Defining “Design Revolution” At the 2021 Gwangju Design Biennale
By the Gwangju Institute of Design Promotion (GIDP).
One of Gwangju’s prestigious art events, the Gwangju Design Biennale (GDB) is back this year with the theme of “d-Revolution.” This theme is a compound composed of “D” for Design” and “Revolution,” which refers to the paradigm of a new era driven by design, not a revolution propelled by industrial inventions as in the past. Considering the post-COVID-19 era, it is composed of an exhibition that matches the original “Design for Humans” purpose. While the 2019 GDB’s “Humanity” theme induced harmony between designers and the general public, the 2021 GDB will expand collaboration and communication between designers and ordinary people, between master craftsmen and foreign designers. It is expected to present a new paradigm for future design amid waves of change, induced by the post-COVID-19 era and the 4th industrial revolution era. To facilitate all this, 2021’s GDB will have both offline and online events.
Kim Hyun-sun, who is currently a professor in the Graduate School of International Design at Hongik University and is the sixth and seventh president of the Korea Women Designers Association, has been appointed general director for this year’s Biennale. When asked how she feels about being selected as the general director, she said, “Gwangju Design Biennale is the world’s first design biennale. I have felt a lot of overlap with my beliefs in regards to the concepts and the will of Gwangju and its people; that is the true function of design. So, I tried to challenge myself in this regard, and this is how I became the general director for 2021. The theme for this year is d-Revolution, or Design Revolution. The focus of the design revolution is ‘healing.’”
Kim added, “The 2021 Gwangju Design Biennale itself must be a reflection of the paradigm of the times, and we all need emotional healing in Gwangju, which has historical pains from its past, and now the ‘corona blues.’ Through the theme of d-Revolution, you will discover new ideas about differences and encounter various designs that have changed the world through mutual understanding.”
Kim said that the success factor of the 2021 Gwangju Design Biennale that differentiates it from the previous Gwangju Design Biennales will be namely the implementation of “healing” in the exhibition spaces through a combination of emotions. This approach is being implemented so that the visitors can be healed by stimulating all senses as much as possible. In the Theme Pavilion, music, fragrance, and color – and especially light – are used; while in the AI Pavilion, visitors can visualize thoughts; and in the International Pavilion, visitors can witness the “d-Revolution” that people from other cultures have thought up, which is a new and different approach.
The 2021 Gwangju Design Biennale will present a variety of pavilions: the Theme Pavilion, the International Pavilion, the AI Pavilion, the Experience Pavilion, and the Regional Industry Pavilion, as well as the International Conference. Here is an overview:
Theme Pavilion: Various uses of light expressing Gwangju’s identity and values.
• The Theme Pavilion is a space where all five keywords describing the design revolution are gathered under the theme of “d-Revolution, Beyond” and is a space that contains the publicity of design and the identity of Gwangju. Kim will be the curator for this pavilion.
• Inviting works from various countries will break existing molds and present various topics from the environment, to nature, to human sensibility.
International Pavilion: DUB experience
• DUB (design, use, build) is an artistic act that creates a new concept of originality by recombining foreign items with local ones.
• It consists of a DUB Stage zone where DUB performances take place, a DUB Floor zone, and a DUB Record zone.
AI Pavilion: Collaboration of “Humans and Technology”
• This is an exhibition of smart home system technology and a virtual AI vehicle. It is an AI experience exhibition where interactive experiences can be had between installations and visitors.
Experience Pavilion: Media art depicting the evolution of mankind through design in a time of revolutionary change spurred by COVID-19
• The design revolution that will lead the evolution of mankind after COVID-19 will be shown through a variety of exhibitions.
• Numerous experiential exhibitions will be offered that can be experienced with family and friends.
Regional Industry Pavilion: Experience of the excellent cultural industry in Gwangju where you can see the identity of Gwangju design
• Cosmetics developed jointly with Gwangju beauty companies will be exhibited.
• Gwangju’s four main industries – cognitive intelligent home appliances, the optical convergence industry, smart mold, and digital biomedicine – form an experience zone.
Aside from these pavilions, there will also be an international conference and a special exhibition held during the Biennale event. The international conference will focus on academic groups and associations in the fields of design and industry in Gwangju, and various presentations and discussions will be held accordingly. Invited guest speakers include Peter Zec (chairman of Red Dot), Karim Habib (executive vice president of Kia Global Design), and Yoon Song-i (president and chief strategy officer of NCSOFT). Details of this conference will be announced later.
The special exhibition will be held simultaneously during the GDB period. Named the Gwangju Design Biennale 2021 International Invitational Poster Exhibition, with more than 400 artworks from 50 countries, a network of designers working in different countries around the world are set to jointly work on this poster exhibition under the d-Revolution theme. They will also hold a poster forum for cultural exchange.
Kim said, “Through design, we want to convey the spirit of the times that embraces change and difference, expanding the horizons of the future and dialogue with the past and present. Healing moments will be expressed through new communication methods such as non-face-to-face interaction. When artists, their work, the audience, and spaces all interact in various ways that can reveal differences beyond existing methods, we can expand beyond daily life, beyond contact, beyond face-to-face, and beyond revolution.”
Kim closed her interview by adding, “Gwangju Design Biennale will enhance the brand value of the world’s first international design biennale and will prepare Gwangju to raise its international status by strengthening its role as an Asian design hub. Through design, experience, and conferences at the 2021 Gwangju Design Biennale, I hope that each of us, big or small, will be comforted and healed. Please look forward to this year’s Gwangju Design Biennale.”
Event Overview: The 2021 Gwangju Design Biennale
Period: Sept. 1 – Oct. 31, 2021
Opening Ceremony: Sept. 1, at 7 p.m.
Venue: Biennale Exhibition Hall, 111 Biennale-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju
Host / Organizer: Gwangju City / Gwangju Institute of Design Promotion
Co-Organizer: Gwangju Museum of Art
Event Theme: d-Revolution (Design Revolution)
Event Composition: Main exhibition, commemorative exhibition, special exhibition, international conference, experience program, and more.
Website: http://gdb.or.kr/
Email Inquiry: bob0328@gdb.or.kr
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