▲ Exhibition Area 4: “360。 International Connection”

Forging Alliance of Circularity through Design, Connecting with the World from Taiwan

As the world gradually faces a survival crisis amidst the recent extreme weather events and climate change, issues of sustainability have also garnered growing attention, as the public that has experienced the impacts is now being introduced to circular economy; people not only respond to the idea, but have also been involved in industry supply chain in an attempt to bring changes to planet Earth and the future environment we live in. In 2018, Taiwan Design Research Institute (TDRI) launched an exhibition under the theme of “Are You in the Loop?” and linked with consumers, designers, and manufacturers to present an opportunity for the public to transition from basic concepts of environmental protection to circular economy and circular design; in 2020, “Disaster or Design” focused on the Earth Overshoot Day, which marks the date when humanity has exhausted nature’s resources and services in a given year, and discussed how to ensure balance between resources and consumption under the thinking of circular design. 

In 2022, organized by the Industrial Development Bureau under Ministry of Economic Affairs, executed by TDRI, and curated by CHU-Studio, <the SPIRAL – Circular Design Exhibition> has the longest exhibition period and features the most circular design cases and exhibits in the history of TDRI’s circular design exhibition, and invites a total of 67 exhibitors to showcase 245 exhibits. Domestically, 35 exhibitors participate in the exhibition with 163 exhibits; internationally, organizations and agencies in Thailand, Germany, Japan, and Denmark, including Creative Economy Agency (CEA), Thailand, the Trade Council of Denmark, Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP), have offered great support and assistance, recommending a total of 32 exhibitors with 82 exhibits. CEA also signed a Letter of Intent with TDRI during the opening ceremony to explore opportunities of further cooperation on the topic of circular design.

▲ CEA also signed a Letter of Intent with TDRI during the opening ceremon

▲ Group photo of the distinguished guests at the opening ceremony

the SPIRAL – Circular Design Exhibition: Displays Taiwan’s Circular Design Power!

<the SPIRAL – Circular Design Exhibition> uses “the SPIRAL” as the inspiration, which means continuous rotation, advancement, and expansion of matter, energy, and consciousness along a chronological axis. Based on this idea, the exhibition presents four main areas; Exhibition Area 1: “SPOT – Current Situation” immerses visitors in dusty mist to experience the current situation of environmental destruction through an immersive art performance brought by artists Yao Chung-han and Tseng Jui-pin of “Loudly Lightning Limited Company;” also, their work “Countdown” displays a countdown clock to 2030 with constantly changing numbers of hour, minute, and second, and the word “crisis,” in aim to trigger a greater sense of urgency in people through light and sound, reflecting on the urgency and importance of solving environmental issues.

Exhibition Area 2: “ECHO – Proposed Actions” showcases circular design products, allowing visitors to physically perceive the scenario of being surrounded by circular merchandise through simulation of familiar spaces from daily life, office, to outdoor market, and understand that circular life can be sophisticated and wonderful. The exhibition area also calls for consumers to launch consumer actions to set circularity in motion, achieving the mission and vision of localization is internationalization and rotation for circularity.

▲ Exhibition Area 1: “SPOT – Current Situation”

▲ Exhibition Area 2: “ECHO – Proposed Actions”

Exhibition Area 3: “ECHO – Exploration of Possibilities” integrates exhibitors with the “Pandemic Section” and “Designers Section” using the Five Circular Business Models by Accenture and presents future designs, such as innovative flow of design and design strategy, to bridge the commercial and design ends for circular opportunities. The area showcases new materials made from recycled waste materials and consumer products for diverse everyday life applications developed by Taiwanese designers in collaboration with local industries and academic institutions, promoting another important aspect of the development of circular design—rent instead of buy. Circular design not only has changed user understanding and behavior, its enhancement of service value through product service system is also another mechanism of sustainable development.

Also, in response to the impacts and changes brought by the pandemic, this year’s exhibition features the “Pandemic Section” to showcase the MAC (modular, adaptable, convertible) Ward project developed by Miniwiz and epidemic prevention partition made from waste wafers developed by Mangodan, which also show that innovative design interventions have already connected the industry chains across various disciplines in Taiwan, generating more circular opportunities for circular economy.

Exhibition Area 4: “360^。 International Connection” connects with public and private organizations from Denmark, Germany, Japan, and Thailand, to focus on the development of solutions for international environmental issues, corresponding international policies, and countermeasures of private organizations. When visitors step into the exhibition area, they will be first greeted by a transparent screen, which is the latest metaverse product provided by Colorsky Technology. Not only will they see the wonderful images of Taiwan’s landscape, the menus of “Circular Sharing Table Project” recommended and shared by celebrities will also appear on the screen. The curatorial team uses “circular menus” to combine Taiwan’s local circular design products to dialogue and exchange with international partners, displaying the spirit and look of localization is internationalization and rotation for circularity.

▲ Exhibition Area 3: “ECHO – Exploration of Possibilities”

Starting from the Exhibition, Realizing Circular Principles through Curation

Starting from the exhibition itself, “Honeycomb Paper,” a circular product by The Young Square, has been chosen as the material of partitions, display walls, platforms, and furniture, in the exhibition areas; “Fenko Catalysis Chamber” turns the impossible into possible by transforming the unrecyclable sludge from the papermaking process into the “Sludge Paper” for printing, which not only reduces the consumption of resources for exhibition setup and decoration, but the lightweight and modular properties also significantly lower the carbon emissions during transportation, realizing circular principles in the exhibition venue and in every choices on all scales.

Through diverse curatorial formats like flipped immersive experience and light and sound installation of the sea, land, and air, diverse everyday life scenarios, and graphic data of sharing table, the exhibition enables visitors to become more aware of the environmental crisis when all resources are exhausted when they visit the exhibition areas. As people gradually gain comprehensive circular knowledge and mindset, they will shift to a designer’s perspective for interpretation of the development of circular economy. Designers’ role in the creation of the circular design chain is promoted and manifested through the exhibition, where people can also learn international circular commercial innovations and opportunities.

RA100 The Solutions for Our Earth – 2022 Sustainable Design Action Forum

Circular design today is no longer limited to the narrow scope of reuse and cycle of wastes in the past. Echoing the exhibition’s theme of driving innovation and interdisciplinary connection through design, TDRI also cooperates with private enterprises and organizations, such as 5% Design Action social design platform, UDN Online Advocates, and GoodPoint Exchange this year to launch World Earth Day Sustainable Action, jointly organizing the RA100 The Solutions for Our Earth – 2022 Sustainable Design Action Forum in the Multifunctional Hall, Songshan Cultural & Creative Park, from April 22 to 24, where the government, domestic and overseas professional designers, and private enterprises engage in in-depth discussions on how to adopt design as means of generating greater driving force of circular economy, while also proactively involving different industry chains across various disciplines in Taiwan and calling for people to launch consumer actions to set circularity in motion, in aim to achieve the mission and vision of localization is internationalization and rotation for circularity, so that design value and circular industry chains can be linked to bring more wonderful possibilities for the greater environment.

“Every consumption determines our future.” TDRI initiates a series of circular design activities to connect the industries through the power of design and amplify the effects of circular economy, driving the influences of Taiwan’s circular design, and ultimately setting all consumers, designers, manufacturers, and policy in motion, as whether we choose to rotate or not will be the most important decision to mankind’s sustainable revolution.

∎ Exhibition Info.

Location | Songshan Cultural & Creative Park | Taiwan Design Museum Rm 01/02/03
Time | 2022.03.15 – 07.03 (Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30-17:30)
Ticket Price: TWD 150 (Adult) / 100 (Student, Group, TDRI Member)

Organizer: Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs
Executor: Taiwan Design Research Institute
Curator: CHU-Studio

International Partners:

BRING, Japan
Creative Economy Agency, Thailand
Creative Denmark
Cradle to Cradle (EPEA Taiwan)
i-Kasa, Japan
Impact Design Hub Denmark
The Trade Council of Denmark
Nihonbashi Gurui, Japan

Special Thanks to:

Colorsky Technology Co., Ltd.
Everyday Mask
Fenko Catalysis Chamber
The Young Square

∎ Activites

RA100 The Solutions for Our Earth – 2022 Sustainable Design Action Forum

Time | 2022.04.22 (Fri) – 04.24 (Sun)
Location | Songshan Cultural & Creative Park |Multifunctional Hall 

<the SPIRAL – Circular Design Pop-up Store>

Time | 2022.04.01 (Fri) – 07.03 (Sun)
Location | Songshan Cultural & Creative Park |Design Pin