Tournament celebrations in the field evolution

Tournament celebrations in the field evolution: case studies of DesignInspire and Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture

1. Introduction

Moeran and Pedersen (2011) defined that a fair is a temporary assembly, attached to a physical place at intervals, contributing to the global demands of a specific industry and the practitioners socially and symbolically. Via the encounters of organizations and individuals at a fair or festival, products and people are valued techno-materially, socially, situationally, appreciatively and functionally (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). In the economic, social and symbolic activities at a fair, the values mentioned above exchange forming a tournament (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Meanwhile, a fair offers a venue for the field power reconfiguration and dominant value negotiation as the field evolution direction (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Moreover, a fair can also be a city co-competition strategy and a public education means. This essay will begin with the introduction of two theoretical frameworks—tournament of values (ToV) and field configuring event (FCE) with the illustrations of DesignInspire. Then it will demonstrate the curated fair’s role in consecration and city competitiveness by comparing DesignInspire and Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture. Finally, it concludes that a themed fair is a tournament celebration in the field evolution with additional functions of consecration and city co-competition strategy.

2. Theoretical approaches: tournament of values (ToV) and field configuring event (FCE)

Lampel (2011) argued that a fair is like a socio-economic ‘lab’ for the product strategic evaluation vis-à-vis each other while participants create and convert their resources entrepreneurially. Lampel (2011) classified resources as alienable resources and inalienable resources. The alienable resources are the cultural product’s values and thus exchangeable (Lampel, 2011). Values are the criteria for judging an object or a person’s legitimacy and worth (Morean & Pedersen, 2011). Moeran and Pedersen (2011) categorized a cultural product’s value into five types: technical/material values, social values, situational values, appreciative values and utility or use values. Firstly, technical/material values refer to the materials, knowledge and techniques applied to the cultural product design and manufacturing (Morean & Pedersen, 2011). Secondly, social values are the reflection of the network of institutions, individuals and their interactions related to the cultural product (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Thirdly, situational values represent the spatial and temporal conditions that lead to the cultural product’s scarcity and authenticity (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Fourthly, appreciative values emerge from the aesthetics and the media comments on the cultural product (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Fifthly, utility or use values generate from the intended and the actual usage of the cultural product (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). People quantify each cultural product’s values with different weight on these five aspects and combine them as a symbolic-exchange value (Morean & Pedersen, 2011). At a fair, a cultural product is circulated at an established price (commodity-exchange value) normally when it equates with the estimated symbolic-exchange value (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). As for inalienable resources like social relations and prestige, they are attached to people’s identities, so they are untransferable (Lampel, 2011). Since the inalienable resources are vital for gaining the highest returns for alienable resources, participants also struggle with obtaining them at a fair (Lampel, 2011). Hence, the two valuation processes of products and practitioners’ resources and their mutual circulations make a fair a tournament of values (Lampel, 2011; Moeran & Pedersen, 2011)

Moeran and Pedersen (2011) also framed a fair as a field configuring event with four mechanisms. First, field participants from diverse backgrounds of profession, organization and geography have a duration-bounded gathering at a location facilitate their social interactions and communications (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Second, fairs create a collective sense among the field actors through ceremonial activities (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Third, the power and agency of a field are negotiated at fairs to structure hierarchy (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Fourth, field players transform their capitals into different forms at fairs (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Hence, fairs offer field players the context of field reconfiguration and evolution (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011).

3. Tournament celebrations of values in the field evolution: DesignInspire

DesignInspire is a ‘curated fair’ of design industry opening to both trade and public (DesignInspire, 2020). Organized by Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), it is a stage for global creative talents, design brands, design organizations and institutes to showcase their innovations (DesignInspire, 2020). It is usually scheduled in the first week of December every year and lasts for three days (DesignInspire, 2020). Since the first DesignInspire was held in 2017, it has taken place in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center for three years (DesignInspire, 2020). Regarded as a yearly grand meeting of the global design industry, DesignInspire functions as a tournament celebration of values in the evolution of the field of design.

The valuations of design products and practitioners and the tournament of values took place simultaneously at DesignInspire. For instance, Loftwork showed their aGEL project which is a material innovation in tactile sense simulation. The Loftwork material scientists developed twelve recipes of silicone gel to imitate the solidity of twelve levels as a new approach to communicate products. At DesignInspire, the aGEL project was estimated having high technology/material values since it was a pioneer with no competitor at the moment. Meanwhile, the aGEL project carried the social values of the Loftwork’s branches in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. Moreover, the singular display zone of Loftwork and its location adjacent to the gift counter reflected Loftwork’s high situational values, because the large and independent space highlighted Loftwork and it was likely to be exposed to the mass passing by to collect the free DesignInspire souvenirs at the counter. Besides, the map of aGEL project was designed vividly with twelve illustrations of each hardness level, so the presentation had good appreciative values in terms of aesthetics. Furthermore, the aGEL project’s utility values were praised highly by Japanese virtual reality (VR) experts for its application in VR (Loftwork, 2020). Overall, the aGEL project was evaluated owning good symbolic-exchange values at DesignInspire. At the same time, the aGEL project economic-exchange values were based on the symbolic-exchange values during the negotiation with Taica Corporation a Japanese material company (Loftwork, 2020). By the alienable resources (the aGEL project) transaction, Loftwork earned the inalienable social relation and reputation from Taica Corporation. Thus, Loftwork formed its tournament of values of both the aGEL project and the company at DesignInspire.

Apart from the two valuation processes and the tournament of values at DesignInspire, participants came from various professional, institutional, geographical and industrial backgrounds to network. From the perspective of design professionalism, up to the design scholars like Prof. Harvey Chung from the University of Hong Kong, down to the ordinary Hong Kong citizens who never receive design training, as well as designers and students learning design took part in the DesignInspire. Hence, design students enhanced their knowledge from the talks with design experts while designers exchanged their name cards. For example, design students from the University of Hong Kong knew the latest trend of combining Augment Reality technology and marketing to distinguish brand identities (DesignInspire, 2020). As for institutions, not only companies offering design business like Loftwork providing interior design services, but also governmental design associations such as Hong Kong Design Center and CREATEHK attended (DesignInspire, 2020). Therefore, previous business partners could strengthen their bond via mutual greetings while unacquainted corporations signed a contract of a cooperated project. For instance, the Karen Aruba Art founder Ms. Karen greeted the director of FabCafe who rented the color printer to them for her colorful printed mahjong project at the expo (Karen, 2019). Through their relation maintenance, Ms. Karen expressed the intention of keeping FabCafe her production partner (Karen, 2019). Besides, the manifold geographical origins of participants reflected the global ambition of DesignInpsire Expo—from Chinese mainland regions like Wuhan and Hangzhou, neighboring countries like Japan and South Korea, to European design power Italy (DesignInspire, 2020). Therefore, DesignInspire was a hub of the East Asian design market. Take TAODESIGN a Hangzhou design studio as an example. Via its attendance at DesignInspire, TAODESIGN expanded its market from Chinese mainland to Hong Kong and even the whole East Asia (DesignInspire, 2020). Moreover, apart from the design studios, suppliers like Brother Hong Kong (machine manufacturer) and 3DMart Hong Kong Limited (3D scanner, printer and CNC) presented at DesignInspire as well (DesignInspire, 2020). Thus, suppliers could meet potential clients and boost sales.

Additionally, DesignInspire was curated to reinforce the dominant values of design plus market globalization, local culture protection, smart city, engineering and STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics) (DesignInspire, 2020). Unlike non-curated fairs, DesignInspire is a combination of fairs, exhibitions and awards. It was composed by a design fair mainly divided by national pavilions, a shop selling peripheral products of exhibitions, three exhibitions whose themes were ‘Design without boundaries’ ‘Hong Kong creative force’ and ‘Urbanovation’, and awards of DFA design for Asia Awards and Hong Kong Smart Design Awards (DesignInspire, 2020). In the meantime, DesignInspire further strengthened the prevailing design values via ‘InnoTalks’ with expertise architects (DesignInspire, 2020). For instance, Mr Frankie Pang (2019) delivered a speech titled ‘Creating innovative customer experience through technology’. He (2019) argued that the integration of brands and the latest technologies such as VR/AR and artificial intelligence can create unique and enjoyable user-brand interaction experience. An audience (a brand identity designer) challenged that the major obstacle to the application of VR in branding is the bulky equipment, which seems unsolvable in the near future. The audience’s remark brought a contested view to the field. Mr Pang (2019) agreed to the viewpoint while he (2019) pointed out that the popularization of VR is observable for its unreplaceable immersive experience, which aligns with the updated consumers’ demands of authenticity. Therefore, Mr Pang (2019) relieved the conflicts among the field of brand marketing and highlighted the mainstream values of technology plus brand identity as the direction of field evolution.

In a nutshell, DesignInspire is a ‘themed fair’ with exhibitions and awards concentrating on innovations in design, urbanization, local culture preservation and STEAM education (DesignInspire, 2020). These dominant values are further consolidated via knowledge exchange with design professions and thus determine the field evolution. Besides, international design industry insiders together with sub-field suppliers met in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center for products and individual/organizational evaluations in the respects of techno-material, social network, situation, appreciation and use. Through their symbolic-exchange and commodity-exchange social encounters, their values of alienable resources as well as inalienable resources were in a tournament.

4. Consecrated biennale and city co-competition strategy: comparison of DesignInspire and Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture

Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture (UABB) is currently the sole biennale exclusively based on the set themes of both urbanism and urbanization in the world (UABB, 2020). Co-organized by Shenzhen and Hong Kong, UABB (2020) has been held nine times in its fifteen-year history. Unlike hybrid fairs like DesignInspire, UABB is a consecrated biennale with public educational responsibility and Shenzhen’s tool for city co-competition with Hong Kong and the world.

UABB (2020) prioritizes the symbolic values by the picky selection of exhibits, although social values and economic values can also be created via the social activities at the concurrent symposia. According to the statement of UABB (2020), exhibits at UABB must engage in the globalized, avant-garde dimensions and public-interest views. The criterium of ‘avant-garde’ determines that the exhibit has to apply unprecedentedly experiential creative concepts (UABB, 2020). On the other hand, the curator team consists of the experts enjoying a great reputation in both academia and exhibition curation (UABB, 2020). For example, chief curators of UABB 2019 were Prof. Carlo Ratti, Meng Jianmin and Fabio Cavallucci (UABB, 2020). Prof. Carlo Ratti teaches architecture studies in Massachusetts Institution of Technology which is one of the best architectural academies in the world (UABB, 2020). Meng Jianmin is a Chinese architectural master while Fabio Cavallucci has twenty-year experience in biennale curation (UABB, 2020). Their top academic standards and curatorial tastes guarantee the demanding entry of UABB 2019. Hence, the sixty-three final exhibits at UABB 2019 passing the strict selection of the curator team were considered having high symbolic values. On the contrary, DesignInspire opens entries for any exhibitors in the field of design who can afford the rental of the display zone (DesignInspire, 2020). It is because the major role of DesignInspire is a fair aiming for business. The more exhibitors attend DesignInspire, the more rental the organizer HKTDC can earn. In this sense, the symbolic value of exhibitors cannot be judged by its attendance at DesignInspire. Hence, UABB (2020) is a consecrated biennale elevating the prestige of the exhibitors via the demanding selection by the experienced curator team.

UABB is a means of Shenzhen’s city competitiveness improvement in terms of urbanization and livability. In the meantime, UABB (2020) exhibits offer alternative solutions to the rapid urbanization issues of Pearl River Delta including Shenzhen. Referring to the timeline of UABB (2020), themes cover Shenzhen’s chronological development challenges: urban village (2005), city of expiration and regeneration (2007), city mobilization (2009), the mutual creation of architecture and city (2011), urban border (2013), city livability (2015), city growth in difference (2017) and urban interaction (2019). Take the art installation A String Theory exhibited at UABB 2019 as an example. The background of A String Theory is the widely existing perception of the single-way relation between human and city among Shenzhen citizens. Shenzhen citizens simply conceive the city a place to survive and never expect any response from their living environment. Without the interaction between human and city, Shenzhen citizens feel less attachment to the city and thus low level of happiness. A String Theory contains two combined iron cubes with flexible colorful ribbons crossing within the structure (UABB, 2020). It was designed for children to climb on and play with the colorful web (UABB, 2020). Through the children’s enjoyable interactions with the art installation, it activates the connection between citizens and their surroundings physically and spiritually. Hence, children and their family gain delight from the installation and their life satisfaction increases. By the optimizations of both physical urban conditions and citizens’ mentality, UABB facilitates to increase Shenzhen’s competitiveness. By contrast, DesignInspire (2020) targets at strengthening Hong Kong’s advantage of international business network, DesignInspire exhibits do not limit to the local contexts. Instead, they are more globalized and general. For instance, AUTORO was a Korean paper doll brand presenting in the Korean pavilion at DesignInspire (DesignInspire, 2020). AUTORO paper dolls were Korean cultural icon-oriented like wearing traditional Korean costume hanbok.

Furthermore, UABB (2020) functions a Shenzhen city co-competition weapon with Hong Kong. Separated by the customs and Shenzhen River between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Shenzhen has the ambition of attracting international best resources from Hong Kong. UABB is such a bridge. Originated in 2005, the Department of Urban Planning of Shenzhen conceived that there was no influential or professional architecture/urbanism exhibition in Shenzhen at that moment, which stifled the progress of Shenzhen’s urbanization (UABB, 2020). However, in the meantime, many architects around the world settled down in Hong Kong like Philip Liao (2020) from the US. Since the birth of UABB, Shenzhen architects have a good chance to learn overseas world-class architecture and urbanism discourses and cases, while more and more Hong Kong architects like Hong Ko come to Shenzhen to work (KL&K, 2020). On the other hand, at DesignInspire (2020) there was no Shenzhen pavilion. Since Hong Kong nowadays is less competitive as Shenzhen in design, Shenzhen designers and brands prefer to present at local fairs like Shenzhen International Cultural Industry Fair (ICIF, 2020). Meanwhile, UABB (2020) promotes Shenzhen’s tourism by locating exhibits in total of eleven venues for three months in Shenzhen, including Futian high-speed railway station. By contrast, DesignInspire (2020) venue was solely Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. Hence, UABB encourages participants to explore Shenzhen deeply and comprehensively and thus contribute to the hotels and restaurants economically; DesignInspire attendees may only drop by Wan Chai District of Hong Kong where the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center is and thus make fewer tourist impacts.

In summary, UABB is consecrated putting stress on symbolic values by tricky entries while DesignInspire opens to all exhibition registers in the field of design. Meanwhile, UABB addresses on local contexts to optimize Shenzhen urbanization while DesignInspire is a more international trading platform to maintain Hong Kong’s global business advance. Moreover, UABB assists Shenzhen to co-compete with Hong Kong for talents and capitals and boost local tourism. As for DesignInspire, it claims Hong Kong as an Asian hub of creativity but not attractive enough for Shenzhen designers. Also, it has little impact on Hong Kong tourism.

5. Conclusion

To conclude, a fair is a temporary township relied on a physical venue from time to time for the global needs of an industry and the social and symbolic demands of practitioners (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Since each fair is both a tournament celebration of values and a field configuring event, DesignInspire and UABB are not exceptions. Field and sub-field players take part in the fairs to estimate both the symbolic-exchange (technical/material, social, situational, appreciative, utility/use) and commodity-exchange values of products (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Meanwhile, they evaluate, negotiate and circulate alienable and inalienable resources when their formulation seems equal to the two exchangers (Lampel, 2011; Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Since participants are from different backgrounds of professionalism, organization, geography and industry, their aim of resources’ tournament is to invest on a more favorable position in the field (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Via the cultural capital (knowledge) exchange, the dominant values of the field are reinforced with tension resolutions and direct the field evolution (Moeran & Pedersen, 2011). Specific to UABB, it emphasizes on symbolic values by difficult entry and Shenzhen contexts. Meanwhile, UABB is a co-competition strategy towards Hong Kong in aspects of talents, capital and tourism. Compared with DesignInspire, it is a more globalized design trading fair welcoming any design exhibitors to enhance Hong Kong international commerce. It fails to grasp Shenzhen resources and has little impact on tourism. Though UABB and DesignInspire perform distinctively in exhibit selection and city co-competition, they are designed to fulfil the local need.

(3000 words)

References

DesignInspire. (May 21, 2020). Expo details. DesignInspire. Retrieved from http://www.hktdc.com/ncs/designinspire2019/en/s/Expo-Details.html

ICIF. (May 22, 2020). Shenzhen International Cultural Industry Fair. ICIF. Retrieved from http://en.cnci.net.cn/

Ko, H. (May 22, 2020). Partners. KL&K. Retrieved from http://www.klandk.com/about_us/show.php?itemid=3

Lampel, J. (2011). Afterword: Converting values into other values: fairs and festivals as resource valuation and trading events. Moeran, B. & Pedersen, S. (Eds.) Negotiating Values in the Creative Industries. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 334-347.

Liao, P. (May 22, 2020). Philip Liao. PL. Retrieved from http://cn.plpl.com.hk/people/2

Moeran, B. & Pedersen, S. (2011). Introduction. Moeran, B. & Pedersen, S. (Eds). Negotiating Values in the Creative Industries. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp.9-16.

UABB. (May 21, 2020). UABB 2019. UABB. Retrieved from http://uabbhk.org/en/

Appendix

From the coursework of GCIN2010, I developed a deeper understanding of fairs, festivals and events’ multiple values and impacts to the diverse stakeholders, from the field practitioners to the cities they are located in. Each fair is a field reproduction event whose entrance is a boundary of insiders and outsiders. During the fairs, valuations of both products and people and the tournament of values take place all the time. They negotiate with each other to maximize their symbolic and economic resources and further opportunities. Meanwhile, participants have knowledge of the fair’s schedule, location and the list of exhibitors while there are unpredictable encounters and dramatical incidents. Such out-of-expectations are also attractions to the participants to gain more visibility, which is crucial for a more favorable position in a field and the name economy. Moreover, fairs are usually concurrent with awards, symposia and similar types of events for media exposure, knowledge exchange, field evolution and more public attention. In this sense, fairs are also a city branding strategy in the global event and city network for local tourism, economic and political benefits.

In my opinion, fairs are also a powerful tool for industry promotion and public education. To embrace the public, the industry’s knowledge popularization may generate people’s interest, while some of them may join the talent pool or become a customer afterwards. Sometimes critiques from the audiences from different backgrounds may encourage the interdisciplinary innovations.