6-Metre-Diametre "Sonic Light Bubble" Installation + 14-Metre-High "Golden Monkey" Sculpture

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach^[1] - 1 December 2018 - Organised by Hong Kong Design Centre, "Business of Design Week" (BODW) is Asia's leading annual event on design, innovation and brands highly regarded by the industry. In order to bring design closer to the general public, Hong Kong Design Centre further extends the concept of BODW and proudly presents the "BODW City Programme" (or "CityProg" for short), a citywide creative and business community activation programmed with the aim to engage public, activate the community and foster collaboration with local businesses and brands. As BODW CityProg's Partner City this year, the Australian city of Melbourne fully supports CityProg.

Hong Kong Design Centre held a Welcome Party of BODW CityProg today at No.7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai. Group photo of the officiating guests (from left): Mr. Nimrod Weis, Designer of Sonic Light Bubble, Director of ENESS, Ms. Lisa Rankin, Deputy Commissioner of the Victoria State Government, Prof. Eric Yim, Chairman of Hong Kong Design Centre, Ms. Lisa Roet , Artist of Golden Monkey , Ms. Fiona Lam, Assistant Head of CreateHK, Ms Yolanda Ng, Wan Chai District Council and Dr. Edmund Lee, Executive Director of Hong Kong Design Centre.

The Melbourne Fashion Showcase brings together almost 90 fashion and accessory designers at No.7 Mallory Street in Wan Chai from 1 to 9 December.

"BODW CityProg" will partner and collaborate with different brands, businesses, organisations and institutions across the city to organise an exciting mix of happenings at anchor sites and satellite sites, especially around Wan Chai. The project is all-inclusive, including 10 "anchor sites" in 5 of Hong Kong's districts, hosting a series of design festivals. It will also connect over 200 exciting satellite events such as exhibitions, creative markets, workshops, shopping and dining offers from featured shops and restaurants in town as well as collect and line-up different creative units to deliver diversified public education programmes to encourage public participation and foster design thinking. Highlights include the debut exhibition of the BODW speaker ENESS's multimedia design installation "Sonic Light Bubble" and the 14-metre-high "Golden Monkey" installation created by the Australian artist Lisa Roet, Melbourne Fashion Showcase as well as the Augmented Reality (AR) project "HKACT! Act 1 BeHere by Masaki Fujihata" featured in satellite event Design District Hong Kong (#ddHK), which connects past, present and future of Hong Kong using new media and digital design. 

In celebration of this special event, Hong Kong Design Centre invited Ms. Lisa Rankin, Deputy Commissioner of the Victoria State Government, and Professor Eric Yim, Chairman of the Hong Kong Design Centre to officiate the Welcome Party of BODW CityProg today (1 December) at No.7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai.

Professor Eric Yim said, "Design is everywhere, influencing every aspect of our lives, from our urban environments to our homes to our clothes to our food. It's also an important contributor to the economies of cities like Hong Kong and Melbourne. With that in mind, the Business of Design Week's City Programme, which is organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre, aims to bring design closer to the general public of this city, engaging them, and reminding them of its importance, while also helping to foster collaboration among local businesses and brands. It does that in a couple of different ways. First of all, our 10 anchor sites around Hong Kong are covering over 100 individual happenings and guided tours. On top of that, there are also events at nearly 200 satellite sites around the city, featuring shopping and dining offers, and community education projects."

Through a series of creative collisions, "BODW CityProg" encourages local creative organisations, brands and designers to use their imaginations and expressions, and to enhance their contact, connections and collaboration with the industry and the public, so that local design can be continuously improved, not only at the level of industry and commerce, but may also practically and flexibly integrate into the daily living of the people of Hong Kong. Ultimately, the connotation of design can spread, take root and grow in an ever-changing social environment.

If you are interested in learning more about the different "BODW CityProg" events, you may now log in to the following official channels to explore the many surprises of each participating district anytime, anywhere!

The 6-metre-diametre "Sonic Light Bubble" installation created by designers hailing from Melbourne, BODW Partner City, makes its debut in Hong Kong

As BODW Partner City this year, the Australian city of Melbourne fully supports CityProg by bringing to Hong Kong the multimedia design installation "Sonic Light Bubble" for its first time. Designed by the Australian design studio ENESS, headed by the award-winning interactive experience designer Nimrod Weis, the 6-metre-diametre bubble is installed with numerous LED plates and able to respond to visitors' touches or approach with light and sounds just like an organic self-illuminated object. Come and immerse into pulses of light at No. 7 Mallory Street in Wan Chai until 9 December, to take inspiration from the designer Nimrod Weis and see how he and his team shed light on the coalescence of design and technology.

A 14-meter-high "Golden Monkey" inflatable sculpture climbing on the façade of H CODE in Central, provoking reflections on humans and nature

Australian artist Lisa Roet works closely with primatologists and taxonomists to blend both science and creativity in her practice as an artist. Her intimate contact with primates, apes and monkeys gives Lisa Roet's work a unique artistic appeal. This time, she will bring her sculpture "Golden Monkey" to Hong Kong. The inflatable golden monkey with a height of 14 metres will be displayed from today to 28 February 2019, climbing to 75 metres above the ground on H CODE's high façade. H CODE is located close to the highest point of Pottinger Street. It is a landmark that combines activities such as creativity, work and entertainment, which promises to attract public attention.

This work is based on the endangered Burmese Golden Sneezing Snub-Nosed Monkey, whose nose and long tail are the most prominent features of this species. Although humans have only discovered this monkey species not long ago, the number of Burmese Golden Sneezing Snub-Nosed Monkeys is extremely limited, and they currently only exist in southern China and parts of Vietnam and Myanmar. As the habitat continues to encounter deforestation, the fate of the endangered Golden Sneezing Snub-Nosed Monkey is uncertain. A notable feature of the primates is that they sneeze. The artist aims at combining the image of the Burmese Golden Sneezing Snub-Nosed Monkey with the bustling metropolis, and trying to stimulate discussions about the relationship between urban development and the environment, humans and Mother Nature, and the question of sustainability.

Melbourne fashion showcase in Hong Kong and unlock new fashion inspirations

Melbourne is known as Australia's 'fashion capital' and the Melbourne Fashion Showcase celebrates the depth, diversity and creativity of fashion from Melbourne, in the city's biggest-ever international fashion showcase. This dedicated programme brings together almost 90 fashion and accessory designers at No.7 Mallory Street in Wan Chai from 1 to 9 December. From the luxury and bespoke to emerging labels and First Peoples-designed fashion, the showcase also features works by students from two of Melbourne's top fashion schools and emerging designers.

Anchor Site Festivals Connecting the City's Cultural and Creative Scenes

Aiming at creating a creative atmosphere across the city, Hong Kong Design Centre will partner with a number of local creative sites to launch various one-to-two-day creative festivals or large-scale cultural and creative events in the localities in early December. Each location will offer innovative experiences on different themes, including special exhibition installations, guided community cultural tours, creative workshops, etc., to stimulate imaginations and embrace good designs in life. Participating units include 7 Mallory Street, Artists Co-op, D2 Place, Foo Tak Building, JCCAC, Blue House, The Mills, White Do Lab, PlayDepot, and Wontonmeen.

"#ddHK Design District Hong Kong" Commissioned Work in Wan Chai--Connecting Past, Present and Future by digital art "Augmented Reality"

Satellite event "#ddHK" commissioned work "HKACT! ACT 1 BeHere by Masaki Fujihata" is a public art project using an AR (Augmented Reality) smartphone application. New media artist Masaki Fujihata took reference from photographs of old Hong Kong and oral interviews with local and elderly residents. Based on their stories, he directed actors to retrieve memories of the past, reimage and recreate the scenes by using photogrammetry and transformed the snapshots into 3D data. Users are able to play with these 3D figures through the AR smartphone app and compose with different backgrounds and share the photos onto social media. The AR project act as a new form of archive to record and preserve the intangible cultural heritage of Hong Kong. The first-hand observations about life in Wan Chai are used in this project as the building blocks for a Meta-Monument that symbolises an entire community.

As the Commissioned Work of #ddHK 2018/19, BeHere is set up along the historical coastline in Wan Chai at 10 locations from Blue House to Dominion Garden, connecting the route full of local history and urban development of the community, enlightening the public space with creative placemaking. While smartphones are becoming "pocket museum", tourists and public can interact and experience the local stories in 1940s to 1970s by this new media platform to convey and reconstruct memories from the past and create new memories as an archive for the future, as a unique tourism experience.

Satellite Events throughout Hong Kong to Discover Creative New Ideas in Each District

As an important cultural and creative area in Hong Kong, the "BODW CityProg" events will use Wan Chai as the main base. The creative factors will be spread to all other districts in Hong Kong and various design exchange activities will be held, including creative markets, workshops, studio open days, exhibitions, sharing sessions, lectures, on-trade exchanges, etc. Creative design ideas will surely prosper in various communities!

◇         Luen Cheong Leather Co. Ltd.: The 70-year-old Luen Cheong Leather Co. Ltd. was established in 1948 in Hong Kong, and remains to be one of the earliest leather goods traders in town. For many years, Luen Cheong has insisted on selling only "Made in Hong Kong" leather goods as well as the nearly lost "tanned" leather products. The shop is now being managed by the third generation. At this event, Luen Cheong will open its studio to let the public participate in a unique classroom experience. Through personal participation in the production process, participants will experience first-hand the leathercraft of this 70-year-old brand. It is definitely a must-go event for all hipsters in town!

◇         Design Pier: If you love pondering about life, you must not miss Design Pier's international furniture exhibition with the theme of "MADE BY HER". Design Pier has gathered 20 unique design items created by female designers in 10 countries. It hopes that, from the appreciation process, the public will understand that the gender of the designer does not really influence the nature of the designs, and that the story of each home furniture carries a story. It also allows you to understand the ups and downs in life help achieve the beauty and goodness of the world.

Special Offers in the City's Hottest Stores, e.g. Special Discount on Italian Cuisine Prepared by a Michelin-Starred Chef

"BODW CityProg" covers "clothing", "food", "housing", "education" and "travel", not to mention the many offers from the city's hottest stores. Hong Kong Design Centre has gathered a series of exciting offers from different merchants and restaurants in town for the public. Simply register at the "BODW CityProg" website during the event and you will get exclusive coupons sent to your registered email address to enjoy the special shopping and dining offers at our partner merchants and restaurants.

Recommendations for the "Shopaholics":

◇         Wai Chi Street Playground: This stylish living grocery store in Shek Kip Mei specializes in "mountain" goods (i.e. cleaning and cooking tools hand-made with natural materials from the mountain such as bamboo, grass, rattan, wood, incense etc.) as well as steel tools. The shop combines "redux" Hong Kong style and Japanese minimalism in its decoration, which is definitely distinctive in the neighbourhood, and has become a treasure hunt for people place emphasis on the quality of life. During the event, all regular-priced items will be sold at 10% off.

◇         Artisenses Limited: Artisenses is a Hong Kong-based bespoke perfume expert. Their first-of-it-kind "Scent Bar" service, provided by perfumers who have been rigorously trained, designs exclusive fragrances for customers according to their personality traits and colour preferences, among other factors. The perfumers lead the customers to wander between ten different fragrances. The process resembles going into a laboratory filled with fragrances. After the perfume is blended, the perfume will be named after the name of the customer. During the event, the second product will enjoy a 50% off. So why don't you take your significant half or someone beloved to explore your very own aromas!

Recommendations for the "Foodies":

◇         Si Simply Italian Restaurant: Located in Phase II of D2 Place in Lai Chi Kok, "Si Simply Italian Restaurant" has always adhered to the principle of "authentic Italian tastes". The restaurant has proudly invited Stefano Masnati, a chef having worked for Il Cantinone, an eatery awarded 1 Michelin star for 10 consecutive years, to join the team as Consultant Chef. During the event, you can enjoy a 20% discount on main courses and drinks, to sample premium quality and authentic Italian dishes at affordable prices.

◇         Herbaceous Teas: At "Herbaceous Teas", herbal teas using top-grade medicinal herbs and traditional recipes are sold in fashionable packaging to appeal to the younger generation. The teas are manually made in Hong Kong every day. The brand has attracted many young customers since its opening in 2013. During the event, in addition to offering a 20% discount on regular-priced items, "Herbaceous Teas" will also hold a rare "herbal tea workshop" to educate the public on basic Chinese herbal medicine knowledge, simple herbal tea and food pairing techniques, an introduction to the "prescription" process and the art of herbal tea appreciation.

Community Education Projects

In addition to the exciting activities and offers mentioned above, Hong Kong Design Centre has also organised a variety of educational projects such as design competitions and community parenting activities, to attract people of different walks of life and ages to participate and stimulate their design thinking.

About Business Of Design Week (BODW)

Business of Design Week (BODW) was launched in 2002 and is as an annual international flagship event organised by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC).  As a leading event on design, innovation and brands, it provides a valuable platform for participants to network, exchange ideas and explore business cooperation. With Create Hong Kong as the major sponsor, BODW each year attracts to Hong Kong outstanding international designers and influential design thinkers who inspire with their creative thinking and design management expertise.

About BODW City Programme (CityProg)

BODW City Programme (CityProg) is a citywide creative and business community activation programme with the aim to engage public, activate the community and foster collaboration with local businesses and brands.

As an extension of Business of Design Week (BODW), Asia's leading annual event on design, innovation and brands organised by Hong Kong Design Centre, CityProg will partner and collaborate with different brands, businesses, organisations and institutions to organise an exciting mix of happenings at anchor sites and satellite sites, especially around Wan Chai, from November to January every year with the peak during BODW period (1-9 December, 2018), to connect the city's creative power, lift up creative vibe and celebrate good designs and innovations with a vision to establish Hong Kong as the creative hub of Asia.

About Hong Kong Design Centre

Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) was founded in 2001 as a strategic partner of the HKSAR Government in establishing Hong Kong as centre of design excellence in Asia. HKDC continues its public mission to promote wider and strategic use of design and design thinking to create business value and improve societal well-being. Our initiatives are anchored by five major work directions: CONNECT, CELEBRATE, NURTURE, ADVANCE and ENGAGE.

HKDC's flagship programmes include Business of Design Week (since 2002) -- Asia's leading annual conference and event on Design, Innovation and Brands; DFA Awards (since 2003) -- a widely recognised design awards that celebrates outstanding designs with Asian perspectives; Design Incubation Programme (since 2012) and Fashion Incubation Programme (since 2016) -- 2-year incubation programmes to nurture 4 future design and fashion entrepreneurs; FASHION ASIA HONGKONG (since 2016) -- a fashion initiative combining conversations, interactions and cultural exchanges to energise the city's image, and position it as an Asian hub for fashion trade and business development; Knowledge of Design Week (since 2006) -- an annual thematic design knowledge sharing platform that explores how design can solve complex challenges of our society.

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)