Saturday June 28, 11 AM
A pow-wow with the creative directors

After an apparently raucous evening spent in a bomb shelter-turned-karaoke-bar (these are the kinds of things you miss when you succumb to jet lag), Tobi and Aric popped up on stage for a quick presentation with WOKmedia and Yao Lu, an architect affiliated with bamboo sponsor Dasso. First, Julie and Wolfgang explained the influence of memory and emotion on their work, exemplified by the quirky lacquered-wood furnishings they created with Contrasts Gallery, which meld cartoonish characters with traditional Chinese forms. Yao Lu then clicked through a portfolio of projects featuring expressive bamboo treatments, the Madrid airport and BMW dashboards among them.

Next, Aric and Tobi addressed the show’s major controversy: namely, that just a handful of the exhibitors were Chinese. “There are 400 design schools here turning out 10,000 grads a year—where do they all go?” asked Aric, lamenting the absence of a local scene. The most insightful comment was offered by brand consultant Richard Hsu: “You’ll find them on the web—that’s where this generation lives.”

Perhaps, but the real answer is probably rooted in a constellation of factors, including a lack of exposure to international design, a manufacturing infrastructure focused on high-volume production at the expense of small-scale artisanal output—and a paucity of events like this one to unite the community. It was a refrain heard throughout the show halls: that 100 % Design Shanghai will hopefully mobilize the next generation of young talent—many of whom were sitting in the audience for the discussion.

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Tobi & Aric