Shuang (China), Mikael Karlsson (USA), Royce Vavrek (USA)

The opera Cries and Whispers is based on Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman's movie of the same name and is co-produced internationally. It is planned to tour the world in 2025. BCAF is the "supporting organization" while the Swedish Cinematograph Company, the copyright holder of Bergman's film, is the "creative cooperation organization". An international team including Chinese young stage director Zou Shuang, American famous composer Mikael Karlsson, and playwright Royce Vavrek will explore a new model of international production and co-production touring.

Youth Original Talent

ART FOR GOOD

Open Application for Talent Support

Application Scope: Young Creators, Rural Children's Aesthetic Education, Minority Women

Support Scope: Art Creation, Art Exhibition, Art Collection, Art Residency, International Cooperation, Professional Forum, Think Tank Report, International Publishing, Art and Culture Festival, Policy Research, etc.

Contact Information:

Please send an email to hufei@bcaf.org.cn



BCAF New Voice

"NEW VOICE" invites dozens of mentors from the fields of art, design, literature, thought, film, architecture, dance, children's aesthetics, drama, music and other fields to discover the new generation of Chinese talents with us and construct a unique and true public cultural landscape. The recommended newcomers will be given priority to receive the BCAF Youth Talent Scholarship and Project Creation Fund, and be invited to participate in the global cultural exchange and international/domestic art residency projects hosted by BCAF and CaiXin Creative.



Art+

A talk show about art with no limits. We invite artists, art professionals, and people from all kinds of industries to talk about the endless possibilities of "Art + X", show examples of art in everyday life, and discuss the different values of art. It's a great way to increase your own aesthetic sense, promote aesthetic education, and support literary and artistic activities.

Art and Technology Integration

2030 CultureTech Technology and Arts Challenge

The goal of the first season of the CultureTech Arts and Technology Challenge is to help the United Nations achieve its vision of a more sustainable, equitable, prosperous, and peaceful world by 2030. In 2023, the Challenge will begin, utilizing Web 3 technology to showcase art created by indigenous and minority populations and to help preserve important cultural designs that are part of our human heritage.

02
AGORA

Chinese Alliance for Impact Culture Investment


The Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation aims to work with partners to promote sustainable culture in China. The goal is to use culture to guide investment and establish standards for developing culture in a systematic, responsible way. The aim is a sustainable future for global culture.

03
ALL

2023 "Sustainable Design Funding Program"

In 2023, BCAF plans to continue a program focused on sustainable design. The program's theme will be "Ecological Co-creation". BCAF will work with partners who care about sustainable design to create things together.

BCAF also aims to advance the idea of "New Sustainable Ecology" in 2023. The program will include categories like rural ecology, product design, visual design, user experience design, platform and game design, tourism product design, and urban community ecology.

The program will cover topics such as art and design, technology, travel, healthcare, internet technology, and new ways of agriculture and rural life.


Art grows with life

The BCAF Children's Nature Art Park highlights art made from recycled materials. By investing in the community and operating sustainably, it aims to become a flexible and innovative children's park project that locals can enjoy.



Art grows with life | BCAF rural children's aesthetic education

In 2023, BCAF's Rural Children's Aesthetic Education program will publish a "Hometown Aesthetics Reader" at the county level and continue Liu Yalan's "Four Seasons Art Class in Dananpo". The program will also collaborate with LEGO to provide rural aesthetic education and explore the possibility of creating more art education spaces in local schools. The 2023 summer camp will feature a walking aesthetic course as a part of the "Graduation Trip Together”.


For more information, contact fanglingxiao@bcaf.org.cn.


 

Rural Education Youth Artist Residency Program


Starting from 2022 and continuing through 2023, the BCAF will be selecting young artists to participate in its Rural Education Youth Artist Residency Program. The program aims to provide art education to rural Chinese schools and promote aesthetic education in rural communities. The selected artists will be teaching and engaging with students in these rural communities for a period of time. This program is part of the foundation's ongoing efforts to bridge the cultural gap between urban and rural areas and foster cultural exchange through art education.



VOGUE China Handicraft Project

In 2022, the BCAF partnered with VOGUE China magazine to produce a series of craft projects featuring traditional Chinese handicrafts. The foundation coordinated with 10 groups of ethnic Chinese craft artists to create unique works with internationally renowned designers that combine traditional and modern design. The aim was to promote Chinese handicrafts and increase international understanding and cooperation with the Chinese craft industry. The project will continue in 2023, with the same goal of promoting traditional Chinese crafts and integrating them with modern design.




Support Yunnan Dulong Women's Handicrafts

The Naze Naze project has been helping Dulong minority women in Yunnan, China to earn income by weaving handicrafts. The project has formed community weaving groups of 20-40 women over the past 8 years. The women now run their own weaving business and have exhibited and sold their crafts in Norway, the Netherlands, and London. In 2023, the project plans to create a community space for the women to gather and weave. This space will have design and reception areas to empower local women as project leaders.




Qinghai Tibetan Community Padra Nomad Cooperative

In 2021, the cooperative in Pachuo won an award for the best eco-friendly product design of China Sustainable Design Award. The cooperative's handcrafted nomadic products have become popular. 

In 2023, an eco-lodge in Sanjiangyuan is scheduled to open. BCAF plans to invite artists to the lodge and cooperative to work together on sustainability projects.

Contact Us

Partnership

Established in 2008, BCAF's mission is to "Discover cultural innovation and promote art for public good." We are committed to becoming China's most pioneering and energetic art funding foundation, supporting original and individual talents, and expanding public cultural space. We welcome partners to join us in discovering China's breakthrough cultural institutions and projects, and supporting individual artists' creative thinking and international cooperation.

Institutional cooperation:

Hu Fei (Secretary-General) hufei@bcaf.org.cn

Fang Lingxiao (Project Manager) fanglingxiao@bcaf.org.cn

Hu Anxin (Project Manager) anxin.hu@bcaf.org.cn

Media cooperation:

Wu Chenyi (Communications Manager) chenyi@bcaf.org.cn

Donation support

As China's most representative and award-winning independent public art funding foundation, BCAF enjoys tax-exempt status and pre-tax deduction status for charitable donations, as well as a 3A rating as a social organization. In the past many years, we have supported 1,400 creators, held over 800 events in 20 countries around the world, and provided funding of over 45 million RMB. Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation looks forward to your support in jointly building a vibrant and innovative cultural public welfare project.

Donors to BCAF enjoy pre-tax deduction status for charitable donations. Please indicate the project, name/address/zip code in the payment remarks so that we can arrange to mail donation certificates and receipts for charitable donations.

Donation cooperation contact:

An Jingye (Development Manager) jingye@bcaf.org.cn

Pu Xi (Development Manager) elsapuxi@bcaf.org.cn

Apichatpong Weerasethakul's "MEMORIA" is selected for the main competition unit at the 74th Cannes Film Festival

This is the first Spanish-language film by the Thai director, co-produced by BCAF, with the organization's Chairman, Qiao Cui, serving as the film's co-producer.

Weerasethakul previously won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2010 for "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" and received the Jury Prize in the main competition unit in 2004 for "Tropical Malady." "MEMORIA," shot in Colombia, is the director's sixth film to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival and his first international collaboration in the Spanish language.

The film stars Tilda Swinton, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, French actress Jeanne Balibar, who won the César Award and the San Sebastián International Film Festival Best Actress Award, and Spanish actor Daniel Giménez Cacho, among others.


"The lead actor Tilda Swinton and the director are discussing the script, and the picture is officially authorized by the production team of 'MEMORIA'."

As one of the world's most important A-list international film festivals, the 2021 Cannes Film Festival will be held from July 6th to 17th, attracting global attention from the film industry in the post-pandemic era. The festival will resume public screenings under health guidelines. Festival Artistic Director Thierry Frémaux said that this year's selection process took a year and a half, with a record number of films in the main competition unit, featuring renowned directors such as Wes Anderson, Leo Carax, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Three of the directors in the main competition unit have won the Palme d'Or, and three have won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Four of the directors are women, and eight are first-time entrants in the main competition unit. The Jury President of the main competition unit is American director and producer Spike Lee.

Movie synopsis.

"MEMORIA" follows the story of Jessica, played by Tilda Swinton, the owner of a flower farm, who hears a loud noise, a "bang," only she can hear at dawn, which is an internal voice. The film follows her adventures in Bogotá for a day, including her interactions with a French archaeologist studying human remains at a tunnel construction site, Agnes, and Hernan, who works in fish processing. By the end of the day, Jessica's voice returns to normal.


"The lead actor Tilda Swinton and the director are on set shooting, and the picture is officially authorized by the production team of 'MEMORIA'."

In 2016, the China Art Film Foundation (CAFF) was established to invest, develop, produce, and distribute high-quality, original, vibrant, and distinctive film projects. The international master directors who have collaborated with CAFF include David Lynch, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1990 and the Academy Honorary Award at the Oscars in 2020, Wim Wenders, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1984 and the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2015, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2010, and Wang Bing, winner of the Goldener Leopard at the 2017 Locarno Film Festival.


In the filming by director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the images are officially authorized by the 'MEMORIA' production team.



Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He attended Khon Kaen University and received a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1994. He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received a Master of Fine Arts in filmmaking in 1997. Honored with the Palme d'Or award at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival and the Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. He made his first short film, Bullet, in 1993. In the year 2000, his feature directorial debut "Mysterious Object at Noon" was listed as one of the best films of the year by "Film Comment" and "Village Voice." Blissfully Yours, which won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard program at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. Tropical Malady, which won a jury prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. The Thai Office of Contemporary Art and Culture also honoured Apichatpong with its 2005 Silpathorn Award for filmmaking. His feature films Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives winned the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or prize. His film Cemetery of Splendour was premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.


Born on November 5, 1960 in London, England, she is a British actress, producer, and screenwriter. Swinton began her career by appearing in Derek Jarman’s experimental films Caravaggio (1986). She next starred in Sally Potter's Orlando (1992), for which she was nominated for the European Film Award for Best Actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance in The Deep End (2001). In 2005, Tilda starred in the fantasy action film "Constantine"; that same year, she received a nomination for Best Villain at the 15th MTV Movie Awards and a nomination for Best Actress at the 32nd Saturn Awards for her role in the fantasy film "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". Swinton's performance in Michael Clayton (2007) won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. In 2009, she served as the President of the Jury for the 59th Berlin Film Festival. In 2010, Tilda appeared in the fantasy film "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." In 2013, she starred in the science fiction film "Snowpiercer," and received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 13th Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards. In 2015, she joined the South Korean adventure film "A Bigger Splash" as an actor and producer. In 2016, she appeared in the science fiction action film "Doctor Strange."

BCAF, Harvard University, and Wellesley College jointly held a dialogue lecture titled "Walking toward the End of Reality: A Discussion on Non-Fiction/Documentary Films with Liang Hong and Jia Zhangke."

Event Introduction

BCAF is honored to support the international dialogue and exchange event "Walking toward the End of Reality: A Conversation with Liang Hong and Jia Zhangke on Nonfiction and Documentary Film," jointly hosted by Harvard University and Wellesley College.

Liang Hong's book "China in One Village" was first published in 2010, and sparked a wave of nonfiction literature writing in China, establishing Liang Hong's reputation as an important recorder of social change in China. The English version of "China in One Village: the Story of One Town and the Changing World" was published by Verso Books.

This conversation on "Nonfiction and Documentary Film" will invite author Liang Hong and film director Jia Zhangke to delve into and discuss the role of "nonfiction" in literature and film.


Author Liang Hong left her ancestral village for 10 years and became a writer and university professor in Beijing. Afterwards, she began to revisit her hometown, Liang Village in Henan Province. What she saw there was a large family torn apart by the great changes in Chinese society, as well as a village hollowed out by problems such as immigration, lack of resources in education, healthcare, and environmental damage.

Liang Hong's moving narrative combines family memories, literary observations, and social commentary. This book not only became a bestseller in China but also brought her fame. "China in Liang Village" tells a story belonging to world history through the perspective of a clear-headed observer, a family, and a village.


A professor of Chinese literature at Renmin University of China, dedicated to the study of contemporary Chinese literature, rural literature, and the relationship between rural China. As a writer, she has won many awards in the literary world. In addition to her academic contributions to the study of Chinese literature in the 20th century, she is also known for her fiction and non-fiction works depicting the rapid changes in Chinese society as witnessed by her hometown of Liang Village, including "China in Liang Village", "Leaving Liang Village", "Liang Village Ten Years", "The Holy Family", and two novels "Liang Guangzheng's Light" and "Four Images". She was also one of the main narrators in Jia Zhangke's 2020 documentary "Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue."


A film director, screenwriter, and founder of the Pingyao International Film Festival. His major works include films such as "Xiao Wu", "Platform", "Unknown Pleasures", "The World", "Still Life", "24 City", "A Touch of Sin", "Mountains May Depart", "Ash Is Purest White", and "Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue", among others. He has won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival ("Still Life"), and his works have been selected multiple times for the Cannes Film Festival's main competition unit. He has also won the Best Screenplay Award ("A Touch of Sin") and the Golden horse Award at the Cannes Film Festival (Career Achievement Award).


Wang Dewei（David Wang） is the Edward C. Henderson Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University. His research areas include modern Chinese literature and comparative literature. He was elected as an academician of the Academia Sinica in 2004, selected as a Changjiang Scholar in mainland China in 2008, and elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019. He edited the Harvard New Literary History of Modern China (2015) and has published over twenty books, including Fictional Realism in Twentieth-century China: Mao Dun, Lao She, Shen Congwen (1992), Fin-de-siecle Splendor: Repressed Modernities of Late Qing Fiction, 1849-1911 (1998), The Monster That Is History: History, Violence, and Fictional Writing in Twentieth-century China (2003), The Lyrical in Epic Time: Modern Chinese Intellectuals and Artists through the 1949 Crisis (2014), and Why Fiction Matters in Contemporary China (2020).


Song Mingwei is a professor in the East Asian Studies Department at Wellesley College and is currently the department chair. His research areas include modern Chinese literature, comparative literature, and science fiction. He has published seven Chinese-language books, including The New Wave of Chinese Science Fiction, Criticism and Imagination, and Eileen Chang's Life, as well as an English-language book titled Young China: National Rejuvenation and the Bildungsroman, 1900-1959 (2015) and an upcoming book, Fear of Seeing: The Poetics and Politics of Chinese Science Fiction (2022). He has also edited The Reincarnated Giant: An Anthology of Twenty-First Century Chinese Science Fiction (2018) and other works. He has received numerous awards, including the Dirks Award from the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study and the Wang An Academic Award from the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University.


A professor at the University of California, Los Angeles and serves as the director of the China Studies Center. His primary research areas are modern Chinese literature and film. His English books include A History of Pain: Trauma in Modem Chinese Fiction and Film (2008), Jia Zhangke’s Hometown Trilogy (2009), and others, as well as Chinese-language works including Light and Shadow: Interviews with Contemporary Chinese-Language Film Directors, Jia Zhangke's Hometown Trilogy, and Time for Boiling the Sea: Hou Hsiao-hsien's Cinematic Record. He has also translated works from Chinese to English, including Wang Anyi's The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai, Yu Hua's To Live, and Zhang Dachun's Wild Kids and My Sister, Wuhe's Remains of Life: A Novel, and Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City.


Li Jie is an associate professor in the East Asian Studies Department at Harvard University. His research areas include modern Chinese literature and film. Her major works include Shanghai Homes: Palimpsests of Private Life (2014), Utopian Ruins: A Memorial Museum of the Mao Era (2020), and an upcoming book, Cinematic Guerrillas: Maoist Propaganda as Spirit Mediumship (2022). She was a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University from 2012-2013.

Bilingual Forum on Shuang Xuetao’s Literature Works

BCAF Exclusive Interview with Shuang Xuetao | Literature is a moving torch, lit by oneself, held by oneself, illuminating some places while running.

BCAF Exclusive Interview with Shuang Xuetao

As for the future literary path, I don't think too much. Perhaps I have a turbulent soul. I sit at home, surrounded by peaceful time, and cast everything that stirs me onto paper.

The writer Shuang Xuetao uses a literary style that mixes realism, mysticism, and black humor to pick up the forgotten fragments of Northeastern China's past and bring them together in a "Northern Wonderland" built through imagination. Using surrealism to balance the harsh naturalism and facing the hopeless environment with poignant humor.



He has become one of the most watched young writers in the literary world today, having won many honors including the First Huawen World Film Novel Award, the Annual Young Writer of the Third One-way Street Bookstore Literary Award, and the First Bao Po Ideal Country Literary Award.

In April, Harvard University, Rutgers University, the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation, and the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation jointly held a bilingual forum entitled "Moses on the Plains: Shuang Xuetao and the New Northeastern Literature," which received a great deal of attention from many readers. After the event, BCAF collected some of the readers' questions and was honored to invite Shuang Xuetao to respond to these questions about the present, literature, and himself.

The following Q&A is Shuang Xuetao's response to the reader questions exclusively compiled by the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation.

Q: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your literary creation and lifestyle? What role should literature play in social topics?

Shuang Xuetao: There has definitely been a big change in lifestyle, with a much smaller range of activities. Every day, there are different reports that force you to think, distinguish, and predict, but most things are still unclear. The main emotions are anger and confusion. What role literature should play in the era is an old question that runs through the history of modern and contemporary Chinese literature. Personally, I think the meaning of literature is to write about oneself, one's feelings, thoughts, attitudes, and so on. Literature is a moving torch, lit by oneself, held by oneself, illuminating some places while running.



Q: What are your expectations for the international exchange of literature and film? How do you maintain an author's independence and cautiousness in seeking information amidst a turbulent world?

Shuang Xuetao: I hope that Chinese literature and Chinese films will not give up their efforts to go global, and that the world will also get to know more about Chinese art. These artists are connected to reality on one hand and have their own unique artistic pursuits on the other, both of which are important and cannot be ignored. An author's independence can only be achieved by oneself, and of course, some luck is needed as well.



Q: What is the biggest change in your personality and perspective from childhood to now?

Shuang Xuetao: The biggest change is that I have become more practical and have found a job that I love.

Announcement of the results of the 2022 Eco Design Grant

BCAF aims to "enable more people to freely and equally share cultural arts, and build a diverse human civil society." It is committed to becoming China's most socially innovative, pioneering and dynamic funding arts foundation and creative platform. Under the continued impact of the pandemic, the coexistence of human creativity and natural environment has become a global focus.

Promoting open collaboration in "eco design" is one of BCAF's core strategic areas.

This year, BCAF established the "BCAF Eco Design Public Welfare Venture Capital Special Fund" to help incubate and upgrade China's creative industry. As the first cultural public welfare venture capital in China's art and public welfare industry, the special fund aims to facilitate innovative cross-border collaborations, while providing investment assistance and comprehensive cooperation resources, and is committed to enhancing the public nature of projects in response to social issues.


From August 8th to November 30th, 2022, the organizing committee received nearly 300 valid applications from all over the country, covering a variety of types of public environment practice involving public participation: initial landing of public facilities in urban communities, revitalization and co-construction of old street blocks and communities, sustainable materials for daily products, popularization of public participation in ecological diversity protection products and flat games, etc.

After professional review by 22 judges, the best works in five funding areas were selected from about 90 shortlisted projects, each with one winner, and two outstanding works, for a total of 15 designers/teams who received the final honor and funding.

Sincere congratulations to all creators for their persistence in ideals and practical efforts, and we look forward to continuing to practice the idea of sustainable ecological environment with more friends, gathering a bit of action from the perspective of public participation!

Special articles on the funded projects, designers and teams will be released in January 2023.

#01
Public Space Design

Judging Comments:

"Focusing on the wind energy industry, turning industrial waste into public urban furniture, solving sustainability problems while involving the public to co-build community space, with outstanding visual patterns and eye-catching shapes that are refreshing. Some completed projects in Europe have shown the good prospects of this project."

-Shuhei Aoyama, Founder and Chief Architect of B.L.U.E. Architecture

"Through material reshaping, the (Superuse) team has made its own exploration and practice, with experimentation."

-Zhou Zishu, Associate Professor at the Central Academy of Fine Art Design School, Director of the Social Design Teaching and Research Office, and interdisciplinary designer and researcher.

Project Description:

Superuse was founded in the Netherlands in 1997. The studio is renowned worldwide for its innovative design methods and "open source" design approaches. In December 2016, Superuse China was registered in Beijing, China, and named "Yuanzao Sustainable Design Consulting Co., Ltd." "BladeMade " is a wind turbine blade recycling product launched by Superuse, which uses materials from the wind energy industry to make public furniture, such as benches and tables.




Judges' Comments:

"(The Jubaoyuan Community Project) has made its own exploration and practice in community activation. It has obvious advantages in terms of scale."


Project Overview:

The renovation of an old community in Nanning, Guangxi Province faced many challenges, such as poor overall conditions, difficulty in renovation, complex resident structure, difficult reconciliation of people's demands, and high demand for supporting facilities and later management resources. The design of the Jubaoyuan Community Garden consists of mini spaces distributed in idle areas of the community. By creating a public space where everyone can work and discuss together, based on the spatial network created by the garden, flower enthusiasts and neighbors can build new neighborly relationships, reconstruct the relationship between people and nature, and improve the relationship between people. The Jubaoyuan Council was established under the opportunity of the renovation of the old community. By discussing community space issues with flower enthusiasts, it promotes the autonomy and governance of residents in the renovated community. After the project is completed, it will achieve the future sustainable operation of both "material" and "non-material" improvements in the old community.





Judges' Comments:

"As a three-year urban micro-renewal project, as a microcosm of Chengdu, it shows how to activate an old community through combined renewal. The slopes that can be seen everywhere provide convenience for all age groups, and the operation strategy of social and market parallelism, the art exhibition for young people, and the shared canteen for the elderly inject sustainable and passionate vitality into the community while providing community services."


"(The Alley Phase II) has made its own exploration and practice in spatial creation, highlighting completeness."


Project Overview:

The Alley Phase II·Renewal of Community Public Spaces project is located at 26 Yulin Sanxiang, Wuhou District, Chengdu, Sichuan Province. The project started design in 2018 and was completed in July 2022 after three phases of upgrades. From the landing of the friendly space in the Alley community in 2020, to the upgrade of the Yulin East Road community party and mass service center and the front platform of the service center in 2021, to the transformation and upgrading of the Mutual Forest Shared Canteen, supporting buildings, and Yudong Garden Square in 2022. As an urban micro-renewal project, the design and function can grow with feedback and time through the phased design and use process. Nhoow Architects team formed a community scene with fuzzy boundaries through flexible design and flexible spatial layout. People of all ages, genders, and backgrounds can enjoy their favorite life while also experiencing and appreciating the lives of others, feeling friendly and beautiful together.

#02
Public Product Desgin

Review comments:

"Paper is the carrier of human culture dissemination, in modern consumption people give it more packaging function, especially in the information society, more cartons are inundated in logistics express, the large amount of discarded carton recycled application is a problem that has yet to be solved in achieving sustainable development. This project desings 'Regeneration Paper' as colorful lamps, and in the form of public art methods transfers environmental protection information, widely winning positive participation from society, forming a good interactive relationship with the consuming public, redefining the new consumption value of sharing and respect for the environment. The project theme is highly pertinent and the work is complete and its artistic and innovative aspects have provided a good demonstration for many problems that need to be solved in sustainable development."

"Regenerated paper turns into practical pieces of art, while also maintaining environmental value, while also creating a fantastic atmosphere."


Project introduction:

AaaM Architects (Architecture as a Medium) is a design and research studio established in 2015 by three young architects in Hong Kong, who have led the design of various types and sizes of architecture and design projects both domestically and abroad. In the topic of sustainable development, AaaM Architects has always been concerned with the community participation approach and the issue of spatial publicness from the bottom up, and by means of architectural design, community installations, and curatorial exhibitions, brings sustainable concepts into the public's daily lives. Through the exploration of Recycled material making from waste, such as waste to energy bags, and using it to design lamps with a strong architectural feel.





Judges' Comments:

"Through design, the use of plastic in cosmetics has been reduced, and the possibility of product recycling has been provided. The design of the products is also comfortable and pleasant."


"International brands are researching 'capsule replacement packaging' and 'recycled material packaging.' East Beast has turned these international concepts into practical, mass-produced solutions. This clever move uses high-end and atmospheric aesthetics to solve the problem of the beauty and daily chemical industry's large-scale plastic packaging pollution and recycling."

Project Introduction:

"Regeneration Ceramic Design" by Dongbian Beast is dedicated to upgrading and rejuvenating waste and giving it new life by putting it back into life. In Jingdezhen, the “City of Porcelain”, three to five percent of production of ceramics results in scraps and over one million tons of waste ceramics are illegally dumped in urban landfills or villages. Over ten million tons of ceramics are discarded in China every year. By cooperating with local factories in Jingdezhen, Dongbian Beast uses its "Regeneration Ceramic Technology" to upgrade and regenerate the recovered ceramics into containers for face creams (Jingdezhen White Porcelain Edition), which are made up of 90% or more recycled ceramics.


Skin Care Product Replacement Design

Given that it is not possible to completely eliminate plastic, the more practical approach is to reduce its use and provide the possibility for products to be reused. Dongbian Beast therefore proposed a solution - the replacement core model. Durable exteriors and replaceable cores, while minimizing the use of materials for the cores, and ensuring that the cores can enter the recycling system.



Judging comments:

"This project is quite unique. There are many ways to raise pets and create a friendly environment, but raising solitary bees is quite unconventional. As a way to promote urban ecological diversity for a niche group, it stands out. The modular design is inspired by the structure of a bee's nest and is cleverly designed with innovation. It allows for the observation of the growth process of solitary bees, allowing us to understand the endless cycle of nature and experience the impermanence of life."


"The Urban Solitary Bee Project uses a simple, compact, low-cost, and replicable approach to promote ecological diversity. Bees have a lever effect on the food chain, and supporting bees is supporting the flourishing of biodiversity. The only thing I hope is that I won't get stung by bees!"


Project overview:

Solitary bees are pollinators different from honeybees, and they play a crucial role in restoring and maintaining urban biodiversity. MUU is a solitary bee nesting system designed for large cities. Based on ecological research, the design reintroduces pollinating organisms suitable for urban ecology, i.e. solitary bees, to promote urban biodiversity. The design also takes into account the importance of citizen participation, allowing everyone to use the MUU system in public spaces or private gardens and participate in the protection of urban biodiversity.

#03
Public Graphic Design

Judges' comments:

"The Lu Lake Sustainable Map is a fully three-dimensional public welfare project that can effectively mobilize people of different ages and professions to continue and inherit cultural ideas through diverse and colorful creative forms, making creation not limited to individuals and artists, and allowing cultural participants to become the subject of creation. With various forms and strong infectivity, it leaves a deep impression on people."


"Centered around environmental protection in the community, the project links the creativity of young people inspired through "language perception," "labor perception," "painting perception," and "rhythm perception" with the environmental awareness and practices of the elderly. It not only realizes the sustainable design intention but also fully reflects the importance of games, experiences, and perception in community education."


Project Overview:

UrbanxRural is a youth social innovation team composed of architects and social workers, dedicated to carrying out cultural creation projects in urban and rural communities. "The History of Luhu Lake on the Map - Luhu Lake Sustainable Map" is a social innovation project implemented by UrbanxRural, funded by the Luhu Lake Community Development Foundation in Chengdu. The Luhu Lake community in Chengdu is known for its rich humanistic atmosphere and beautiful natural ecological environment. However, the increasing number of tourists has also put immense pressure on the large areas of lake water and vegetation. In the community, there is a group of retired elderly people who are committed to protecting the natural environment and silently making the community environment better through their own efforts. Among them, a retired engineer from the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched the "No Littering" public welfare project in the community, a retired teacher is dedicated to removing the invasive snails, and a former rural village chief initiated a community farm in Luhu Lake... They are unknown but hold fast to their original intentions with nature. In order to better convey the concept of natural environmental protection to the young people in the Luhu Lake community and the whole society, they jointly launched the "History of Luhu Lake on the Map - Luhu Lake Sustainable Map" project. Through the interactive "game" between young people and Luhu Lake elderly people, they create a social design experimental field, allowing the concept of natural environmental protection to construct itself in the hearts of children and spontaneously grow through cross-generational interaction between the body and the mind.




Evaluation Comments:

"Community life is the most basic social gathering area. The Qixi Ecological Community Board Game project is dedicated to creating a 'healthy, beautiful, and sustainable' ecological concept, using board games to promote community cultural construction. It has a very good promotion and practicality, and has a very good role in utilizing and learning from sustainable community culture."


"Using board games to inspire public welfare construction in the Qixi Ecological Community can effectively mobilize people with different professional backgrounds to participate together, and promote the effect of everyone's public welfare with a low-threshold and easy way of participation. This is not only beneficial to ecological construction, but also constitutes a cultural atmosphere in which everyone participates."


"Extracting the community spirit from daily life experience, using games as a carrier, inspiring the public's emotional imagination of nearby spaces, and thus arousing exploration of local practical actions. The translation between reality and games, the integration of knowledge and action in the form of entertainment, presents the Qixi Ecological Community's appearance and sustainable living concept in a diverse and three-dimensional way."



Project Description:

Runrunstudio's founder, Arun (Guo Runkun), has been exploring beauty and education in sustainable living and entrepreneurship in the Qixi Ecological Community in Zhongshan for three years. He has been nourished and supported by the community and has felt the power of sincere connections between people on the land. In the past two years, on each New Year's Day, Arun has drawn a hand-drawn map of the community, recording the process of the community's growth and changes. The Qixi Ecological Community Board Game is an extension of the hand-drawn map project in the past two years. Starting from the local life of the Qixi Ecological Community, it designs a board game that shares and promotes the practice of a "healthy, beautiful, and sustainable" life.





Judges' comment:

"Great insight! It calls for attention to the visible light of the rapid development of the city, which has invisible impacts on the environment. The project analyzes and extracts the impacts through systematic design thinking and innovative interaction between virtual and physical. It expresses its views in the form of an art design work."


Project introduction:

The development of the night economy has led to materialistic hedonism, which brings many negative impacts on the ecological system such as light pollution and noise pollution. The work systematically studies the possibility of gene mutations and ecosystem construction in future plant communities caused by light and noise pollution. It simulates the pollution environment through sensor interaction and data signal visualization, simulating the mutation process and showing the form of future plant gene expression.



"Baccus Garden", created from June to October 2022, made of sound sensors, infrared sensors, light sensors, mechanical two-degree freedom claws, Arduino accessories, 3D printing resin acrylic, degradable fabrics, mechanical power components, display screens, liquid vessels, pipelines, LED lights, metal components, plastic, etc. The size of the work is 100cm100cm100cm. Image source: Hu Yuanyuan. Swipe left and right to browse all project introductions.



Judges' comment:

"The starting point of the work has a humanistic spirit. Technology is always more than just efficiency, it should be a new way to help us better understand and care for ourselves. As the German philosopher Kant said: man is not a tool of anyone, but the goal of oneself."


Project introduction:

The project developed a flexible EEG brainwave monitoring headband based on biological materials and a human-machine interaction system. It helps people relieve mental stress in a more comfortable and interesting way, pay more attention to themselves, and fill the gap caused by the lack of intimate personal attention and interaction in the background of the pandemic. The project visualizes people's emotional states through a dynamic interactive device. Integrating neuroscience and textile technology, using the audience's brainwave data as input, each kind of brainwave data is expressed with a liquid color. People can control the liquid screen's patterns (the flow rate of the liquid) through thinking, meditation, and other different consciousness states. These liquid-flowing pipelines are like the "external blood vessels" of human beings, giving users real-time feedback on space outside the body, and at this moment, people and fabric seem to be symbiotic living beings.



Judges' comment:

"The work is pragmatic, systematic, and sustainable. It reduces energy consumption and human resources by using natural energy to recycle marine pollution. The design thinking system and the work presentation are complete."


Project introduction:

The Pacific Ocean contains 9 million metric tons of plastic waste, some of which flows into surrounding ports with ocean currents, posing a threat to the ecological environment of the ports. The government has to spend a lot of manpower to clean up the surrounding garbage.

This project utilizes natural ocean currents and waves generated by fishing boats for garbage collection, without the need for electricity. The collected ocean plastic waste is made into modular products that can be adapted to different types of ports.

#05
Youth x Creative Eco Design

Judges' comments:

"This project is the most basic and sustainable practice. Starting from the surroundings, making the most of the materials, and combining local and ethnic characteristics, it enhances the charm of sustainability and is worth encouraging."


Project introduction:

Suomahua Primary School is one of the key public welfare projects of Sichuan Azalea Charity Foundation, located in the mountainous area of Xichang City, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, with an altitude of 2100 meters. It is a pure public welfare primary school with 157 students. The school's educational philosophy is "nurturing love and talent with love."

During their free time, the students used discarded egg packaging to make wind chimes, painted them with the three primary colors of the Yi ethnic minority: red, black, and yellow, and wrote blessings on them. No matter what situation they are in or how the times change, they will never give up their pursuit of a better life.




Judges' comments:

"This plan pays attention to social reality. It not only has specific implementation objects but also has a complete implementation plan. The applicant has fully considered project research, problem analysis, project execution, and promotion."


Project introduction:

Where does garbage come from and where does it go? The Environmental Protection Team of Hunan Normal University, in collaboration with Changsha Waste Incineration Power Plant and Chengdu Shani Community, customized an online and offline, theoretical and practical garbage classification theme education activity for primary school students, using "Buke Xi" as the focal point. Students observe the "transformation of garbage" during the weekend factory tour, experience the technological elements and humanistic care of garbage disposal, and connect with environmental entrepreneurs online to explore the past and present of "Buke Xi." "I give garbage classification" goes from the classroom to life, becoming a faithful practitioner of environmental protection and public welfare - let old things cycle, and let life continue.




Judges' comments:

"Although this plan deviates from the concept of 'sustainability' to some extent in terms of theme, it also focuses on vulnerable groups in society and creatively provides a design solution. Although there may be some difficulties in specific implementation, the spirit of innovation is worth encouraging."


Project introduction:

The designer is an 11-year-old child from Shenzhen, who loves life, likes to think and solve problems, and pays attention to technology and humanities. He loves to work with his hands and creates various works using various materials in life. It is difficult for traffic police to manage the chaotic electric vehicles, which requires a lot of manpower for supervision. With the increasing number of electric vehicles, the young designer designed a robot police officer to manage pedestrian walkways and electric vehicles - Pedestrian Little Eye. It is set up at every intersection, can shoot, track, and remind electric vehicles, collects stubbornly chaotic electric vehicles for big data analysis and archiving, and provides targeted education and governance by traffic police.

The English translation of this book, Winter Pasture: One Woman's Journey with China's Kazakh Herders, was published in the United States on Feb 23rd, 2021, by Astra Publishing House.

Honored to support the publicity of this book, Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation (BCAF) initiated and co-founded the online panel discussion, "A Writer's Journey to Altay, Northern Xinjiang: A Conversation with Li Juan," with Fairbank Center for China Studies at Harvard University, Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, Wellesley College, and Yale University.

Scan QR code to watch the recording

Panelists

David Wang

Edward C. Henderson Professor of Chinese Literature at Harvard University, and Academician at Academia Sinica.

Mingwei Song

Associate Professor at Wellesley College, ph.D at Columbia University

Qiao Cui

President of Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation

Kyle Shernuk

ph.D at Yale University

Review of the Panel

Born in Xinjiang and grew up in Sichuan Province, Li Juan has a unique experience of traveling between the Han culture and the Kazakh minority group. In her youth, Juan learned to sew and run a small convenience store with her mother, living in Altay, a town where Kazakh nomads shopped. Later, she worked in a factory in the city of Urumqi. In 2003, she became a civil servant until 2008, when she became a full-time writer. The most famous four of her works are The Sheep Path: Spring Pasture; The Sheep Path: Summer Pasture at the Front Mountain; The Sheep Path: Summer Pasture at the Inner Mountain; Winter Pasture. In Winter Pasture, Juan wrote about her experiences of living with a Kazakh family and traveling with them across the vast northern land during the winter.


"Winter Pasture is a sincere, beautiful, and poetic book. It not only shows the geographic scene of the Altay region but also depicts Kazakh's nomadic life with the closest eyes. The author entered as a passerby, but she immersed herself completely into this experience. It is truly a touching work with an immense depth of introspection." Mingwei Song commented.

Juan first moved to Altay when she was nine and lived there intermittently for ten to twelve years. Though her physical distance with Altay was always changing, her connection with it was profound. In her thirties, Juan got a chance to work on an individual project under the funding of The People's Literature Magazine, so she decided to come back to the Altay. Living with a Kazakh family, the Cuma family, she helped them take their 30 boisterous camels, 500 sheep, and over 100 cattle and horses across the vast cold land to pasture for the winter.


"Agriculture is hard for the Kazakh people. Nomadism is the easiest lifestyle here, though arduous. People have to migrate like animals. They follow the grassland. When the snow melts in Spring, there's no water in the Gobi Desert, so they have to move to north, following the speed of snow-melting. Across the Ulungur River is the vast spring pasture, suitable for sheep farming. They stay there for a longer period. When the sheep eat all the grasses up, they move to the summer pasture. After staying there for the whole summer, they leave before the first snow. Such an ancient way of life is extremely hard."

Though challenging, Kazakh's nomadic life also reveals their intimate bond with nature. They make accommodation to the way of nature spontaneously, living a sustainable life. However, the Cuma family decided to stop their nomadic life soon. When Juan first joined the Cuma family, she had already heard news about polices of settlement. To settle the herders down is a huge project, but it is gradually happening. Juan said she began to hear news about her past neighbors finding jobs in the cities. To some extent, Winter Pasture recorded the very last actual nomadic life of the Kazakh people.


As a Han Chinese, Li Juan not only experienced a different way of life but also encountered a completely different culture. The Kazakh people are an ethnic minority group in China, while Han people have the most population. "When you enter the Kazakh world alone, it's easier to set aside your stereotypes. After fully immersing in their lifestyle, it's very easy to understand them. It even easy to accept something you never understood before or stood against with." Juan said. The winter pasture experience changed her. It made her softer.

Though immersing herself entirely into the Kazakh lifestyle, Juan was still mindful of her role as an outsider. She recommended the writers also read the works of her friend, Yerkesy Hulmanbiek. "When I was writing, I couldn't help but observe through an outsider's lens and focus on the difference, but Yerkesy is different. She is an insider. She is a Kazakh but wrote in Chinese. That is another cultural lens. Her words are truly brave and touching. Hope you can read her work one day."

Juan expressed she would not go back to live with the Kazakh family again. "Before, I was nobody, just a common villager. But now, if I go back as a writer, it will be hard for me to live with them like before. The change of my role will inevitably influence the way I interact with them."

During the panel, Mingwei Song brought up an interesting anecdote: Once, her friend, Zhou Yi, visited Juan's mom. After hearing Yi was from Shanghai, her mom said, "Shanghai is good, just too remote."

The anecdote offered a brand-new perspective toward cultural differences and relationalities. "Though Xinjiang is at the northwest of China, the most remote region, it is actually the center of Asia." Mingwei pointed out. Xinjiang people always have such a mindset-- no matter how developed the east coast is, they always take their homeland as the center of the world, the land where their forefathers lived.

"How do you write a culture you are not familiar with?" Kyle asked.

"I think no matter who you encounter, as long as you try to understand them, you will find it easy. It needs patience and tolerance, a lot of tolerance, but at last, you will always find them touch you and attract you."

However, Juan's attitude toward cultural difference changes when it comes to language. She took translation as a secondary creation, a process not very relevant to the original work---- "It's my great honor that my work got translated into English, but once it is translated, it's not my work anymore. It is based on my work, but it does not have a strong relationship with me. The barrier of language and culture causes that."


While being asked about the writing style, Juan said she never chose a writing style intentionally. "I just wrote what I saw, heard, thought, and observed. People said I was writing nonfiction. Well, that's just what they say. Without that term, I don't think what I wrote was too much different from fiction..."

"What I wrote is just my memory. I write because I have something that I feel attached to. I would rather say I’m consoling myself than saying I’m creating something new. Yeah. My writing is just for this. Consoling myself."


*Transcribed by Pei Xu, Qianqian Chen
Translated and edited by Elsie Wang

Immersive Show “INTEGRATE”

2021.06.11-2021.06.20

Location
Shanghai WESTBUND DOME

BCAF is honored to recommend Shen Wei, a dancer, choreographer and visual artist, and his latest immersive multimedia production “INTEGRATE”. The production premiered in Shanghai on the 11th June at the WEST BUND DOME as part of the Shanghai International Arts Festival’s new Artra unit. “INTEGRATE” will open the door until 20th June.

Together with dancers from southern China’s Guangdong Modern Dance Co., the Shanghai-based Xiexin Dance Theater, and the vareity show “Dance Storm”, Shen created an immersive art feast, combining performance and visual arts, culminating in a multi-sensory experience of performance intertwined with paintings, videos, installation, sounds and more.


The one-hour production begins with an exhibition of Shen's painting, photography and installations. The second part is a video of dancers practicing action arts in the streets of Shanghai and New York filmed and edited by Shen, with audiences seated in a circle facing four large screens. When the screens are raised, 32 dancers are seen spread across a 900-square-meter chessboard-style stage in the center of the venue. In the third part of the show, dancers perform right in front of the audience while staining themselves with paintings.

Shen spent five months in China’s Hainan Province for creating “INTEGRATE” and produced more than 60 art works for the production.

“INTEGRATE is an exploration into the potentials of creative art forms and an opportunity for people to observe their inner self. We work toward the same goal with different methods. We situated in different physical location yet connected in mental space. As distinct individuals, we collborate to rebuild.” Shen said in an interview.

“Homo sapiens aren’t as wise since we create more issues than solutions. We must stop harming each other. Born of the same root, why torment each other so cruelly?”

“ In my works,I’ve always try to remove the labels that society places on us. I hope we can all be an independent individual living in this universe.”

“Beauty is born from inspirations and maturity.”

“The most important quality of being colleague is to respect and preserve our differences.”

“Even the photographer says that I do not look like a wedding dress tailor! : )”

“It was only until now that I realized the colors I’ve been searching for are in my childhood hometown”

“People look at others through prejudiced lens, not their eyes！”

Li Wei

Li Wei was born in 1981 in Beijing and graduated in 2007 from the Third Studio of the Sculpture Department at CAFA with a Bachelor’s Degree. Li now lives and work in Beijing.

Li has held many solo exhibitions including Fairy Tale at Tang Contemporary Art (Beijing) in 2020; Hearsay & Spring at Pro Helvetia (Winterthur) and Cellar and Garret at Klrin Sun Gallery (New York) in 2017; Secure for Now at Studio9 & X Gallery (Hong Kong), F2 Gallery (Paris) and Primo Marella Gallery (Turin) in 2016; Still Nobody Cares at A2Z Art Gallery (Paris) and Nobody Cares at Red Brick Art Museum (Beijing) in 2015; Peace at Primo Marella Gallery (Milan) in 2014; Thank God at BalleryYang (Beijing) and Confessional at A2Z Art Gallery (Paris) in 2013; Hero at Today Art Museum (Beijing) in 2013; Unpeaceful Christmas Eve - “A Block of Cake” at Copy Café (Beijing) in 2010; The Hollow Men at Hand Art Gallery (Beijing) in 2009.

Li Wei has also been invited to participate in 2014 Asia Triennial Manchester and 4th Guangzhou Triennial 2012, and exhibit at Rietberg Museum, Mülheim Museum, Lille Art Center and Today Museum. The artist’s works have been added to many public art institutions’ collection including the DSL Collection (Paris), White Rabbit Gallery (Sydney), Foundation Louis Vuitton (Paris) and Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo (Turin).

Lu Yang

As a multimedia artist, Lu Yang’s works revolve around themes such as mortality, androgyny, hysteria, existentialism and spiritual neurology. Taking inspiration and resources from animation, video gaming, and science fiction subcultures, Lu produces his fatties through mediums including 3D animation, immersive video game installation, holographic, live performances, virtual reality, and computer programming. Lu Yang engages in collaboration on a regular basis with scientists, psychologists, musicians, producers, dancers, celebrities, robotics companies and other professionals from different fields.

Lu has attracted much attention and gained international acclaim from the art community. The artist has held solo exhibitions at UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, M WOODS Beijing, Cc Foundation Shanghai, Spiral Tokyo, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Société Berlin and MOCA Cleveland. Lu has also participated in several international biennials and triennials such as 2018 and 2012 Shanghai Biennial, 2018 Athens Biennale, 2016 Liverpool Biennial, 2016 Montreal International Digital Art Biennale, China Pavilion, the 56th Venice Biennale, and 2014 Fukuoka Triennial. In 2019, Lu became the 8th BMW Art Journey winner and begun his latest digital reincarnation project, DOKU. In 2020, Lu has been invited to join the “Neurons, Simulated Intelligence” exhibition at Centre Pompidou Paris.

You See We Feel Opening Review

Exhibition Preview: You See We Feel

*To ensure a better experience, there will be a limit on the number of visitors on weekends. Please follow the exhibition's social media account for registration information and reserve your spot in advance.

You See We Feel

It's rare to encounter the visually impaired in public spaces, but they are among us, living their own lives.

Visual impairment is a significant public health and socio-economic issue, and it can seriously affect people's quality of life, employment opportunities, and education. Globally, around 2.2 billion people are affected by visual impairment or blindness, with 8.69 million people in China alone suffering from blindness and 4.67 million having severe visual impairment. Visual impairment ranks second in the number of people affected by disabilities, second only to hearing loss. There is no doubt that visual impairment is a real problem in our world.

If you cannot observe with your eyes, why not use other senses to understand the world? The invention of Braille allows us to have a shared understanding of literature and written information. Similarly, accessible design helps visually impaired individuals shape their future and plays a vital role in promoting inclusive communities. This exhibition is based on the "Being the Light of Your World" project initiated by Alibaba Health Design, which has developed the first Chinese Braille phonetic library to build a bridge for the visually impaired community to communicate with the world. Most importantly, this exhibition aims to showcase the lives of visually impaired individuals through art, calling for public attention to public welfare and accessible design and how they can promote a more inclusive world.

The exhibition is organized by the Alibaba Health Design team, with Alibaba Public Welfare as the host, and co-hosted by Alibaba Health, the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation, and the Danish Cultural Center.

#01
Title: "Their World | Exhibition Works Introduction"

Exhibition Piece: "Life Diary"



▲ Installation / Mixed Materials Creator: Zhang Han, Yan Bo, Li Chao

1001 pieces of daily objects inscribed with Braille that tell the story of life.


"365"


▲ Wall Installation / Mixed Materials Created by Zhang Han

When the secret words of daily communication that are not so special are "concretized" and multiplied by 365, the love will be hidden in every dot crossed by the fingertips,

and the stories of the two people will be told slowly. In all the beautiful existence in the world, maybe there should be a piece of paper short love in Braille.


"Aqua"


▲ Video images Created by Ryuichi Sakamoto

This song comes from BTTB, The healing album of individual pian solo issued by Ryuichi Sakamoto in 1999. BTTB refers To Back To The Basic (returning To its original nature), which is one of its repre sentative works. In February 2020, Ryuichi Sakamoto also presen ted this song to Chinese families in the epidemic, sharing the power of artistic comfort and healing.


"7 Nights"


▲ Installation / Mixed Materials Creator: Yan Bo, Wang Da Ke, Li Chao

Except for visually impaired people who are born blind, all people ha ve images, pictures and sounds in their dreams, and they are also reall y illusory. Alibaba Health Design invited 7 visually impaired people f rom the accessibility information association to describe their dreams,

and then created digital art through AI technology, presenting 7 Real and different dream images.


"I Wish"


▲ Mixed media images Created by: Li Chao

Massage bed is a true reflection of the profession of visually impaired people, an d it is also a professional prejudice. Creation attempts to express the possibility o f various occupations through creative Chinese Braille translation means, that is, everyone should be able to make his or her own decision in the process of career choice.


"Blind Choice"


▲ Documentary Film Creator: Wan Qing

The film focused on the employment limitations of visually impaired people, and involved issues such as t ravel inconvenience, employment discrimination, educational segregation, policy restriction, and gender in justice. It was filmed and produced in 2015 as a graduation project of Wan Qing at Sun Yat-sen University, with the financial support of the NGO "ACTogether". This exhibition will present a versio n with audio description Wan Qing made this year.


"Alibaba Health Design"


▲Video images Created by Alibaba Health Design

By interviewing the creation process and stories behind Alibaba Health font, we introduced the social welfare value of the project's creativity, that is, to provide barrier free tools with low thresholds, let people participate in the original intention and conception of public welfare more easily.


"The Braille Experience"




▲ Installation / Mixed media / Interactive

Step 1. Take a blank card of "your favorite text" and place it face down on the Braille writing board.
Step 2. Place the text face down on the Braille writing board, aligning the bottom with the edge of the paper.
Step 3. Using a braille pen, press the braille template against the corresponding text.

If you are interested in Braille writing during the exhibition, you can get a blank bookmark card for free in this area. To facilitate the operation, we have created four sets of text in advance with Alibaba health font. You can follow these steps. When you successfully complete the experience, it can be used as a special commemoration for a long time, letting the light shine on every moment of your life.

#02
Exhibition Event｜Weekend Special Project

"All That Remains to be Seen"



Director: Julie Bezerra Madsen
Genre: Documentary
Country: Denmark
Language: Danish with Chinese subtitles
Time: 2022
Set: 71 minutes
Screening time: 2023.3.11 14:00

When Silas was 6 years old, he was diagnosed with an inherited eye disease. How do you get a child to accept the abstract fact that his world is turning black? This film follows a blind mother as she struggles to guide her son through the impending possibility of blindness and the fears he should overcome in the midst of life.

"The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic"



Director: Teemu Nikki
Genre: Feature film
Country: Finland
Language: Finnish with Chinese subtitles
Time: 2021
Running time: 82 minutes
Screening time: 2023.3.11 15:30

The film tells the story of a blind man in a wheelchair who is a movie buff and has a rich collection of DVDs at home. At the same time, he has always loved a girl, but they never meet, only communicate by phone. One day, he learns that the girl is seriously ill and fears that he will not see her one last time, so he embarks on an unexpected and elaborate journey.

Youku Accessible Theatre



Listen to a movie in a different way.

Screening time: 2023.3.18/19 14:00 Total 2 shows

"Love in the image, unimpeded information." Ali Cultural Entertainment, driven by technology and social responsibility, takes film and television content as a breakthrough point, and fully connects Ali Cultural Entertainment and film resources through interactive video and voice technology. By gathering the power of technology, they aim to create an online and offline platform for 17 million visually impaired people in the country to watch movies for free continuously. This event allows participants to experience the movie-watching experience of visually impaired individuals in person.

#03
Public Donation

To this end, the organizer specially designed a medicine box that can be self-labeled Braille, and will donate it to China Blind Association after the exhibition.

Organizational Structure

Open Call ｜Emerging Artists for Rural Art Education

As Goethe once said, "There is no better deliverance from the world than through art, and a man can form no surer bond with it."


The Ministry of Education has recognized that aesthetic education is an essential part of quality education. It is not only about teaching art and culture but also about mental health, individuality, understanding, and empathy. With positive aesthetic education, our lives can be more fulfilling, and our society can become more humane.

In 2023, the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation (BCAF) and Zhejiang Zhipu Public Welfare Foundation are launching the "Emerging Artists Open Call for Rural Art Education."

This program is supported by the Art Management and Education College of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Youth Art 100. It aims to select and support young artists working in various fields, such as art, music, fine arts, literature, design, architecture, and sculpture, who want to help with rural aesthetic education and put aesthetic education in rural/community schools. This is the first project of BCAF's "Art Grow Together" plan.

This program is looking for 3 young artists and the application deadline is August 29, 2023.

Organizational Structure

"Be Water Journal" Visual Culture Platform founder and senior magazine editor, niche magazine reviewer.

Aimi has been in the magazine industry since 2004. She served as editor and reporter for "City Zine" and "Neway Huaxia" magazine. She also participated in the establishment of self-published visual magazine "TOO" and female creative magazine "after17." "Be Water Journal" was founded in 2017, with the paper annual as the core, digital content, and offline activities as auxiliary. Be Water Journal aims to gather global cultural creators, share creativity, and sustainable life.





Wang Ge has been doing research at the Institute of Philosophy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences from 2009 to 2020. Since 2020, she has been living in Berlin. She has taught philosophy courses at Peking University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Freie University Berlin. She was also one of the Chinese editors of the Yearbook for Eastern and Western Philosophy (DeGruyter, 2016-2020). Since 2020, she has been writing a philosophy column for Sanlian "Youth." In 2022, she published a book called "No Big No Small Why - A Philosophy Enlightenment Course for Children.”




Zuo Jing founded and edited various periodicals and books such as "Bishan" and "Bai Gong" and has planned many contemporary art exhibitions and film screenings at domestic and foreign art institutions. Since 2011, the focus of his work has shifted to local rural construction research and practice, emphasizing cultural creativity and sustainability.

The jury will review and select work in dimensions such as humanistic spirit, program rationality and practical landing.

Application Details

Subsidy Settings:

A total of 3 young artists will be subsidized, and the selected applicants will be able to go to rural/community schools for art education practice. Selected applicants can receive a monthly subsidy of 2,500 RMB for art education practice. Selected applicants can receive a monthly subsidy of 500 RMB for local accommodation. Selected applicants can apply for a maximum of 10,000 RMB for art education practice materials each year. Selected applicants can receive an honorary certificate issued by Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation at the end of the project. Selected applicants will have the opportunity to receive BCAF media matrix (Weixin public account, Weibo, Red, etc.) and media coverage and publicity support.


Application Requirements:

Basic requirements: positive, love art, serious, know how to share, have good interpersonal communication and expression skills, have a relatively clear and rational plan for their own choices. Art education literacy: have certain aesthetic awareness, prioritize art, music, art, literature, design, architecture, sculpture and other related fields.

Time requirements: one year (two semesters) of art education practice in rural/community schools.

Other requirements: physically healthy, no illegal or criminal activities and economic disputes.


Application materials:

Resume and photos: submit a personal resume and clear personal photos.

Art education practice plan: submit a plan for art education practice (including a personal statement of no more than 1500 words and an art education practice plan).

Original works: pictures, videos or works collections of works created in the past three years.


Special instructions:

The selected young artists of this recruitment plan will be confirmed through two rounds of communication (BCAF and rural schools), and will be eligible for subsidies to go to rural/community schools for art education practice after mutual selection.


Requirements for submission of materials:

Personal resume and aesthetic education practice plan: Please submit a PDF format file

Image files/works collection: Please submit JPEG/PNG/PDF format files, resolution not lower than 300dpi, single image size not exceeding 3MB, single file size not exceeding 30MB

Video: Please submit rmvb/mp4/mov/m4v format files, clarity not lower than 720P, single file size not exceeding 30MB. Video links can be uploaded


Recruitment time:

Continuous recruitment from August 29, 2022 to August 29, 2023

Application consultation:

Q: How to contact the organizer if there are problems with the application?

A: You can edit the question and send an email to info@bcaf.org.cn

Q: How to know the application result?

A: The organizer will contact you by email or phone (only for the selected ones). If you do not receive the notification within two months from the date of submission, it can be regarded as regretful to be eliminated.


Reference School Information

● Xuwu County Danpo Primary School in Jiaozuo, Henan: covers an area of 3818 square meters and a total construction area of 2045 square meters, with 1 teaching class from Grade 1 to Grade 6, and 56 students enrolled.

● Gongqian Primary School in Jinyun County, Zhejiang: covers an area of 3801 square meters, with 6 teaching classes, 12 full-time teachers, and 144 students. Has won the Development Supervision Evaluation Excellence Award for six consecutive years.

● Changshan County Community College, Zhejiang: 11 streets/communities have been set up in the county, and aesthetic education courses for local community children every weekend.

● Qinghai Sanjiangyuan Gandacun Community Education Center: focuses on cultural exchanges, art sharing, rural environmental protection and nature education. Connected with Yushu Zouling First Hope Primary School, with about 170 students and 10 teachers.

Related Terms

● The applicant promises that the submitted work is their own creation, and does not break any laws, harm public interests, etc.

● The applicant promises to have the relevant intellectual property rights (copyright, patent rights) or the right of the owner of the work submitted.

● If these conditions are not met, the initiator can cancel the applicant's qualifications and withdraw their subsidies. The initiator is not responsible for any litigation, claims, losses, destruction, costs, and expenses caused by the violation of these conditions, and will be compensated by the applicant.

● The submitted work must be submitted by the owner of the work and the individual who created the work. The same work can only be submitted by one subject. If the same work has multiple subjects, the relevant subjects must negotiate and confirm the application subject and honor distribution and other related matters. Otherwise, all applications are invalid.

● The personal information submitted by the applicant is only used for the review of this recruitment plan. The initiator will not disclose or use the information for commercial purposes.

● The initiator can use the work, personal information, and beauty education practice plan for non-commercial activities related to the recruitment. No one can reproduce, produce, sell, promote, publish, exhibit, or promote the work without the initiator's and applicant's authorization. If they do, the initiator and the applicant can pursue legal responsibility.

● The review experts will fairly and professionally review the beauty education practice plan submitted by the applicant. The review experts have the final decision on the review results. This recruitment plan will not accept appeals on the review results.

● If young artists have ongoing beauty education projects in other rural schools, they can also apply for registration. The Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation has the right of final interpretation of the Rural Beauty Education Youth Artist Recruitment Program. The font used in the poster is authorized to be used for free public welfare by Founder Electronics.

Christie’s sponsers the announcement of the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation’s “Female Youth Artist Grant Program”

Christie's sponsors the announcement of the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation's "Female Youth Artist Grant Program" in spring 2022. The program, launched by BCAF, aims to select and support four emerging female talents in exploring and developing their careers in the art world. 

It is open to all female artists from mainland China, particularly those from remote or rural areas, with a university degree and no more than five years' experience in painting, installation art, sculpture, video, or other new media creation.

The program attracted 329 young female creators from 27 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, who submitted 439 works. Creative themes include social humanities care, women's survival and development, minority cultures, environmental protection, rural and grassroots issues, technology, and space future.




"Official application platform data for the Female Youth Artist Sponsorship Program as of September 1, 2022."

The applicant qualification and final reviews of the program took two months. The organizing committee staff, review experts, and final judges based their reviews on the principles of prioritizing and respecting artistic originality, comprehensively reviewing the four dimensions of work creation level, artist development planning, consideration and insight into social issues, and the ability to connect public life through artistic action. The final judges were Zhang Dandan, a senior expert from Christie's 20th and 21st Century Art Department; Cui Qiao, the President of the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation, and Cao Dan, the publisher of "The Art Newspaper (Chinese Edition)" and "LEAP". Four artists were selected, and each of them will receive US $10000 in unlimited creative funding support. The award ceremony and exchange forum was held in mid-November 2022 in Shanghai.

Long Pan, Pang Li, Tang Xin, and Zhang Yanhong are the four selected artists. The organizing committee cheers on every young female talent who proactively positions themselves in life and is alert to gender stereotypes.

Selected Artist Introduction

Long Pan is a Chinese artist specializing in installation art, new media, and film art, with a focus on exploring the relationship between human survival and the environment. She graduated from the New Media Department of the China Academy of Art in 2019 and has since been devoted to her work in her hometown of Yichun, Jiangxi. Long Pan's work often involves the concept of "invisibility" and aims to shed light on the often-overlooked aspects of the environment that have a significant impact on human life.

Representative works:


"Wind Chime" video + installation; single-screen video recording + separate sound, high-definition, color, 14 minutes and 9 seconds; circuit board, copper bell, plant ash, etc., 2021. Still image from the video work - copper wind chime blowing in the field.

One of Long Pan's representative works involves extracting copper from plants in electronic waste-polluted areas through plant mining and turning it into a wind chime. The sound of metal collisions in the wind is a manifestation of environmental alienation caused by heavy metals entering the food chain and beyond, creating extensive traces that will remain long after humans are gone.



Screenshot from the video work.

Long Pan's work has been praised for its interdisciplinary approach, which combines fieldwork, visual art expression, and contemporary thinking. Her work provides a new perspective on the deeper relationship between human survival and the environment and explores the "secret counterpart" of the entire network of life in which humans exist. Long Pan's work has the potential for long-term and extensive links with interdisciplinary field investigations and practical applications.




Screenshot from the video work.

Jury comments:


"Long Pan takes 'invisibility' as the basis of her work and research direction, and through interdisciplinary research, fieldwork, and visual art expression, she attempts to provide us with a new perspective to interpret the deeper and often overlooked relationship between contemporary human survival and the environment. Philosopher and thinker Maurice Merleau-Ponty believes that 'invisibility' is not the opposite of 'visibility'. 'Visibility' itself has an inherent framework of 'invisibility', and 'invisibility' is the secret counterpart of 'visibility'. Long Pan's work is trying to explore and present the 'secret counterpart' of the entire network of life in which humans exist."
——Cao Dan

"The artist has a broad vision and clear positioning. Her spiritual and contemporary thinking process from the network of life, social scenes, and returning to her hometown has the potential for long-term and extensive links with interdisciplinary field investigations and works. Starting from the 'human traces in living organisms', the relationship network of 'invisibility', and the 'mutation in daily life', she tries to 'find broader connections between things' and the 'true existence' of the network of life. The environmental issues in the work are not only expressive but also have creative transformations that are subtly practical."
—— Cui Qiao



Pang Li's work highlights the lives of rural women in Enshi and their roles in the traditional funeral band. By showcasing the changes and challenges faced by these women, she captures the complex dynamics of gender and power in rural communities. Her ability to translate her literary works into visual art demonstrates her versatility as an artist and her dedication to exploring various forms of expression. Overall, Pang Li's work provides an important perspective on the lives of marginalized communities and their relationship with the environment.


Representative Works:


"Three Funerals and a Women's Band" video; high-definition, color, 2020. Screenshot from the video work.

Jury Comments:

"With simple yet textured shots and seemingly plain language, the work presents sincere and vivid life stories that allow viewers to strongly empathize. The joys, difficulties, helplessness, and happiness in life are mixed together to form a real-life, forward-moving existence."
——Zhang Dandan

"The creator is from the Tujia ethnic group and has outstanding abilities in observing the community with sensitivity, and in constructing the logic of literary and visual works. The struggles from life to death are presented, and the work is highly penetrating."
——Cui Qiao





Song Wanrong is a multidisciplinary artist from Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province. Her areas of artistic creation include painting, installation and sculpture art, as well as new media and film art. In 2022, she obtained a master's degree from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Song's works often stem from her personal experiences and resonate with the times she lives in. For instance, her work "One Hundred Days Without a Child" is a personal documentation of the era of China's one-child policy.

Representative works:


"Life Line", oil painting, pigment, 2m*2m, 2020, Atelier Veron Gallery, Paris, Image source: Artist.

Recently, Song has been researching Nushu, a script used exclusively by women in Hunan province, for her latest art project "Nushu and the Tower of Babel." In her interpretation, the Tower of Babel represents a spirit of "doing something despite knowing it is impossible," similar to the women in the 19th century who created their own script. Each Nushu guardian in Song's project protects one Nushu character, and as the project progresses and expands, the Tower of Babel will eventually encompass all of the characters.


During the creative process


Trying different methods of ceramic firing during the creative process.

Jury comments:

"Every work completed by the artist so far 'travels' between multiple artistic mediums, surpassing expectations, possessing unique personal characteristics and sensitivity, free and unrestricted, with considerable confidence and systematic methods. Starting from the work from the perspective of her family background, to questioning the survival situation of women, the distribution of social rights, and extending to the latest 'social installation' of Nushu, she self-stimulates more energy of 'doing something despite knowing it is impossible,' creating a new type of connection across eras and cultural backgrounds. The proposed project has outstanding sustainable future planning, resonates with and mutually assists the local community, and promotes cross-cultural cooperation and field documentation, realistically presenting the multiple dimensions of the new generation of female artists changing the future." 
—— Cui Qiao





Zhu Wenjia's works demonstrate her interest in exploring the conflict between local culture and modernity in the process of China's social transformation. Her research topic focuses on rural documentary images and revisiting nostalgic memories.

Representative works:


"The Disappeared Woman" single-screen video, 56 minutes and 57 seconds, 2021.

Through her work "The Disappeared Woman," Zhu investigates the social identity, collective consensus mechanism, and individual encounter problems of rural women under macro-historical events. Her creations are purpose-driven, and she pays special attention to the presentation of the image and the viewers' experience. Overall, Zhu Wenjia's works showcase female narration and expression and give special attention to individual or collective memories.


Video screenshot. Through the accounts and memories of friends during her grandmother's lifetime, pieced together were her grandmother's unfortunate childhood, the experience of losing her father in her youth, her rebellion upon getting married, and the eventual circumstances of her taking poison.

Jury comments:

"Zhu Wenjia boldly uses various image creation methods and formal languages to explore the intense conflict between local culture and modernity in the process of China's social transformation. Whether it is a huge plan like 'revisiting nostalgic memories,' or documentaries or feature films about recording individual fate in grand history, Zhu Wenjia gives female narration and expression and gives special attention to individual or collective memories."
——Cao Dan

"Zhu Wenjia's works are purpose-driven creations, and she presents the existence and concept of the work with strength. This strength is also extended to the presentation of the image. She pays attention to the viewers and the experience of viewing. The creation not only stays at the interpretation of the work's viewpoint but also includes the presentation of the work."
——Zhang Dandan

Special thanks to Ms. Li Shirui, the artist, and Mr. Qi Chao, the chief editor of Harper's Bazaar Art, for their strong support and input in the preliminary review work of the "Female Youth Artist Sponsorship Program".

Traditional Handicrafts and Clothing Auction · Charity Event

In 2023, the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation (BCAF) as a charity supporter, in collaboration with "Vogue Fashion & Beauty," Yongle Auctions, and Fuyi Auctions, jointly launched the "Traditional Handicrafts and Clothing Auction" event. The items up for auction come from the BCAF x VOGUE "Preserve Handicrafts Project," all created by Chinese traditional handicraft artists and well-known designers from home and abroad.

After the auction, all funds will be used to support the sustainable and innovative development of China's traditional handicraft community in the long run!

The auction will take place at 2:00 p.m. on February 23, 2023, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beijing. Let's appreciate the eight pieces that will be up for auction:

#01
Nanjing Yun Brocade
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Maison Margiela

Maison Margiela designer John Galliano has always been passionate about Eastern culture. This time, he focuses on the well-known intangible cultural heritage Nanjing Yun Brocade and chooses to interpret it with the brand's iconic handbag, Snatched. In his view, this handbag corresponds to the spirit of the new generation of young people who value individuality and are brave in self-expression, making it a perfect way to introduce Yun Brocade to the world.

#02
Yi Silver Jewelry
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BALMAIN

BALMAIN hopes to showcase the beauty and delicacy of Yi silver to the fullest extent. This red velvet dress has a sharp cut and a three-dimensional shoulder design, made from a blend of red silk and fiber velvet. Based on this, Yi craftsmen re-conceived their traditional craftsmanship and integrated it into Olivier Rousteing's design, focusing on structuring the straight line of the skirt to highlight the cut and shape of the skirt. The tassel fringe that hangs vertically along the body and the hat brim is also enlarged and interpreted, reinterpreting the iconic details of Yi traditional clothing. The Yi classic silver jewelry wrapped outside the dress is like a kind of armor, with multiple materials creating a combination of lightness and toughness, creating an independent, resilient BALMAIN female image.

#03
Shangdang Piled Brocade
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Jason Wu & CPLUS SERIES

Chinese-American designer Jason Wu, who was praised by Michelle Obama, teamed up with Boogie Liu, the founder of the Chinese independent designer brand CPLUS SERIES, to combine the Shangdang Piled Brocade craftsmanship from Shanxi and create a beautiful long dress. The two designers worked together with Han Ling, who has been engaged in piled brocade for more than 20 years, to create an elegant and timeless red floral decorative gown, with the Shangdang Piled Brocade peony blooming with vitality at the waist. When traditional Chinese handicrafts are organically integrated with modern aesthetics and design, not only does it give traditional handicrafts a modern aesthetic connotation, it also makes the public pay attention to this ancient craft that is on the verge of extinction. It allows people to find the calmness, patience, and focus that are missing in the modern world's fast-paced and restless life.

#04
Dulong Ethnic Woven Tapestry
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Gabriela Hearst

Gabriela Hearst, who advocates for sustainable development as her design philosophy, transformed the woven tapestries of the Dulong sisters into a cloak shawl. When asked why she designed such a shawl, she said that wool always reminds her of her hometown of Uruguay, of her vast ranch, and of warm cloaks and thick coats. "My idea is to create beauty from things that already exist#05

#05
Bamboo weaving
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SHANG XIA

Yang Li, the creative director of SHANG XIA, a subsidiary of Hermès, presents an artistic dress using bamboo weaving technique. He firmly believes that "the collision of culture and ideas will give birth to new things" and hopes to express a modern Chinese aesthetic through SHANG XIA, "which is not only a perception of profound history and craftsmanship, but also a language that always looks forward."

#06
Jino tribe machete cloth
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Tory Burch

Tory Burch ingeniously applies Jino machete cloth to handbags. The color combination of this striped totem is very novel, with soft neutral colors such as green, orange, ivory white, brown, and olive green, providing a refreshing visual experience. The fusion of multicultural beauty is fully demonstrated in this collaboration. Machete cloth is combined with leather, suede, and brass, and different materials collide with a unique rhythm, showcasing a low-key temperament and exquisite charm. The cultural integration between traditional Chinese handicrafts and international fashion brands not only brings new creative images to various fashion items but also injects profound cultural heritage into them.

#07
Tujia brocade Xilankapu
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MING MA

Chinese designer Ming Ma chose Xilankapu brocade from his hometown of Hubei and combined it with his expertise in haute couture to create a long dress. This collaboration allowed him to rethink and recognize this handicraft. "I hope to transform such a significant fabric into a flexible garment. Combining traditional handicrafts with fashion brings different new styles and sparks, and can also make more people re-recognize and cherish these precious cultural assets."

#08
Tianhelou silver flower silk
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SHANGHAI TANG & Caroline Hu

SHANGHAI TANG collaborates with designer Caroline Hu to preserve the beauty of silver flower silk while giving it more modern attributes through the combination with clothing. Her works have always been full of romanticism from the inside out, and the chemical reaction between Tianhelou and silver flower silk has ignited her emotional spark for design.

Introduction of Collaborating Parties

"VOGUE Fashion and Beauty" is the world's leading fashion magazine, striving to perfect the combination of fashion needs, guiding and influencing the most stylish dressing and consumption.

Established in 2005, Beijing Yongle International Auction Co., Ltd. under Yongle Culture has the first-class qualification for cultural relics auction issued by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. The auction projects cover Chinese calligraphy and painting, modern and contemporary art, antique treasures, exquisite jewelry, rare books, postal items, coins, fine wines, trend art, digital art, and more.

Phillips is a globally leading platform for the trading of 20th and 21st century art and design. With rich experience in various aspects of 20th and contemporary art, design, photography, edition works, watches, and jewelry, it is committed to providing collectors with professional and excellent services and opinions.

In April 2021, Harvard University metaLAB launched the "FutureStage" international research project, which is committed to promoting the exploration of the challenges and development prospects of performing arts in the post-epidemic era. Mrs. Cui Qiao of Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation was part of the research group developing the project.

In a world of 5G high-speed connections, people have new expectations for media interaction, cultural innovation, and presence. In particular, the power of citizen participation in the performing arts is changing. This research team will identify and describe these changes, and sort out the problems and opportunities that arise in the new pattern of stage art, urban renewal, and public society. Through the comparison and analysis of sample practices and key ideas in different fields, the team is releasing an annual report to the world, which could serve as professional references and think tank inspirations for governments, cultural institutions and art organizations around the world.

The interdisciplinary team of this project is composed of 21 international experts from 9 countries with diverse expertise, including scholars, theatre directors/producers, media professionals, foundation members, and consultative body members. BCAF has been supporting original artistic creators for years and has initiated a series of innovative intercultural exchange programs in 18 countries. This time, Harvard University invited BCAF to be the only international co-sponsor of the Greater China region.