Sea World Culture and Arts Center, Shekou, Shenzhen　　Photo courtesy of Maki and Associates 

It seems that the art scene in the Pearl River Delta is undergoing exciting changes. Located in Shenzhen, the Shekou Design Museum is scheduled to open to the public in October 2017. It’s a collaboration between the China Merchant Group Shekou (CMSK) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). The collections and exhibitions will focus in contemporary design and creative products, with the aim to develop a brand new form of multinational operation and create a unique local cultural experience. Together with the M+ in the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong, the contemporary art and design scene in southern China will look no longer the same and deserve our continuous attention. 

City, design and creativity 

Just a stone’s throw from Hong Kong and Macao, Shekou is located on the Nantou Peninsula in Shenzhen. CMSK started developing the area as an industrial zone. After decades of economic growth, Shekou has been transformed from a fishing village to a city. In 2008, Shenzhen was appointed as a UNESCO City of Design, which has helped enhance Shekou’s reputation in the art and culture scene. To further strengthen trade and urban renewal, CMSK launched the ambitious “Remake Shekou” campaign in 2009. Major initiatives are “internet information, technology and creativity”. In 2014, CMSK and the V&A, a prominent museum in London, signed a collaboration agreement to build China’s first museum dedicated to design. Founded in 1852, the V&A is a leading organisation in art and design in the world and well-known for its fabulous and diversified collections, including classical paintings, sculpture and decorations. The collections also include an array of creative items like contemporary photography, furniture, fashion and costumes. Recently, the museum is very proactive about getting exposure overseas, with the aim to expand its excellent operation beyond London and to establish new branches elsewhere. The partnership between the V&A and CMSK is built on the strong willingness to collaborate with each other. The core team members hope that this will become an opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences and professional knowledge. It is also hoped that an active base can be built for the creative industry in the City of Design in order to foster more innovative design ideas and thoughts. 

Design society 

In March 2016, CMSK announced that it has commissioned the Sea World Culture and Arts Center to renowned Japanese architecture studio Maki and Associates, led by Fumihiko Maki. The idea is to connect rivers and mountains, the seas and the city to the visitors and guide them to enter into dialogue with the nature and the culture. At the same time, the organiser, together with the V&A, launched a new art initiative “Design Society”. The institution aims to “use design to inspire everyday life and to connect the industry” and it is hoped that an open and integrated platform can be built in the civil society. It is said that the V&A is planning to exhibit its refined collections of designer items of the 20th and 21st centuries in the special exhibition hall in the institution. Two massive-scale exhibitions are also scheduled in 2018 and 2019. This is the first collaboration of its kind between the Chinese corporation and a British art and cultural organisation. 

Ole Bouman is the founding director of the Design Society. He is a Dutch scholar specialising in cultural and architectural history. He taught in the Netherlands Architecture Institute and published Volume, an independent magazine with a focus in design and architecture. Starting from 2009, Bouman has participated in the BiCity Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture and he has got himself familiar with the art scene in southern China. He believes that “design is not only a profession. It’s a real action that connects people”. We hope that the Design Society, a brand new international collocation, will become a driving force of the City of Design to not only foster interflows between different sectors, but also to promote innovative design and put it into practice.