Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design has successfully organized the inaugural Encompass
Hong Kong: 3-Day Programme to celebrate Hong Kong’s talents in creative innovation.
Over the weekend of October 10th through 12th 2008, a three-day series of events featuring a
“RED WHITE & BLUE” installation by Stanley Wong were held at 46th floor of Central
Plaza, Wanchai:
Day 1 (Oct 10)
The Ambassadors’ Ball
The Ambassadors Ball was a fundraiser co-organised by the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design
and Hong Kong Design Center. Under the creative direction of Stanley Wong, the evening featured
and re-imagined aspects of Hong Kong life and culture that are ubiquitous to our community. The
evening has included a performance by local indie-rock band Gayamyan, food by Margaret Xu of
“Yin Yang,” and an auction of art works in conjunction with Sotheby’s. The event was officiated by
the Honorable Mr. Henry Tang, Chief Secretary for Administration. All proceeds from the event
after cost have gone to the above two organisations in support of design education and design
development projects.
Day 2 (Oct 11)
Building Asia Brick-by-Brick
In Hong Kong, Brick by Brick brought students and professors from the Hong Kong University
School of Architecture, as well as practicing architects, together with teams of students from
various primary schools in Hong Kong. The program was consist of a 4-hour session where 200
local primary school students were divided into smaller groups to each building up a part of the city
and then brought their pieces together to build a whole city. Under the direction of architects,
architecture students, and design educators, each mini-group was taught about one element of the
city—recreation areas, transportation, buildings, and housing. They then used LEGO bricks to build
their visions of this aspect of their city. The smaller constructions were layered onto the map of
Hong Kong, creating an entire built city. The students were given time to see the various cities built
and vote on their favourite project.
This program was co-organized by Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups. Brick by Brick was
conceived by People’s Architecture and Art Asia Pacific in 2007.
Day 3 (Oct 12)
Designer Talk Series
To cap off the event, there was a closing day of lectures with notables from Hong Kong speaking on
various aspects of the city. Projects from the previous day were exhibited, showcasing the ingenuity
of the Hong Kong’s youth. The event was open for public participation.
Joshua Roberts, Managing Editor, Perspective Magazine
Mathias Woo, Programme and Creative Director, Zuni Icosahedron
Christopher Law, Founding Director, Oval Partnership
Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design
About Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design
Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design, a non-profit organization and registered charity, was founded
in 2006 as a sister organization to the Hong Kong Design Center. The belief of the founding
members is that Hong Kong could be a livelier and energetic place. Over time, creativity had been
submerged by commerciality, and the creative passion of the local population had been lost to the
global marketplace. The mission of the Ambassadors of Design is to get the general public in Hong
Kong cognizant, excited, and engaged in creative ventures or ventures based around creativity.
Members of the Ambassadors include: Douglas Young (GOD), Alan Lo (The Press Room Group),
Daryl Ng (Sino Land), Victoria Law (Zstampz), Oscar Chow (Chevalier Group), Calvin Tien
(Manhattan Holdings) and Dee Poon (Esquel Group), Vicky Lam (Lai Sun), Dickson Yewn (Life of
Circle), Gary Chang (EDGE Design Institute), Ed Ng (OVO), Michael Wu (Maxim’s) and Thomas
Wu (Hopewell Holdings). Past corporate supporters include: Harvey Nichols, Lacoste, LVMH,
Shanghai Tang, Diesel, Sothebys and KEF.
The Ambassadors have sponsored and/or organized the following events and project:
Cut-and-Paste Hong Kong (held at the Innocentre in 2007),
50x50, a design guide to Hong Kong by Hong Kong’s creative leaders in Hong Kong,
Detour, the “on-the-ground” companion to the annual Business of Design Week,
Pecha Kucha Night, founded by Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture in Tokyo, is a
revolutionized design presentation/networking event through its 20 by 20 format. It has since
expanded to over 100 cities around the world including New York, Milan, Oslo and Sydney.
Other events supported by the Ambasssadors include Chanel Mobile Art and “Designers Abroad/
Chinese Designer Series” produced by RTHK.