On Monday 20th March 2017, Design Trust hosted the first Introduction Workshop with the participants of the new flagship programme, Design Trust Futures Studio, initiated and conceptualized by Marisa Yiu, Co-founder, Executive Director of DESIGN TRUST.
The first gathering for the programme, moderated by Marisa Yiu, brought together the Designer-Mentees and the two Hong Kong-based Mentors, Stanley Wong (anothermountainman) and Gary Chang (EDGE). Advisor Elita Lam (Hong Kong Design Institute), and guest speaker Pauline Tsang (TUVE Hotel) were also there to share their experience.
The focus of the Introduction Workshop was to set into motion the inaugural theme for the programme, “Small is meaningful.” Marisa Yiu introduced the theme, elaborating on how the structure of the programme complemented the idea that “small is meaningful”. With the Mentors and Designer-Mentees working together to create prototypes for future micro-park in Hong Kong, Yiu hopes that the programme will empower designers and reframe modes of education. Design Trust Futures Studio creates a space where designers can create outside the constraints of a corporate or institutional entity, and develop concepts that will directly impact society. Yiu hopes the “small” initiative will create a larger impact on Hong Kong, whilst the programme itself will serve as a prototype for a new platform for learning.
The Designer-Mentees were each given five minutes to present their portfolio and vision on the role of design in society. The presentations ranged from shape-shifting robotics to architectural building codes and regulations. Chang introduced his work on the “Domestic Transformer” (2007), which expresses Chang’s continued exploration of high-density environments. He redeveloped his home over the course of different five stages, restructuring it each time to include the maximum number of amenities and luxuries within the 32 square meter space. The “smart use of resources” aids time management, space and materials, and proves that smallness does not necessarily mean “lacking”. Wong discussed his transition from commercial to socially driven creative projects. He pushed the Designer-Mentees to answer the role they wanted creativity to play in their life.
A Q&A session at the end of the evening allowed the Designer-Mentees and Mentors to interact, and begin planning for the future progress of the programme.