DESIGN TRUST FUTURES FESTIVAL 2025: “The Art of Transformation” is a new micro festival where Design Trust researchers, scholars, global partners to innovative designers, participate in and share further their ongoing work, where small scale site specific commissioned works around themes of “Exceptional Transformations” of the historic site Murray House at Stanley Plaza, a 3-storey Victorian style building with architectural significance and its extraordinary heritage and natural context enlivens conversations on the public realm. Curated by Marisa Yiu (Co-Founder, Lead Curator/ Executive Director) with Zheng Zhou (Head of Programmes/ Associate Curator), this new initiative is conceptualized to shape, test ideas and speculate on the future of spaces, urbanism and the role of creativity, as we respond to global conversations around sustainability, placemaking, role of tourism to culture and heritage of Hong Kong within the Greater Bay Area, and international context, in positive and impactful ways.

“The Art of Transformation” explores spatial constructions and interactions of design and architecture to re-imagine, transform perspectives of city heritage and the culture of nature. Situated in Stanley called “Chek Chue” in Cantonese, a coastal town located on the peninsula of Hong Kong Island in the Southern District with beaches, historic piers, to the popular annual dragon boat festival, heritage monuments and the seaside culture of Hong Kong. This natural context, forms the beginning of a unique programmatic and research-driven learning programme to inspire and gather for community collaboration. DESIGN TRUST FUTURES FESTIVAL 2025: “THE ART OF TRANSFORMATION” collaborates with over 60 designers, artists, architects and curators, over a three-month programme at Murray House, Stanley Plaza where the 19^th Century Victorian-era building, fronted by Blake Pier and Ma Hang Park, sets the stage for new perspectives on material ecologies, ocean connectivity that links the 263 islands of Hong Kong. Five key exhibitions and multiple public space installations, features lightweight interventions throughout the historic building to echo the Stanley waterfront, and its environs, as a space for dialogue to speculate on the future of spaces, urbanism and creative discovery.

By Marisa Yiu (Co-Founder, Lead Curator/ Executive Director of Design Trust), 2025

Design Trust Futures Festival Programme Calendar 

Saturday, March 29^th

Design Trust Futures Festival 2025 opens to the public

April 2025

Design Trust Community Tours, Open House Hong Kong Special Edition

Friday, April  4^th

Design Trialogues 2025 featuring Book Launch and Sharing Talk of Design Trust Feature Grant publication Breaching Sanctum led by Ingrid Pui Yee Chu

Saturday, April 19^th

Sharing Workshop led by Design Trust Seed Grant recipient Hong Kong Ghost Signs Team and other heritage experts

May, 2025

Design Trust Community Tours, Open House Hong Kong Special Edition

Friday, May 9^th

Workshop led by Design Trust Feature Grant recipient Niko Leung 

Saturdays, May 10^th  and 17^th

Workshops led by Design Trust Feature Grant recipient Island Studies Network

Saturday, May 24^th

Sharing workshop led by Toshiya Hayashi & Hokuto Ando of We+

June 2025

Design Trust Community Tours, Open House Hong Kong Special Edition

Unveiling Design Trust Futures Studio Installation led by Elaine Yan Ling Ng with Julie & Jesse

Design Trust Futures Festival 2025 Designers and Artists Sharing & Workshop

Wednesday June 18^th

Design Trust Futures Festival 2025 Finissage

Participating designers, artists, architects, curators and collectives:

Henry Steiner, Elizabeth Diller, Kai-Yin Lo, Gary Chang, Joyce Wang Studio, Jacqueline Chak and Genevieve Chew of Editecture, Toshiya Hayashi and Hokuto Ando of We+, Lidia Ratoi, William Lim, Hou Jianan (with De Sarthe), Eddie Lui, Winnie Mak, Stephen Chun Hei Wong (with Gallery EXIT), Dominique Fung (with MASSIMODECARLO Gallery), Peep (with JPS Gallery), Judy Gee, Ngai Wing Lam, Frank Tang, Daphne Mandel, Ryo Matsuoka(with WKM Gallery), Joseph Munyao Mutuku (with Yenn and Alan Lo Foundation), Andi Fischer, Austin Bell (with Blue Lotus Gallery), Cynthia Mak (with JPS Gallery), Paribawga and Yuyang Wang, Danful Yang (with Pearl Lam Galleries), Maoshan Connie, Open House Hong Kong, Elaine Yan Ling Ng, Julie & Jesse, Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves, Chaklam Ng, Wang Xin (with De Sarthe), Chi Chun Tang and Leroy Yuen, Niko Leung, Inter-island Festival, Islanders, MAP Office (Gutierrez and Portrfaix), Leroy Cheng & Vanessa Ma, Island Studies Network, Florian Wegenast and Christine Lew, Donn Holohan, Yu Jianing and Winnie Heung, Gaau1 Up, Kevin Mak and Ken Fung with Chi Kai Wu, Ingrid Pui Yee Chu with Tap Chan, Leelee Chan, Ko Sin Tung and Ruyi Zhang, Billy Potts and Ben Marans, May Chow, Joya, Mengzy.

Design Trust would like to thank the following individuals and partners who supported this 2025 programme:

Elizabeth Diller, Kai-Yin Lo, Gary Chang, Jonathan Cheung, Kamsen Lau, Denise Lau, Dmitri Potshiko, Heidi Ho, Ivan Pun, Alia Al-Senussi, Desiree Au, Margaret Steiner & Henry Steiner, Yama Chan, William Lim, Joyce Tam, Sylvia Chung, Catherine Kwai, Pascal de Sarthe, Elaine Choi, Kieran Ho, Human Wu, Charade Woo, Angelle Siyang-Le, Kristina Snaith-Lense, May Chow, Joya, Mengzy, Tap Chan, Tim Yu, Katerin Theys, Patricia Li, Stephen Ip, Sara Mao, Jenny Suen, Lucia Tait Tolani, Dean Dimitriou; Heritage Research Advisors: Puay-peng Ho, Wendy Ng; Production Partner: AdRegion; Lighting Design Advisor: Tino Kwan; Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, and to all the dedicated artists, designers and architects involved in bringing this programme alive.

Special thanks to: George Hongchoy, Emmanuel Farcis, Katherine Lo, David Ashton, the team of Link Asset Management Limited, and Southern District Office.

Design Trust Curatorial Team : Marisa Yiu, Zheng Zhou, Joel Yuyang Xiao, Nicole Chan