World Design City Conference, Paris and Shanghai, together

In 2010, the city of Shanghai joined the “Network of creative cities” created by UNESCO, made up of 246 cities that have identified creative design as a factor in sustainable urban development. As part of this movement, Shanghai has created the “World Design Cities Conference” this year, a series of events dedicated to design. The theme, "Design without borders, Sustainable cooperation", illustrates the wealth of exchanges between Paris and the Chinese megalopolis. In February, Paris Design Week signed a long-term partnership with Shanghai Design Week. In September, the show will be launching simultaneously in France and China. It will extend over 1200 square meters and the three different levels of the Galerie Joseph Saint-Merri in the Marais district in Paris. 

This exhibition opens with the tectonic shifts in the urban landscape experienced by Shanghai in recent years. Eminent Chinese and international architects have transformed its architecture, starting with Jean Nouvel, who designed the Museum of Art Pudong (MAP). This museum faces the Bund, this shoreline where the most incredible buildings can all be found. Through videos and visual materials, visitors will be able to follow how this iconic area has evolved in an exhibition called "The Invisible Bund". This immersive exhibition conceived by two Chinese curators, Tseng Wei-Hao and Huang Pei, will present the works of two artists, Lin Shan and Cotton Zhou. Mirroring this on the French side, art historian Marc Partouche will show how the Paris-Saclay urban complex developed through the prism of several artists, Miguel CHEVALIER, Céline CLANET, Bernard MONINOT et Arno GISINGER.

After urban planning, it’s time for object design. A space will be dedicated to particularly innovative companies in the fashion and design fields. You will discover a selection of brands like ICICLE, a natural and sustainable premium brand, but also objects made by Frank Chou, the first Chinese desginer to collaborate with Louis Vuitton for Objets Nomades or an immersive experience created by Jiang Quiong'er, the artistic consultant for the exhibition and also co-founder of the luxury brand ShangXia.

Finally, we will discover the emerging designers of the "Design Plus" section of Shanghai Design Week, as well as the prizes for the second edition of the Maison&Objet Design Awards China were awarded to Chinese designers by a mixed Chinese and Western panel. Pierre Favresse, Rossana Orlandi, and Isabelle Stanislas examined the world of both young and veteran designers selected from all over China. During the exhibition you’ll also be able to discover designs from artisanal firms working on objects, as well as in fashion and lifestyle more generally.