Cao Zhen caozhen0806@126.com Design Society’s three new exhibitions opened at the Sea World Culture and Arts Center last weekend. Whether old Chinese enlightenment publications or the insightful visions by international architects and designers or dazzling fashion photos, the exhibits are like a cool fresh breeze in the early summer. ‘China New Culture Movement and the Enlightenment of Aesthetic Education’ This exhibition features publications on art from the New Culture Movement in China in the early 20th century, as part of Design Society’s ongoing exhibition “Values of Design: China in the Making.” The exhibition reviews the beginning of China’s design and aesthetic education under the influence of the movement, which promoted a new Chinese culture based on Western ideas such as democracy and science from 1915 to 1923. The movement was launched by the writers of La Jeunesse magazine and they promoted a new society based on unconstrained individuals rather than the traditional Confucian system. In addition to advocating democracy and science, scholars and educators, such as Chen Duxiu, Cai Yuanpei, Feng Zikai and Lin Fengmian, also promoted ideas such as “using aesthetic education to save the country,” and incorporated the arts across the curriculum, as they hoped paintings, music and dance could nurture people’s taste. At the exhibition, visitors can view 150 old books, magazines, textbooks and photos. “Modern aesthetic education is to nurture appreciative, reflective and cultural engagements with the arts. Today, the idea of ‘using aesthetic education to save the country’ is not outdated because aesthetic education is critical to our creativity,” said Hang Jian, professor of the China Academy of Art and chief director of the museums under the academy. Dates: Until Oct. 31 Tickets: 68 yuan Venue: V&A Gallery, 1/F (一楼V&A展馆) ‘Vibrating Clouds’ The “Vibrating Clouds” exhibition displays installations, books and videos to show how designers respond to climate change. Twelve artists, architects, scholars and musicians from seven countries present 12 pieces of works that incorporate multiple dimensions of meteorological science, artistic perception and architectural design. They include works by the renowned architectural firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, artist Tomas Saraceno and architect Huang Zelin, and nearly half of the exhibits are site-specific commissions issued within the past year. Curator Cai Yixuan stated that although air is invisible, it carries many things related to humans’ activities on Earth. “Air can carry humidity, temperature, lightning, clouds, wind, pollutants, electromagnetic waves, birds and dust. It shuttles between the body and nature, architecture and landscape, reality and virtual platform, creating the environment in which we breathe together,” she said. The exhibition is the winning exhibition of the Curating Design Plan 2020. The plan, initiated by Design Society, is a platform for fostering new interdisciplinary curators, which supports cross-cultural observation, research and discussion, thus expanding the public’s understanding of design. Dates: Until July 18 Tickets: Free Venue: Park View Gallery, 1/F (一楼园景展馆) ‘SANKUANZ & ANDREA CREWS: Les Rendez-Vous de la Mode’ This exhibition showcases photos of fashion garments by Chinese designer Shangguan Zhe and French designer Maroussia Rebecq. Shangguan collaborates with contemporary artists to create a line of garments and artistic projects in the style of a mixture of streetwear and folk culture. He founded his brand SANKUANZ in 2008 and showcased his works at Paris Fashion Week in 2014. Rebecq founded ANDREA CREWS in 2002, defined as a precursor of the upcycling and sustainable fashion trends but also of a bold and unisex trend thanks to its innovative process of streetwear couture style. The exhibition is part of Festival Croisements 2021, a Sino-French cultural exchange event that is being held until July 31 in 14 Chinese cities. Dates: Until June 9 Tickets: Free Venue: 104B, 1/F (一楼104B) Add: Inside Sea World Culture and Arts Center, Nanshan District (南山区海上世界文化艺术中心内) Metro: Line 2 to Sea World Station (海上世界站), Exit A | 