We organizers and designers of the Hong Kong & Shenzhen
Biennale are eagerly awaiting the opening ceremony on February 16. Of course
we’ll enjoy the pomp and circumstance, the speeches and the special events, but
what we’re looking forward to most will really happen the next day: the public
will enter the park. Randomly, wandering around, maybe on their way to
someplace else. Not headed for any particular pavilion, most probably. At that
moment we will finally be able to see the answer to the question that has
inspired us throughout the past few months: How can we best engage the members
of the public in this exhibition? Will those outside the design professions
understand the exhibits? More importantly, will they be interested in them and feel
their relevance?
Kowloon Park is a large and multifunctional public space that
welcomes an incredibly diverse population every day. In this, it is totally
different from previous Biennale venues, which were open only for the
exhibition. On any given morning you can see groups of elderly people
practicing Tai Chi here; at midday professionals and tourists come into the
park to find a lunchtime seat; afternoons may find young mothers bringing their
children for a breath of fresh air. And as the lights begin to go on in the
evenings, the park remains a quiet retreat from the excitement and activity of
neighboring Nathan Road.
So whom will this Biennale be for? It is the sincere hope of
the curators, staff and exhibitors that this will truly be a public exhibition,
open to all and enjoyed by all. Design is important; it impacts our cities, our
homes, our very lives. We should all have a stake in it.
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