Project / Colours of Asia, Hong Kong
Task / Research, Exhibition, Student Workshops, Forum, Seminar, Exhibition Book, Research Papers
Year / 2012
A Project by The Design Alliance Asia
China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Lebanon/Middle East, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam
Curators: Prof. Ahn Sang-soo (South Korea) and William Harald-Wong (Malaysia)
Co-organisers: Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) and Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE)
Sponsor: CreateHK
Colours of Asia is a programme of Hong Kong Year of Design 2012
The project won the Special Award for Culture at the prestigious Design for Asia Awards 2014
WHW & Associates participated in the Colours of Asia research project through its affiliation with The Design Alliance Asia (tDA Asia). The research covered the whole spectrum of colour and life across 13 Asian regions: from colour symbolism and beliefs from ancient times still evident in the customs and rituals of today; to colours, patterns, motifs, materials and forms in indigenous crafts and objects that have inspired and shaped contemporary design.
The project provides students, professional designers and entrepreneurs with insights into the meaning colour and colour preferences in Asia.
Photo Credit (from top to bottom, left to right)
THAILAND ‘Rainbow Uncle’ Pink Blue Black and Orange (Color Party)
INDIA Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi Suvashis Malik
INDONESIA Buku Nikah (Marriage Certificate) Yogi Hadijaya
SOUTH KOREA Yin Yang and The Five Elements Ahn Graphics
MALAYSIA Tenun Pahang Diraja (Royal Textile of Pahang) Muzium Sultan Abu Bakar
Contemporary interpretations of the classic Malay dress by Zubaidah binti Sual
Research
Associates of The Design Alliance Asia submitted more than 3,200 information cards, each containing an image with a caption to explain its colour significance.
We shortlisted a few hundred cards with stories that are especially meaningful to the subject matter. Given the complexity and subjectivity of colour perception, the project’s vast geographical spread, and the diversity of cultures and languages, it was a challenge to complete the research within the stipulated six-month period.
Still, we were confident of establishing a base of information from which further research in specific areas can follow after the project.
Methodology
Five colours were chosen as the primary palette for the research and exhibition: three primary colours (red, yellow and blue), a secondary colour (green) and the fifth, the pair of black and white. No less significant were saffron, gold, indigo and multi-colour, which have their unique meanings in Asian societies.
We organised the colours under topics such as Life Rituals, Textiles, Built Environment, Food, Masks, Art and Crafts, Literature, Contemporary Design, etc.
Under each topic, we studied the colour relationships between different cultures to determine its similarities and differences.
Graphic visualisation by Ahn Graphics
The Exhibition
The exhibition opened on 3 November 2012 by Susie Ho, Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications & Technology), at D-Mart, Hong Kong Design Institute. It ended on 22 February 2013, after an extension due to continued interest among the public.
The exhibition on Ground Floor had five sections—one for each of the five colours—and a special section entitled Life & Rituals (Weddings, Textiles and Masks).
The Mezzanine floor housed two thematic sections: World Marketplace (contemporary objects inspired by vernacular design) and China Red (a study on the evolution of Chinese Red in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan).
World Marketplace: A display of contemporary products inspired by the colours, motifs, materials or form of indigenous objects.
ENGAGEMENT
The Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI), located at the far eastern end at Tiu Keng Leng, is a good distance from anywhere. It was thus surprising that the exhibition drew a record crowd of 26,034 visitors, coming from a range of backgrounds and age groups, including school children, students, families, and designers.
HKDI students served as docents to introduce the themes and exhibits to the public.
Besides the exhibition, tDA Asia conducted two students workshops, a forum, and a public seminar to discuss the cultural significance of colours in the Asian region.
PUBLICATIONS
tDA Asia published research papers (one from each of the 13 countries/regions) and a book, with specially commissioned articles from colour and culture experts from Japan (Gentarow Ohmi), Taiwan (Tseng Chi-Hsiung) and India (Subrata Bhowmick).
The Opening
Photo, bottom left: Ms Susie Ho, Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development ties the baci, a cotton string, around a guest’s wrist, a century-old tradition of blessing practised by the people of Laos.
Villagers in Laos cut 2,500 baci and blessed the strings with the chanting of prayers at one of the holiest temples in Vientiane, before being flown to Hong Kong for the opening.
The opening offered snacks from 13 Asian countries/regions—a rare opportunity to taste the favourites of each country.
TDA ASIA INTERNAL WORKSHOP
tDA Asia organised a special workshop and a design tour for our associates’ staff. After the opening, Mr Chim Kim Chuen from Stechol conducted a traditional ‘cockerel bowl’ painting workshop.
His great-grandfather created the first cockerel bowl, now found in many parts of Asia. The original cockerel was drawn with only 13 strokes, using a technique originating from Chaozhou. It is now a cultural heritage of China.
THE MALAYSIAN Green ‘AnG-Bao’
The sampul duit raya is a Malay adaptation of the Chinese red envelope (ang-bao). During the religious festival of Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Eid ul-Fitr), Muslims hand out money in green envelopes to guests (especially children) who visit their homes. This sampul duit raya was an unexpected hit in Hong Kong as most local visitors could not imagine a green version of their red ang-bao.
The following year at the Business of Design Week Conference in Hong Kong, William Harald-Wong gave a talk on colour and symbolism in product packaging for the Malay-Muslim market in Malaysia.
RECOGNITION
Colours of Asia won the Special Award for Culture (one of the three Special Awards given annually) at the Design for Asia Awards 2014.
Left to right: Special Award for Sustainability won by OOObjects, Hong Kong, Special Award for Culture won by Colours of Asia, and Special Award for Technology won by Apple Computer, USA.
Curators: Prof. Ahn Sang-soo (South Korea) and William Harald-Wong (Malaysia)
Exhibition Design: BD+A (tDA Asia Indonesia)
Exhibition Graphics & Information Design: Immortal (tDA Asia Singapore)
Copywriting & Editing: Elephant Design (tDA Asia India) and Dino Brucelas (tDA Asia Philippines)
Coordination: tDA Asia Secretariat and Hong Kong Design Institute
Publication Design: KL&K (tDA Asia Hong Kong)
Research team for Malaysia: Ezrena Marwan, Suzy Sulaiman and William Harald-Wong with contributions by Dato’ Ahmad Farid Abd Jalal and Dr June Ngo Siok Kheng; supported by Muzium Sultan Abu Bakar, Pekan
