Korea has presented an exhibition with the programmatic title “Constancy and Change” in a large sophisticated space. It showcases artisan objects that introduce subtle variations on the form and decoration of some traditional objects, including vases – expressing the age-old skill of Korean ceramicists – and paper baskets.

Craftsmanship is brought to the fore to highlight – as many other countries are doing, Italy included – the essential awareness that the loss of these skills would be damaging, not just in historical terms but also for manufacturing culture.

‘Róng’ is the transliteration of a Chinese ideogram meaning ‘fusion’. In this spirit, 15 designers – not all of them Chinese – have tackled silk for the exhibition, which has been organised by the PINGWU studio and curated by Zhang Lei. The cultural melting pot, of people and their professional training, seems to be working.

Silk has been used for the prototype of a very light,  coloured furniture piece and for a lampshade, a design interpreting the idea of a light, mobile interior. While clearly not new in terms of form, it has an unexpected grace to it. The material also appears in traditional-style clothes with an ethno-chic spin – the taste is one that cuts across sophisticated environments, from Milan and New York to Delhi and Hanghzou itself.

In the case of Hong Kong too, the title “Constant Change” expresses the city’s rapid and extreme changes. Responding to this state of continual transformation, designers can be a driving force for concrete change, tackling the different problems that these changes produce, including the broad themes of the environment, sustainability and the relationship between the old and the new.

A multimedia installation presents the work of 60 designers, taking ‘designer’ here in the broad sense – included are architects, product designers, social workers and stylists, all in search of ways, big or small, to improve the life of the community.