Preserving Hong Kong’s neon from fading away silently

‘Colourful lights gave the city a ‘skin’, but this atmospheric layer is now being stripped away.’  Neon signs have been the icon and unique colour of Hong Kong since the 1950s. Since the government enforcement of policy on minor work control from 2010, statutory orders have been issued against ‘unauthorised building works’. Modern buildings are being slowly stripped of signs and other vernacular additions due to ‘safety’ concerns. Since then, the existence value of neon has become controversial.  In a recent article ‘Neon Crisis in Hong Kong’ released on The Architectural Review, the topic was discussed from historical and artistic perspectives. Mr Brian Kwok, our Associate Professor and Leader of Information Design Lab being one of the proactive parties striving to preserve neon signs before they are gone was interviewed by the journalist. He talked about his online Hong Kong Neon Artwork Archive which strives to keeping working drawings of neon signs donated by Electrical Manufactory and Nam Wah Neonlight. As a professor in design school, Brian views the matter from artistic and cultural angle.

HKDCxSD-Design-Centred Entrepreneurship launched for the second year

It is our privilege to join hands with Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) to present the ‘HKDCxSD-Design-Centred Entrepreneurship’ programme for the second year.  The training programme launched in 2020 for Hong Kong design start-ups that joined the HKDC’s Design Incubation Programme.  In its recent quarterly networking session for the incubatees, Dean Prof. Kun-pyo Lee and our faculty representatives introduced the training programme for start-ups, shared their insights on the current design industry, and made new friends. The programme team includes the following members from PolyU Design: Advisor: Prof. Kun-Pyo Lee Content manager: Mr Kevin Denney Project manager: Dr Sylvia Liu Trainers: Dr Newman Lau, Dr Jörn Bühring, Scott Chin, William Liang, Benny Leong Project Assistants: Das Bharati, Bing Zheng

PolyU Design faculty and students exhibit NFT art creation

Ms Step Cheung, our Deputy Programme Leader of BA (Hons) in Digital Media, was invited by the organiser of ‘Fine Art Asia 2021’ to participate in NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) creation previously in October. She led 9 students from Digital Media into this growing new art field.   The creations are based on ancient artworks. What inspired Step for her work is the Chinese hand pulse pillow. Relating personal experience, she created two versions with the element of ‘pulse’.   Two interviewed students shared that their animation storylines come from mirrors and pillows respectively. Chan Sze Ming’s work is about bronze mirrors that were usually chosen as gift for beautiful women in ancient times. Alice Choi used ancient medical culture as her animation’s theme.   The NFT platform made the online or dynamic exhibitions more visible. The atmosphere and setting of traditional physical art exhibitions may not optimise the impact of digital media works. It provided more opportunities for new artists who have low reputation by now to promote their works to a global audience.   Tutor: Step Cheung   Students: Windy Yeung Hana Ho Alice Choi Miyuki Francisco Randy Tse Simon Wong Keith Chow Chan Sze Ming Ceci Chow   Media Coverage: 典亞藝博︱曹志豪觀銅鏡見正邪 張小踏新動畫「跨界」與古人合作 (HK01, 13 October 2021)

Dr Sandy Ng to discuss paintings by Lin Fengmian on TV

Our Assistant Professor Dr Sandy Ng will be the guest of RTHK’s TV programme 'Aesthetic Encounter II'《呼吸美學II》on paintings by Lin Fengmian (1900-1995), a modern Chinese artist. The episode 第二集：風嘯人未眠-林風眠(上) will be broadcasted on 9 November and 16 November. Date: 9 November 2021 (Tue) & 16 November 2021 (Tue) Time: 7:00-7:30PM Channel: Free TV Channel RTHK 31 Re-run: RTHK Podcast & RTHK YouTube Channel Language: Cantonese Please mark this on your calendar and tune in!

Over a thousand children participate in an inclusive design research project of a country park, as part of the PolyU School of Design’s research on children and public design

The Public Design Lab of the School of Design at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) launched an inclusive design research project (the Project) named “Playful Public Design by Children” in 2019. Using the real-life setting of Shing Mum Country Park, the Project engaged a group of kid art educators and over a thousand children together with their parents to study the inclusive design of country parks. The Project is a critical breakthrough in research collaboration between a university design research lab and a creative learning studio. It not only enabled the Public Design Lab’s researchers and designers to explore children’s participation in public design, but also facilitated CreativeKids’ design facilitators and researchers to collect data on children’s observations, concerns, ideas and solutions. The Project furthermore provided valuable references for researchers and art education practitioners to carry out public design research both with and for young children. The Public Design Lab will present the Exhibition of “Playful Public Design by Children”, showcasing the creative design and thinking process of the participants with augmented reality and project videos. The Exhibition is currently open until 31 December 2021 in Gallery A, Podium Level, Jockey Club Innovation Tower, PolyU. Officiating guests attending the opening event held earlier included: Mr Eric Yim, Chairman of the Industry Advisory Committee at PolyU’s School of Design; Professor Michael SIU, Chair Professor of Public Design at PolyU’s School of Design; Dr LEUNG Siu-fai, Director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department; Ms Winnie HO Wing-yin, Director of the Architectural Services Department; and Dr Angelina LO, Founder Director of CreativeKids. The children and their parents who participated in the Project also shared their design ideas at the event. In recognition of its impact and creativeness, “Playful Public Design by Children” was selected by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) to represent Hong Kong in the Golden Cubes Award 2020 (international level) organised by the International Union of Architects (UIA). Launched in March 2019, the Project “Playful Public Design by Children” was co-led by the Public Design Lab of PolyU’s School of Design and CreativeKids, a local art design education studio for children and youth. A total of 1,023 children and their parents participated in the Project, which lasted for over a year. According to the development capabilities and interests of the participants, a number of playful design projects were designed for four age groups: (1) Signage design for prohibiting monkey feeding for children aged between 3.5 to 5.5; (2) Whirly facilities design, playful tools design and butterflies study for those aged between 5.5 to 8; (3) Gazebos design, tree-based outdoor space design and treehouse and observation towers design for those aged between 8 and 12; (4) self-directed design and recycling bins design workshop for teenagers aged between 12 and 18. For more details of the “Playful Public Design by Children” Project, please visit the website: https://www.sd.polyu.edu.hk/en/research/design-legacy-public-design-lab#playful-chinese. Media Contact Ms Anita Law Assistant Marketing Manager, School of Design Tel: (852) 2766 4925 Email: anita.law@polyu.edu.hk  Ms Sharon Yu Manager, Communications and Public Affairs Tel: (852) 2766 5103 Email: sharon.yu@polyu.edu.hk 理大設計學院公共設計研究室帶領逾千位兒童參與郊野公園共融設計研究項目 (2021年11月2 日) 香港理工大學（理大）設計學院公共設計研究室（研究室）於2019年開展「玩樂公共設計」共融設計研究項目（項目），以城門郊野公園為研究場景，聯同一群兒童藝術導師、逾千名兒童及其家長研究郊野公園共融設計。研究室於上周五(10月29日)舉行了「玩樂公共設計」出版本發表及展覽開幕活動，展覽將輔以擴增實境(AR)及項目影片，展示及紀錄逾千名兒童的構思及創作。  多位嘉賓及協作單位代表出席了開幕活動，包括：理大設計學院顧問委員會主席嚴志明先生、理大設計學院公共設計學講座教授邵健偉教授、漁護署署長梁肇輝博士、建築署署長何永賢女士，以及奇極創作室創辦人徐羅國彥博士；並由參與項目的小朋友及其家長分享其創作構思。  「玩樂公共設計」共融設計研究項目於2019年3月展開，由理大設計學院公共設計研究室與本地兒童及青年藝術設計教育工作室奇極創作室共同合作，歷時一年多，獲 1,023 名兒童及其家長參與。項目根據兒童發展能力和興趣，分為四個年齡組別，並為參與者設定了多個有趣的設計主題： 3.5 至 5.5 歲的兒童設計禁止餵食猴子的指示牌； 5.5至8歲的兒童進行旋風設施設計、趣味工具設計和蝴蝶研究；8至12歲兒童則構思涼亭設計、戶外樹基空間設計、樹屋及觀景台設計；而12 至 18 歲的青少年則參與自主設計和回收箱設計工作坊。  項目突破了大專院校設計研究室和坊間創意工作室之間的研究合作，一方面讓理大公共設計研究室研究員及設計師探索兒童參與公共設計的可行性，另一方面協助奇極創作室的導師和研究員收集有關兒童觀察、關注、想法和解決方案的數據，為研究員和藝術教育工作者提供了寶貴的參考資料，以開展針對幼兒和公共設計的研究。  項目於2020年3月獲香港建築師學會邀請代表香港參與國際建築師協會舉辦的金立方獎（國際級別）(Golden Cubes Award 2020)，備受肯定。  「玩樂公共設計」展覽展期由即日起至12月31日，於理大賽馬會創新樓平台展覽廳A舉行，有關更多「玩樂公共設計」共融設計研究項目的詳情，請瀏覽網站：https://www.sd.polyu.edu.hk/en/research/design-legacy-public-design-lab#playful-chinese 傳媒查詢  羅珮珊女士 理大設計學院助理市務經理 電話：(852) 2766 4925 電郵：anita.law@polyu.edu.hk  余潔凝女士 理大傳訊及公共事務經理 電話：(852) 2766 5103 電郵：sharon.yu@polyu.edu.hk

Step Cheung’s ‘Depths of Night’ nominated for the 58th Golden Horse Awards

Our Deputy Programme Leader of BA (Hons) in Digital Media Step Cheung brought us good news recently. She was shortlisted and nominated for the Best Animated Short Film at the 58th Golden Horse Awards with her work ‘Depths of Night’. The film portrays the author's fear of how Hong Kong has changed and how she faces her emotions.  The Golden Horse Awards are among the most prestigious and time-honoured film awards in the world of Chinese language cinema. Established in 1962, the awards have given recognition to numerous excellent filmmakers working in Chinese-language cinema. It welcomes annual entries from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong and other Chinese speaking areas. The nominations and results of 24 awards are decided by a group of jurors consisting of film professionals. The final results will be revealed at the Golden Horse Awards Ceremony on November 27th 2021.

Over a thousand children participate in an inclusive design research project of a country park, as part of the PolyU School of Design’s research on children and public design

“Playful Public Design by Children” is an inclusive design research project involved kid art educators as facilitators, 1,023 children with their family who applied design thinking in Shing Mun Country Park. The research project commenced in March 2019 was co-led by our Public Design Lab and CreativeKids, a group of art and design studios for children and teenagers in Hong Kong. In a real-life research setting, the participants learnt to take a critical look at the relationship among human, animals and nature so as to apply design thinking on the public space, facilities and structures. They attempted to identify and solve problems through creating whimsical treehouses, gazebos, observation towers, playful tools, monkey signage, recycling bins and self-directed design. The deliverables of the project not only include many wonderful creations by our young generations, but also a publication and an exhibition currently held at Jockey Club Innovation Tower on campus to showcase the designs. The project was recognized the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) and was selected by to be Hong Kong’s entry for the international Golden Cubes Award 2020 organised by the International Union of Architects (UIA) last year.   Exhibition of Playful Public Design by Children (玩樂公共設計展覽) 28 – 30/10/2021: Gallery D 31/10 – 19/11/2021: Gallery A Podium level, Innovation Tower, PolyU Learn more

Recent external appointments of staff (Jul-Sep 2021)

Dr Jörn Bühring,Assistant Professor Program Advisory Board member, Abu Dhabi University College of Business   Dr Sandy Ng,Assistant Professor   Council Member of Field Editors for Books and Related Media, caa.reviews USA-Field Editor for Design History, College Art Association Prof. Stephen Jia Wang,Professor, MDes Scheme Leader   International Editorial Board Member, Archives of Design Research (Q1 in Visual Arts and Performing Arts) International Editor and Editorial Board Member, Journal of Zhuangshi

TPgFS 2022/23: Master of Design selected to offer 26 fellowships to cover local students' tuition fee

Join us at the Information Session - Master of Design on Jan 8, 2022 (Sat). Register your interest to attend the event here. TPgFS refers to the Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships Scheme offered by the University Grants Committee (UGC). This 5-cohort pilot scheme provides fellowships for meritorious local students for designated taught postgraduate (TPg) programmes to pursue further studies so as to benefit the Hong Kong society. The scheme is expected to provide a maximum of 1,000 fellowships for the third cohort of students (admitted in the 2022/23 academic year). The fellowship, in the form of subsidy, supports each of the fellowship students their programme tuition for up to HK$120,000. The award of the fellowships is to be based on merits. Master of Design (MDes), which operates as a scheme with four specialisms (programme code 73035-IBD/ISD/SSD/TED), offers 26 fellowships in the third cohort. MDes is among the 16 eligible TPgFS programmes in PolyU. It is also one of 14 eligible TPgFS programmes in the priority area of creative industries, awarding about its 29% fellowship places. MDes Fellowship students are required to pay HKD54,600 after offsetting the full programme tuition (HKD174,600) by the fellowship subsidy (HKD120,000). This fellowship scheme was first announced in the 2019 Policy Address. A task force comprising overseas academics and experts who are well experienced in the relevant fields and with no conflict of interest was set up to finalise the details of the scheme and to assess the proposals submitted by the universities. The purpose of the scheme, a wide participation from all UGC-funded universities, and the rigorous and holistic approach in the process have resulted in giving a special recognition for all TPgFS eligible programmes and fellowships students. Visit PolyU eProspectus, UGC website or TPgFSFAQ for further information. Eligibility Local students only; and Being admitted to one of the MDes programmes offered in 2022/23; and Not receiving other forms of government scholarship, including Continuing Education Fund (CEF) (except student financial assistance), or any forms of financial aid from the PolyU, such as the Alumni Bursary, for pursuing the same programme. Selection Criteria The consideration is based on merits and taking into account the students’ academic achievements; professional qualifications; work experience; interview results; and the personal statement on their commitment and plan in serving for the industry of the applied programme. Application Procedures To apply for the fellowships, submit your application for MDes admission via eAdmission first, and then upload the completed fellowship application form in the "additional document" section of eAdmission. Application Results and Deadline The consideration of the TPgFS applications may be on a rolling basis until fellowship places are filled; you are encouraged to submit an application as early as possible. Enquiry T: 3400 3440 E: mdes.sd@polyu.edu.hk PolyU reserves the right to change the terms or withdraw the above fellowships. In case of any dispute/disagreement, PolyU’s decision is final.

Interactive Media's en;bar named best interaction design in Global Design Graduate Show 2021

We are proud to announce that “en;bar”, capstone project of LEUNG Chun Tung Anthony (Interactive Media, 2021) has won in the Interaction Design category of Global Design Graduate Show 2021 in collaboration with Gucci. This is a true achievement as the work stands out with other categories’ winners from over 5000 undergraduate, graduate & postgraduate works created by people of 109 nationalities. Judges are leaders from established companies from around the world.  The design includes an en;bar mobile application, en;bar “Spirit” and a Smart Coaster that help users to drink moderately and brings more fun to this activity. Supervisor of this project is Dr Kenny Chow. To learn more