TOBIAS WONG, ARIC CHEN, RICHARD HUTTEN AND WOKMEDIA
create unique environment for 100% design Shanghai AND IHDD 2008

Today, 100% Design Shanghai and IHDD 2008 will present a unique exhibition environment for its exhibitors, courtesy of the show's creative directors Tobias Wong and Aric Chen. Taking place from June 26-28 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, the exhibitions will feature a unique exhibit framework consisting of bamboo scaffolding that will wrap much of the outdoor exhibition area and the interior of the grand hall. Additionally, the pair have commissioned London- and Shanghai-based WOKmedia to create an installation for the entrance arch, while Dutch designer Richard Hutten will install his Greenhouse structure in the courtyard caf¨¦ area.

For their installation at the exhibitions, Tobias Wong and Aric Chen have chosen an elegant and powerful leitmotif: bamboo scaffolding. A familiar sight at construction zones across China, bamboo scaffolding has become a symbol of the country's rapid development. It will extend throughout the fair, reaching its most dramatic expression in the Grand Hall, where it will form a three-dimensional grid stretching from wall to wall, and floor to ceiling. Otherwise left empty, this monumental space will create a contemplative, decompressed void within which visitors will meander through a Cartesian "forest" of bamboo poles. Most importantly, however, the bamboo scaffolding will define not a structure being built, but rather an expanse to be filled. It will serve as a metaphor for the emerging potential of contemporary Chinese design, a field that has yet to truly materialize but for which a framework has now been laid.

To catalyze the evolution of Chinese design, Wong and Chen will be spearheading the launch of a design competition for 2009. Open to all mainland Chinese designers, this competition will be part of 100% Future, which aims to ferment the developing design scene in Shanghai and China. Winning designs will be displayed at 100% Design Shanghai 2009. More details on this competition, along with the jury, will be announced later this year.

Internationally recognised Dutch designer Richard Hutten will also bring his unique and fascinating Greenhouse installation to the exhibition space. Sponsored by Gispen (www.gispen.nl), Greenhouse premiered at Salone del Mobile in Milan in April, and stems from one of Hutten's most recent and playful design inventions ¨C artificial leaves that can be stuck to any metal surface with a lithium magnet. Not only can the leaves, which are manufactured by Gispen, transform a space into an arresting example of contemporary design, but they also have added acoustic benefits. As Hutten remarked, "It is indeed a very simple solution ¨C a piece of plastic with a strong lithium magnet. The good thing is also that people think they're fun, they love to play with them." The Greenhouse is installed in Shanghai by Everich Decoration & Engineering Co Ltd.

Greenhouse is just one creation from the prolific Hutten, who has had work exhibited in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Toronto and Osaka to name but a few. A graduate of the Eindhoven Academy for Industrial Design and one of the most famous designers to have come out of The Netherlands, he has also had the honour of having his designs used by Philippe Starck for interiors of the Delano Hotel Miami and the Mondrian Hotel Los Angeles.

In the front entrance hall, London and Shanghai-based designers Wolfgang Kaeppner and Julie Matthias of WOKmedia will be installing Nightwatch, which is sponsored with the support of Contrasts Gallery (www.contrastsgallery.com). The installation was first commissioned in December 2007 by Canary Wharf in London for a new large-scale light installation for the annual winter lighting exhibition in Jubilee Park. The art pieces were meant to enliven the dark winter months.

Night Watch employs the ancient Chinese art of inside painting where an image is reverse-painted through a small opening of a hollowed crystal ball. WOKmedia has used the technique to paint a stunning variety of animal eyes into 200 crystal balls, which was placed throughout the park, among the bushes and trees. The crystal balls are illuminated through automotive lights, resulting in a mesmerizing glow similar to animal eyes hit by a beam of light.

WOKmedia's vision was to create an installation that is looking at us as much as to be looked at. Being watched and observed has become an almost accepted part of our lives. The animal eyes act as metaphors: a questioning gaze towards our secured and controlled environments with little space left undeveloped.

WOKmedia's work is primarily concerned with the emotional dimension, an archetypal memory or a physical sensation. Often, they survey a state of in-between where chaos shows structure, and confusion begins to make sense. From devastation and destruction, a new world imbedded in childhood memories emerge, where emotions are not filtered, and make-believe is not equated with lunacy.

Aside from these unique installations, guests will also be able to enjoy the designs of 74 exhibitors coming in from 15 countries around the world. And to provide even further incentive, there will be a range of seminars hosted by prominent names in the design field from both China and abroad. Top-lining the schedule with an in-depth keynote talk will be Richard Hutten, who will be joined by Michael Young, also a prominent name in design worldwide and Creative Director of 100% Design Tokyo. The talk, held at 2pm on June 28th, will be just one in a series of speeches and discussions that includes design experts like Helen Yao, Editor-in-chief of Interior Design and Frame China magazines and Tristan Butterfield, Creative Brand Strategist for Kohler.

French organisation VIA will also be bringing together a group of successful French and Chinese designers for an exclusive seminar and presentation on June 27th afternoon. The organization, founded in 1979, works with both the industry and with the general public in promoting French creation in design. CEO of VIA G¨¦rard Laize will be joined by a range of designers, creative directors, architects and entrepreneurs in speaking at the event.

This combination of exceptional design installations, international exhibitors, high-profile speakers and an exclusive design competition gives guests multiple reasons why 100% Design Shanghai and IHDD 2008 are going to be landmark events this June 26-28.

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