Shenzhen Art Trip
On Thursday 7th March, Ms. Heung, Ms. Morin and Ms. King along with 17 Form 4 and 5 Art students made a short trip to Shenzhen to visit the Design Society V&A and the OCT Contemporary Art Terminal. The rain did not stay away but umbrellas in hand we braved the first stop to view some public artworks in the surroundings of the design society. The building itself is a beautiful piece of architecture designed by the Japanese firm Maki & Associates. The public arts on display ranged from bamboo structures to cast iron figures by Turner Prize winning sculptor Anthony Gormley (famed for The Angel of the North, Newcastle). We then received a guided tour of the ‘value of design’ exhibit. The Design society V&A has a selection of 300 products on loan from the V&A London, all of which centre around the design principles of value, materials, wonder and cost. The exhibits ranged from iPod nanos to vases made from reclaimed toxic waste. It was fascinating and presented in a beautiful space.
After lunch our next stop was the OCT loft, there we explored a display of the sculptural works of Sui Jianguo. His pieces are based around the organic clay forms but range in scale from tiny pieces of hand manipulated clay to large installations made from metals and plaster. Even more intriguing was an insight into his process. His exhibition was accompanied by sketches, drawings, maquettes, a restaging of his workshop, videos and experimental pieces. It was wonderful to interact with overwhelmingly large sculptural pieces. After this we explored the many galleries, art shops and corners of this creative space before jumping on the bus back to the Shenzhen border! It was an experiential and amazing trip!
