Debra Li debra_lidan@163.com THREE winners were chosen Saturday afternoon at Pal’s Club, OCT-LOFT for the C Foundation Scholarship for Excellence Program, a scholarship to encourage art and design students to pursue further studies. Bi Xia from Central Academy of Fine Arts, Ye Luying from China Academy of Art and Chen Kaitong from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts were each awarded 10,000 yuan (US$1,540) in cash and 30,000 yuan to be used for designated learning programs at prestigious universities in the United States, Europe or Japan. The three recipients demonstrated excellence in presenting their art and design works against 16 finalists shortlisted from nearly 1,000 students from 12 Chinese universities who submitted their works for the program. Bi’s submission, titled “The Corner,” is an installation that makes use of designer Philippe Starck’s playful Louis Ghost Armchair. Eight sensors, each fitted onto areas of the chair where people frequently make contact with the seat, correspond with a short lapse of pre-recorded electric music. When a person sits in the chair, they will unwittingly trigger a unique musical number according to their individual posture and miniscule movements. “Each of us will leave our personal trail while interacting with the environment around us,” Bi explained. “It is my attempt to raise people’s awareness on how much we can influence the environment.” Ye, an aspiring illustrator and designer, won the scholarship with her illustrated book “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Borrowing its name from Shakespeare’s drama, Ye’s book differs in that it is an autobiographical account of her own happy childhood memories — long summer nights spent playing with her friends and listening to fairytales and folklore told by grownups. Chen’s winning entry is an architectural design for a tea-featuring tourist attraction in Nankun Mountain, Guangdong Province. First founded by 10 established interior designers from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, C Foundation was set up in 2014 for the benefit of the public and for education, exchange and research in art and design. | 