Chinese design student won a trip to Stockholm and Småland

Earlier this spring a competition for Chinese design students was held in conjunction with the World Expo in Shanghai. In line with the Swedish pavilion theme ”Spirit of Innovation”, the task was to create a product that was innovative, sustainable and useful in the everyday life. The winner of the competition is now in Sweden on a field trip discovering the Swedish design tradition.

The competition, organized by Tongji, the Chinese Institute of Design in cooperation with Swedish Konstfack, generated over one hundred submissions, and in a tough competition a winner was finally chosen during an award ceremony in the Swedish pavilion May 1. The prize was handed out bu Swedish Minister for Trade Ewa Björling and the winner was Junjie Liu. With her creation ”Tino”, a pair of metal knife and fork with integrated wooden chopsticks, she became the jury’s favorite.

“The winner has managed the difficult task of combining two cultures into one in an elegant gesture of simplicity and functionality. It is a modern reinterpretation of ancient tools combining function and form in an innovative way, bridging tradition and thus linking the past and the future and joining them as one.”, was the jury’s motivation.

First prize in the competition was a field trip to Sweden to learn more about the Swedish design tradition, and between August 11 and 18, Junjie Liu is in Stockholm and Småland, where she experiences the Swedish design culture. In Stockholm she visits, among other things, Svenskt Tenn, Carl Malmsten and Swedish brands at NK. Her journey then continues to Småland, the very heart of Swedish design. There Junjie Liu will get to try glass blowing, visit the Design Archive in Pukeberg, stay at the Kosta Art Hotel and last but not least visit IKEA in Älmhult.

- We think it is fantastic to be able to arrange this trip. One of our main goals is to build bridges between the different cultures in Asia and Scandinavia. Ms Liu’s winning creation is a perfect example of how these two cultures can be combined, says Elby Kwok Drewsen, owner and founder of Scandinavian Perspectives, the organization arranging the field trip.

Apart from Junjie Li’s ”Tino”, the contest generated many other innovative and remarkable products. Those who are curious can learn more by visiting the shop at the Swedish pavilion, or online at www.swedenexposhop.cn, where some of the products from the competition are sold.

For more information, please contact:

Maria Warren
Communications Manager
maria.warren@expo2010.se
+86 1582 1591 029

Official webpage: www.swedenexpo.cn