A child-friendly design exhibition showcasing iconic pieces by renowned international artists is underway at New Taipei Gallery.
Organized by the Cultural Affairs Department of New Taipei City Government and independent curator Alice Wang, the event aims to sow the seeds of creativity in the minds of young showgoers and inspire some of them to take up the challenge of forging fresh design frontiers for Taiwan.
Department Commissioner Tony Lin said the exhibition, which runs until Oct. 4, displays pieces at a height suitable for children, presents information on a story-narrated basis and offers Chinese characters in phonetic notation. In addition, there are several interactive zones for youngsters to try their hands at design.
“Our society has changed from labor-intensive to innovation-driven,” Lin said. “Through life-oriented creation we hope to educate children on the fundamentals of design and open their minds to new possibilities.”
According to the department, the 20-plus original pieces by nine international designers are architecture works by Norman Foster, Thomas Heatherwick and Richard Rogers; fashion items by Coco Chanel, Maywa Denki and Philiy Treacy; furniture creations by Piet Hein Eek; and industrial products by Droog Design and James Dyson.
Lin said all the pieces epitomize cutting-edge design values. These include models of Dyson’s cyclonic technology-based vacuum cleaner, Heatherwick’s British Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shangahi built using 60,000 seed-filled transparent acrylic tubes, as well as the Pompidou Center and British Museum.
“We invite parents to visit this special exhibition and play an important part in uncovering Taiwan’s design talents of tomorrow.” (CRH-JSM)
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