Design Indaba Expo was the natural choice for a delegation of Taiwanese design experts coming to Cape Town to learn more about what’s hot and happening on the South African design scene.
The Taiwan Design Centre, a resource for the development of creative design in Taiwan and a vital link to the broader world of Asian design, will be presenting an exhibit opposite the entrance to Design Indaba Expo.
Part of the initiative’s visit to Cape Town is to learn from the Mother City’s winning bid for World Design Capital 2014. The city of Taipei has submitted a bid for the 2016 designation of the title.
Similar to Taipei’s bid concept, the theme of the exhibition is centred around the “Adaptive City – Design in Motion” idea.
The exhibition will illustrate how and why Taipei as a city pursues innovation and transformation, all the while taking the needs of its citizens into consideration.
“Through the exhibition we want people to experience Taipei’s culture,” says Julie Yeh of the Taiwan Design Centre. “It’s about the everyday power of design in the form of social care and environmental protection. It is witnessing the power of co-creation and how the regenerative power of design and creativity is helping the city evolve.”
Yeh believes this exhibition will also be an “excellent opportunity to enhance the design exchanges between Taipei and Cape Town, and we can also change many views on many issues”.
The Taiwanese delegation views design as the ideal platform for facilitating international connections. Last year the group travelled to Finland and the Netherlands to participate in the Helsinki Design Week and the Dutch Design Week, respectively. The trip has resulted in the group working on a health care project with the city of Eindhoven. “We would like to see if there is any opportunity to further cooperate with Cape Town,” says Yeh.
See the Taiwan Design Centre’s exhibition in the Jasminium Conservatory at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Visit www.taipeidesign.org.tw for more information.
