Editor's Pick: This Year's Must-Visit Beijing Design Week Events
Back for the seventh year in a row, this year Beijing Design Week runs from September 23 to October 7. As always, this celebration of art and design encompasses the whole of the city, with events and exhibitions from Dashilar to 798. As ever, the best way to experience all there is going on is to simply head to one of the Design Week hubs, such as Dashilar, and just start exploring. That being said, below are a few of our picks for this year's must-see events and exhibitions.
Lisa Roet: Golden Sneezing Snub Nosed Monkey, The Opposite House, September 23-October 30
This is 100 percent *the* installation to snap for your Insta during BJDW. Australian-born artist Lisa Roet is known for her exploration of the connections between humans and primates. For this installation, she will place a giant sculpture of a Chinese golden snub-nosed monkey 30 meters above the ground on the side of The Opposite House (see lead blog image). Newly discovered in south China and northern parts of Vietnam and Burma, the golden snub-nosed monkey is known for its tendency to sneeze, thanks to an upturned nasal cavity. Roet's sculpture is accompanied by a soundtrack mimicking these sneezing sounds. The Opposite House will also house an exhibition of Roet's jewelry.
Taikoo Li Light Festival, September 23-October 16
Another accessible event in Taikoo Li, the light festival presents 10 pieces by designers from China, the Netherlands, Germany and Canada. Visitors are encouraged to approach, watch and interact with the artworks - again, highly photogenic.
[CANCELED] Zaha Hadid in China, Balassi Institute, Galaxy Soho, September 23-October 7The late Zaha Hadid's creations are among Beijing's most iconic buildings. Spanish architect Hector Peinador celebrates her work and the fusion of contemporary design, technology and landscape that made her designs so popular in China with an exhibition of 18 photographs. The exhibition is curated by Susana Sanz for spainINchina Festival.
Baitasi Remade, September 23-October 7
Launched last year as a core Design Week area, Baitasi is a cultural and historical preservation zone in Xicheng, just near Beijing's financial district. The theme for this year's continued focus on the area is "Urban Learning and the Future of Sharing," intended to encourage the exploration of methodologies of redevelopment specific to the Baitasi area that could be further employed as blueprints for similarly challenged social and built environments in and out of China. Read more about the Baitasi area in our 2015 interview with BJDW creative director Bea Leanza.
Beijing Media Art Biennale, China Central Academy of Fine Arts, September 24-October 30
Organised by the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing Design Week and HFG-Oenbach, the Beijing Media Art Biennale discusses the “Ethics of Technology” and will be broken into two parts. The first part focuses on five pillars of technology, namely AI/robotics, big data/algorithms, bio-genetics, VR/AR/MR, and meta science, and how they interact with art and media. The second part is made up of a selected body of art/research works and practices which are reflective and relevant to ideas on ethics and morality. Over the course of a month, the event will expand into forums, panel discussions, an online hyperlinked exhibition, and publications. Sounds complex, but the organizers promise it will be accessible. Notable visitors include visual artist Keiichi Matsuda, who produced a viral video about the dangers of virtual reality technology. For more information about the Media Art Biennale, visit their website.
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Photos courtesy of the organizers, Baitasi Remade
