Movable workspaces - going to China
Nihao from China! Why I’m here? I’m doing industrial design, seeing another part of the world and facing a culture, very different from my own. Do I miss Design School Kolding? Oh yeah! But what a journey and exiting experience it is to try Tongji University.
Actually, me and my fellow students went to Beijing before heading down to Shanghai. It’s always nice to get a little vacation, but the weather turned out to be colder than expected. Not what I hoped for when I packed my shorts.
And what you do you also face i Beijing? The pollution! Oh my God! It was so extreme. Most days we could only see a few hundreds of meters ahead of us and the air was so thick. Not to speak of how dirty you become. This sight really makes me want to do sustainable design and I know we all have to!
We went to see a lot of tourist attractions and this is where I really need to stress: Always have your camera ready! As a designer, I always try to find inspiration wherever I go. So I want to show you some close ups from “the summer palace”: Beautiful ancient tiles with the most amazing deep green colours and lovely textures. I know it’s silly, but for me this is almost prettier than the temples (Wow, did I really say that?!).
After almost a week we headed down to Shanghai going on a fast train running 308 Kmh. Wow, as a commuter I got a little jealous - with a train like this I would be able to get from Copenhagen to Kolding in less than an hour. The Danes are behind when it comes to new technology, but maybe one day we will also get a fast train - I hope so!
On Monday the 13th of October, we began the 4 week design course called “Movable Workspaces”. We are all divided into 4 groups with an equal amount of Danish and Chinese students. The groups are given a company to work with. These are: MATSU, Paustian, Smith Hammer Lassen and Avarte. In my team we are working with Matsu, a Chinese B2B company that sells office environments and furniture.
The first two days we had a workshop, where the students met each other and we had to come up with a design brief. Friday we presented our design concept and this week is going to be all about research and design.
The communication between the two cultures is going great. But outside the school they really don't speak English. In my team we have a lot of fun but I feel the pressure of time - how do I manage to produce a piece of furniture in the scale 1:1 - and in just 3 weeks from now?! Hopefully, the Chinese students can help translating in the workshop when the time comes.
What have I learned after almost two weeks in China? Oh, so many things! The fact that I take so many things for granted and that the world needs sustainable designers. Also, that the communication with Chinese people can be difficult since most have difficulties speaking English. I’ve had some weird dishes when going out! It’s difficult to order when I speak English and Chinese people Chinese. Haha, that's just something to laugh about and off course just from my perspective.
Everything is different from back home and it’s always nice to go out and explore the world. But there is no place like home - and I must admit, I’m beginning to look forward to seeing my sweet dog and lovely boyfriend, not to mention my family, again.