Promotional Video

In addition to the time-release video, Vibrant Table asked Ambient Sky Studios to create a promotional video at the China Design Now opening. What do you think?

Related Posts:

• The Transformation of a Ballroom (Time Release Video)
• Transformations: China Design Now opening (Decor Gallery)
• Cuisine: Asian Fusion at China Design Now (Cuisine Gallery)
• China Design Now: Entertainment (Entertainment Gallery)

China Design Now’s opening gala demonstrates how entertainment during your event can elevate the experience to an entirely new level.

Event Planner Karie Burch flavored the international focus of the Portland Art Museum’s newest exhibit with heavy infusions of local talent. Portland quartet Third Angle filled the air with music of modern Chinese composers while Portland Fashion Synergy models styled by Smashcut Studios posed atop glowing neon cubes in ethereal designs by Chinese sensation Chong Jian. During Vibrant Table’s feast of Northwest-Asian fusion, Pendulum dancers performed rhythmic contortions while dangling from ribbons. Guests finished the night with a little shake-down to The David Cooley Band.

Entertainment Gallery

Unless othewise indicated, photos by Leah Nash Photography.

Also see: China Now Event Design Gallery

More to come!

Our Creative Director/Co-Owner, Kurt Beadell, is simply amazing. His latest grand project – the Patron’s Gala for The Portland Art Museum’s opening of their China Design Now exhibit – demonstrates how creative genius and a healthy budget can truly transform a space. He borrowed from design themes found in the exhibit like neon, vibrant saturated colors, and geometric shapes to seamlessly marry the event experience with the artistic. PAM’s Event Planner, Karie Burch, pushed the envelope even further with a fashion show featuring Chinese designers and aerial entertainment.

Vibrant Table extends our gratitude to these vendors for helping us make it happen: West Coast Drape, Cargo and Panzer Nursery.

Event highlights include:

• Entrance garden with 400 hot-pink azaleas & wall of giant Chinese lanterns
• Table-top designs including Chinese newspaper starbursts, monochromatic carnation pomanders & neon acrylic ‘double happiness’ characters
• Fashion show by Portland Fashion Synergy & Smashcut Studios
• Dinner entertainment by Pendulum Dance Theatre
• Custom-made neon chandelier

Event Design Gallery

by Leah Nash Photography.

More to Come

• Galleries featuring Entertainment & Catering
• Fun Facts
• Time-Release video showing the ballroom’s transformation

Exhibition From London’s Victoria and Albert Museum Puts Contemporary Chinese Design Front And Center

"China Design Now" is an excellent introduction to the world of contemporary Chinese design and visual arts

Over the last 30 years — but mainly in the last 10 — Chinese contemporary design has roared to life, leading to unique and culturally resonant architecture and striking visual arts. Beginning this week, this vibrant design will be on full display at the Portland Art Museum’s “China Design Now” exhibition in Portland, Oregon, giving visitors a glimpse of China’s rapidly shifting design industries while providing them a good cross-section of the tectonic cultural shifts that have awakened that country’s creative energy in the 21st century.

From The Oregonian:

“China Design Now” will hurl visitors into the here and now of contemporary China, with all of its huge-scale cultural energy. The giant isn’t sleeping anymore. It’s wide awake and roaring. And “China Design Now” attempts to nail down the elusive contemporary moment of this restlessly moving target.

One of the intriguing things about the Victoria and Albert exhibition is that it takes art off its pedestal and puts it front and center in a sweeping story of economics, politics and social transformation. Its emphasis is on design, from Nike shoes to advertising images to the massive engineering projects that have transformed the country.

Today’s China would not be possible without Deng Xiaoping’s rise to power in 1977 and the pragmatic internationalism that he cautiously ushered in. That included the relaxation of strict government control over private lives and the encouragement of a modified form of capitalism: As always, and forcefully in contemporary China, the story of art is also the story of money.

The exhibition traces an isolated modern China’s first stabs at mimicking international approaches to advertising and design, the growth of a symbiotic relationship between state-sponsored and private design, and the tension between the desire to become truly international and the wish to forge an approach that is uniquely China’s.

“China Design Now” will run at the Portland Art Museum until January 17, 2010.

I talked to my younger brother F.S. for the first time in about 2 years. There had been some issues that caused us not to speak, but we are not getting any younger. It’s time to forgive some things and move on. My stepmother found him on Myspace and told me he was on there. So, I looked him up and sent him a message. He contacted me, and sent his cell number. I sent him a text that night because it was late. The next day I asked if he would walk me down the aisle. Our father won’t be there because our baby sister graduates from college on that day, so some of the family will be there. He was so excited that I would ask him, and he said of course he would. I am glad that he will be there. A gay brother walking his gay sister down the aisle. How lovely.

My babe and I are still on vacation until the 5th of January. So, we decided to do something cultural today. We went to the Art Museum to see the China Design Now exhibit. We had a really nice time. Here are some pictures from the exhibit.

anime (china design now exhibit)

china design now exhibit

more anime

china design now

inside the terrace cafe. thought this was nice

My baby’s friends L.D. and K.K. came over after babe got back from her workout with the personal trainer. L.D. brought her son I.D. He is such a cutie pie.  I ordered dinner and we all sat around eating and talking, and playing with the little one. Here are a few pics of him.

I.D.

I.D. rockin' him pajamas

Hey!

(First and foremost a little introduction) My names Luu, I am an art student studying Illustration and Graphic design in the sunny seaside town of Bournemouth in the UK. I can usually be found writing over at Eyemaylisten music blog… but tonight, I just HAD to share with you an exhibition that can be found right now in the heart of London.. ^_^ So for all those travellers out there, get over here!

China Design Now
V&A London
Now – 13th July ‘08

China Design Now – (c) V&A Images

What can I say? Amazing. I have been meaning to check out this exhibition ever since March but just haven’t had the excuse to get into London before now.. and I wasn’t disappointed when I finally got there.

The exhibition is split into three main parts; starting in Shenzhen, the birthplace of contemporary Chinese graphic design. The exhibition shows off Chinas energetic style, the development of that style and the creatives that pushed it. It also highlights the complexities of graphic design and typography, displaying the forms that were touched on by Wang Xu through poster design for Taiwan Image exhibition in 1995. The two posters; ‘Fork of a tree’ and ‘birds foot’ are just that, a branch of a tree resembling a Y shape and a birds foot, both of which I am told resemble Chinese letter forms. To push this further, a Chinese typewriter is on display.. it has thousands of characters and in no way works as a standard typewriter, but more like a letter press whereby the typer must individually place each character because of the complexity of the written language. Among this part of the exhibition, my personal favorites were two huge pandas affectionately designed by Ji Ji to be both cute and mischievous. They are also joined by smaller model editions:

Ji Ji, Hi Panda, Toy Figures, 2006, (c) V&A Images

Ji Ji’s other works are also on display in the next room; Where the exhibition then moves on to Shanghai, a city which has recently exploded where shopping, dining and building development are concerned.. and this is very evident. The room is bursting with advertising and consumer design, from clothes to magazines.. This is where Ji Ji’s ever popular t-shirts in China by the design studio; Shirtflag are on display. The designs on the t-shirts combine many of the recognizable propaganda images with smooth contemporary design making for very desirable clothing. Another notable part of this section of the exhibition are the Nike trainers on display, something I wouldn’t have expected despite the consumer theme.

Nike Air Max NL1 ‘Kiss Of Death’ premium trainers

The final part of the exhibition is Beijing, a room which boasts the sudden push in recent years of china’s architectural design. Playing host to the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing has grown at lightening speed and this is very apparent. There are models on display of recent developments within the city including the current development of Beijings National Swimming Center that somewhat reminds me of the Eden project with its bubble like appearance. There is also a walk in installation consisting of three screens which create a very realistic feel when watching the animation on show. Before you is a depiction of the future city with its new developments.. it looks really impressive I must say.

Herzog & de Meuron, National Stadium – the Main Stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China, completion 2008. (Photograph by Iwan Baan, May 2007)

As a summary this exhibition was a real eye opener. After only a few years China has developed at an unstoppable speed in the way of new and interesting innervating design. This was an exhibition well worth seeing… I would say any exhibition that captures something so amazing as the recent developments in a whole country is well worth seeing! So if you can… get on over. It’s beautiful.

So there you have it.. Hopefully this has been an insightful post!
And with any luck I will be back again!

- Luu ^_^

This post is sponsored by EYEMAYLISTEN MUSIC BLOG

Wong Kar-wai, In the Mood for Love, feature film, 2000 (photographer: Wing Shya @ Shya-la-la Production, Courtesy of Tartan Films)

Well I finally made it to the China Design Now exhibition at the V&A and I have to say it was definitely worth a visit! The exhibition explores China’s hopes and dreams over the last two decades, from individual artists/designers to the nation as a whole. The exhibition hopes to bring contemporary China closer to you.

INTRODUCTION (FROM THE EXHIBITION PUBLICATION)

China is huge. China is topical. Yet China remains a mystery to most people in the west. ‘Made in China’ has become a familiar tag, but the spectacular creative energy in modern China is barely known. During the last twenty years, the Chinese have rediscovered their pre-socialist past and begun the combine their own traditions with global influences to produce a cultural rebirth. At the heart of this lies a new culture of design.

The exhibition will take you on a journey along China’s coastal cites to experience the country’s creative landscape. The journey starts in the far south, where graphic designers in shenzhen began to explore new directions in the early 1990s. Next we move up to Shanghai. Here consumerism and urban culture have combined to produce astonishing fashion and lifestyles. Finally, we travel to Beijing, where monumental architecture for the Olympic Games is transforming the skyline of this ancient capital.

Read more on the V&A web site…

MY REVIEW

There were certain things more than others that grabbed my attention in this exhibition, I especially enjoyed the Shenzhen and Shanghai sections of the exhibition as my interests lie in graphic design, fashion and lifestyle. However the Beijing Section would appeal to those interested in the monumental architecture and the city’s transforming landscape.

I was especially inspired by a Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love and a selection of photographs by Wing Shya shown below:

Pearls of the Orient by Wing Shya for Times Magazine:

15 MARCH – 13 JULY 2008
Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7
020 7942 2000

China is huge. China is becoming topical. Yet China remains mystery to most people in the West. ‘Made in China’ has become a familiar tag, but the spectacular creative energy in modern China is barely known. During the last twenty years, the Chinese have rediscovered their pre-socialist past and begun to combine their own traditions with global influences to produce a cultural rebirth. At the heart of this lies a new culture of design.

This exhibition will take you on a journey along China’s coastal cities to experience the country’s creative landscape. The journey starts in the far south, where graphic designers in Shenzhen began to explore new directions in the early 1990s. Next we move up to Shanghai. Here consumerism and urban culture have combined to produce astonishing fashion and lifestyles. Finally, we travel to Beijing, where monumental architecture for the Olympic Games is transforming the skyline of this ancient capital.

China Design Now explores China’s dreams and hopes over the last two decades, from individual designers to the nation as a whole. It is our hope that this exhibition will bring contemporary China closer to you.

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SHENZHEN
Frontier city
graphic design

Thirty years ago Shenzhen was no more than a cluster of fishing villages on the northern border of Hong Kong. In 1980 China’s new economic reform policy turned these villages into the country’s first Special Economic Zone, the world’s largest manufacturing centre. Today, Shenzhen is the youngest and newest city in China, with a population of 10 million and an average age of 27.

Shenzhen is the birthplace of contemporary Chinese graphic design. As the centre of China’s printing industry, it attracted a pioneering generation of young design students and professionals. They established graphic design as a creative discipline, set up the first independent practices and experimented with a new graphic language, completely different from the political propaganda of the past.

Today, graphic design is flourishing in many Chinese cities. It has become very diverse in form and style, with the younger generation embracing both global and local cultural influences. New directions include collaborations with artists, the use of new technologies and an identification with China’s fast-growing youth culture.

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Chen Shaohua, Graphic Design in China exhibition, poster, 1992

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Alan Chan, Design and Lifestyle, poster for a lecture by Alan Chan at Shenzhen University, 1998

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Wang Xu, Artistic Conception Writing, book design, 2000

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Han Jiaying, Mei (Beauty), poster for Frontier magazine, 1997

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Guang Yu (MEWE Design Alliance), Wind and Moon, poster series, 2004

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Guang Yu (MEWE Design Alliance), Youth and Beauty, poster series, 2004

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Ou Ning, Media Monsters, Modern Weekly Alternative Issue 30, magazine design, 2004

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Fang Er and Meng Jin, The Hidden Depth, animation, 2005

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Ji Ji, Hi Panda, toy figure, 2006

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Runyo, PK and HIMM, Nike Year of the Dog Air Force 1, shoes, designed 2005

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Maleonn, Days on the Cotton Candy #4, photography series, 2006

Source: V&A

•••

Michael Wolf pays tribute to the factory workers in China who produce over 75% of the world’s cheap mass-produced plastic toys. ‘The Real Toy Story’ is an installation with over 20,000 toys which are attached to the wall alongside Wolf’s moving and beautifully observed photographs of the workers who make them.

A sweet exhibit.

“China Design Now,” an acclaimed exhibit displaying the contemporary art and culture of China, has arrived in Portland from the Victoria and Albert Museum.

I’m incredibly excited about this show, after hearing about it all summer! Portland Art Museum staff just put on a stunning China Design Now Gala (See pictures here on PORT!) The museum has also designed a community website for the exhibit where the public can post comments, read blog posts, view photos of Chinese artwork, and watch videos. I recommend taking a few minutes to scroll through it…click here to access the website!

I will definitely visit the exhibition up close and personal soon and will report back to you all when I do! If you live in the Pacific Northwest, don’t miss “China Design Now.”