GWANGJU < invest Korea

According to Yonhap News,

(SEOUL=Yonhap News) The 7th Gwangju Design Biennale touches upon how the confluence of new technological advances will change lifestyles in the future and what role design may play in the changes, the organizer said Tuesday.

The biennale, which runs from Sept. 8 to Oct. 23 in the southwestern city of Gwangju, has brought in some 1,200 design items from 500 designers and 370 enterprises of 34 countries including Britain, Italy and China. The Gwangju Design Center has run the event every other year since the city launched it in 2005.

Under the theme of "FUTURES," the main exhibition this year has four subtopics: Futures of the Past, Design! the Future, Startup the Future and ASIA_The Future.


A 3D-printed Korean pavilion is being exhibited at Gwangju Design Biennale on Sept. 7, 2017. (Yonhap) A 3D-printed Korean pavilion is being exhibited at Gwangju Design Biennale on Sept. 7, 2017. (Yonhap)

Each section looks at how ever-evolving technologies, such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things, robotics, 3D printing, big data, autonomous vehicles and biotechnology, which academics say constitute the Fourth Industrial Revolution, will change the way people live their daily lives.

In the "Futures of the Past," visitors can take a visual tour inside the thoughts of people of the past about their visions of the future. "Design! the Future" realizes various aspects of the future built on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In "ASIA_The Future," ten Asian nations exhibit a new nature-friendly design paradigm that combines technology and traditional materials and design.

"Design of the future should produce more meaningful values that deliver a story, while focusing on creativity and empathic abilities, not all of which can be replaced by artificial intelligence and automation," said Chang Dong-hoon, the biennale's chief director, in a statement.


The opening ceremony of the 7th Gwangju Design Biennale takes place in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Sept. 7, 2017. (Yonhap) The opening ceremony of the 7th Gwangju Design Biennale takes place in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Sept. 7, 2017. (Yonhap)

This year's event has put extra importance in producing business opportunities for enterprises. Earlier this month, business consultation sessions and a convention took place in Seoul and Gwangju.

"We are standing at the threshold of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is high time for us to explore various viewpoints of the future and think about what we should do to prepare for the changes. This event will also look at the practicality of design, which is its true purpose," Chang said.


People look at a 3D-printed installation at Gwangju Design Biennale on Sept. 7, 2017. (Yonhap) People look at a 3D-printed installation at Gwangju Design Biennale on Sept. 7, 2017. (Yonhap)

By Woo Jae-yeon

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr

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