The installation, titled “Khai”, was based on research by Dr. Marta Gasparin from the University of Leicester School of Business, according to the British Embassy in Vietnam.
Led by British curator Claire Driscoll alongside designers Thao Vu, Giang Nguyen and Le Thanh Tung, the installation was created as a response to the biennale’s theme “Emotional States”.
The Vietnamese project sought to address the issue that there is no global knowledge of what Vietnamese design today looks and feels like. The answer lies in how young designers look forward by reclaiming their past as the country transforms.
“Khai” is an invitation to pause and reflect on this idea while introducing the country’s relationship to its heritage that contributes to shaping design made in Vietnam.
The installation combines works by the three artists, which come together as a unity. This is to highlight the complexity of the Vietnamese identity today, a unity made up of diversity.
The craft processes, such as weaving, carving, stirring, dying, drawing, outlining, printing and mapping, are the key to the artists’ emotional release. In these processes, stories are told, secrets are shared and lives are lived.
This project has been supported by University of Leicester School of Business, the Vietnam UK Network, British University Vietnam, the British Embassy in Vietnam, the Embassy of Vietnam in the UK, the British Council, the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, and other organizations.
