My background
MA: Design Futures/Design Critique & Design management, Goldsmiths College (2004)
BA: Design Studies - History and Art and Design & Design Critique, Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University (2001)

My expertise
Design analysis
Exhibition concept design

My focus
Contemporary exhibition design and organization
Design management

Mentor: Piers Robert (Designer’s Block)
Placement: Designer’s Block

Major Project
Choreography For A Chair
Design Exhibition as Theatre
Design Critic, Curator

The project proposes to bridge the divide between commercial and didactic design exhibitions. How do you communicate to commercial clients, design students, academics and design practitioners in the same space? It is proposed not to only show artefacts but also convey their meaning through live performance, using actors and dancers play out themes, interacting with displays. The goal is firstly, to enrich the clients' understanding of the products by bringing their conceptual and cultural context to life; secondly, to bring designers and academics into closer contact with clients and enhance their understanding of commercial imperatives; thirdly to carve out an innovative role for design management in novel design exhibitions.






Contact
zhijie_yao@hotmail.com

Collaborators
Exhibitor: Charlie Davidson
Spatial Design: Ming-Jung Wu & Ying Gao
Graphic Design: Yuan Zhuang
Performance: Lifeng Wang, Shihuang Xi & Keisha Grant
Choreography: Juanjuan Sun & GDA (Greenwich Dance Agency)