Sustainable Exhibitions - Collaboration in the Art Ecosystem

On December 16, 2023, the Hyundai Blue Prize-supported event, "Sustainable Exhibitions - Collaboration in the Art Ecosystem", held at the Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing, delved into the core element of the art ecosystem – exhibitions. Through diverse perspectives and practices of industry professionals, the event showcased multifaceted interpretations of sustainable concepts within the art ecosystem.

The discussions further explored the foundations and possibilities of collaborative actions. The opening session introduced the Hyundai Blue Prize, supporting innovative thinking by new-generation curators. Awardee Zong Xiao‘s exhibition, “Metamorphic Ecosphere", addressed environmental crises with a consistent thread of sustainability. The thematic seminar featured various practitioners, including creator, gallery professional, institutional curator and architect, sharing experiences ranging from using obsolete media in art creation to the experimental organization of the "Machang" project and sustainable principles in architectural practices. The discussion session encouraged the audience to actively engage in sustainable exhibition concepts. Speakers emphasized that sustainable actions are context-dependent and underscored the importance of undertaking meaningful and challenging endeavors.

This thematic seminar not only facilitated the exchange of practical experiences and highlighted sustainable exhibition practices but also underscored the call for interdisciplinary collaboration, fostering profound considerations of environmental consciousness.

Designing Future Crops

On September 10, 2023, the "Designing Future Crops" event at the Hyundai Motor Culture Center concluded with great success. The event was based on the "Animal Farm Simulator" exhibition and was led by curator Chen Jianghong. Expert insights were shared by Dr. Shi Jun, a plant scientist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, artist Xu Chaofan, and Xie Yuanmo from MOMO Mind Map Studio, all discussing the diversity and symbiosis of future crops.

The event was split into two parts: a World Coffee Roundtable Discussion and a Mind Map Co-creation session. During the roundtable, we explored the future of crops through the lens of various themes such as alien species, fungi, plant fibers, and proteins. In the Mind Map Co-creation session, attendees collaboratively crafted a mind map of future crops,drawing from the earlier discussions.

The event was a hive of activity, with every participant fully engaged in the brainstorming process. As we explored thediversity of crops, we all reveled in the joy of creativity.

Zero Waste Living

On November 5, 2022, Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing organized the One Day Class #Zero Waste Living event at Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing to promote a sustainable lifestyle.

The event featured curator Xing Dan and Tang Beijia, founder of GoZeroWaste Lab, who shared the concept of zero waste living and guided participants to explore the potential of resources.

Curator Xing Dan presented the theme "Journey of Objects" and shared the behind-the-scenes stories of the exhibition. She introduced the concept of the exhibition, starting from the idea of balconies and using art and technology to create a scene that makes people reconsider the future of materials and ecology.Tang Beijia discussed the philosophy of zero waste living and emphasized that waste is simply resources misplaced. She encouraged a reevaluation of our relationship with objects based on our needs, with the aim of reducing waste in society.

At the event, participants had the opportunity to try onion bulb cultivation and mint cottage, and transform old t-shirts into eco-friendly tote bags. They adopted a “zero waste” approach by taking home the potted plants they cultivated. Finally, they used the remaining onion peels from the planting process to create tie-dye handkerchiefs, replacing disposable paper with exquisite and environmentally friendly alternatives in daily life.

Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing will continue to leverage the power of technology and art to realize a sustainable future!

Bitcoin of Things (BOT): Theory and Practice Workshop

On February 25, 2023, Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing organized the “Bitcoin of Things (BOT): Theory and Practice Workshop”, a public program.

By exploring the creative concepts behind the exhibit “BitterCoin”, basics of Bitcoin, computing power and efficiency, and incentive mechanisms, this workshop aimed to enable more people to understand the distributed ledger technology of blockchain and the competition it incites, both from a technical and practical standpoint. 

The participating artists, César Escudero Andaluz and Martín Nadal explained the principles behind Bitcoin transaction verification and the conceptualization of BOT online.

Technical assistance during the practical sessions was provided by Chen Lili, who is involved in blockchain-related technology research. Curator Bi Xin guided participants and facilitated real-time communication between offline participants and the speakers.

This event is not only a reflection on the blockchain field but also an attempt to reduce resource consumption.

Urban Mini Farm

On September 24, 2022, Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing organized the One Day Class #Urban Mini Farm event. Curator Xing Dan and artist Xu Chaofan, winners of the Hyundai Blue Prize Art+Tech 2022 for their exhibition “Balcony of the Brave: Nutrition Materials and Future Ecology”, were invited to explore the concept of sustainable living.

The event started with the creative concept of the exhibition “Urban Mini Farm” and led participants to DIY their own “urban mini farms” right at the event. The biodegradable containers used as plant pots provided a continuous source of nutrients for the plants, making it a beneficial attempt at urban ecological restoration.

The aim of this event was to encourage people to pay more attention to sustainable living.

Recycling DIY

On December 26, 2021, Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing partnered with the national brand BOTTLOOP, which advocates for a low-carbon and sustainable lifestyle, to host the One Day Class: Recycling DIY. The event aimed to promote environmental awareness and have fun with a DIY experience.

At the event, a representative from BOTTLOOP explained the concept of sustainability and guided participants to DIY eco-friendly items and “turn waste into treasure”. Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing provided eco-bags and badges, allowing participants to paint their attitudes toward a low-carbon lifestyle on the bags or create personalized badges showcasing their dedication to greenness.

This event promotes a low-carbon lifestyle and encourages more people to adopt environmentally-friendly habits.

Planterior

On December 12, 2021, Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing organized the One Day Class: Planterior, a DIY micro-landscape activity for reusing household items. The event promoted the concept of a low-carbon lifestyle and reusing idle objects while exploring the beauty of nature.

Ye Chao, a gardening expert ranked top 5 on RED, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Handicrafts Alliance, and one of the earliest practitioners in micro-plant landscape design in China, was invited to share the origins and development of micro-plant landscapes and provide maintenance tips for DIY micro-landscapes.

Through close interaction with plants, participants experienced sensory stimulation that helped relieve their work and life stress. To maintain the vitality of micro-landscapes, Ye Chao shared advice for daily maintenance from years of experience.

This event not only allowed participants to enjoy the fun of creativity and enhance their ability to appreciate and create beauty but also encouraged the practice of a green lifestyle.