What "Purpose" Does Design Serve?
Against the backdrop of building a strong educational nation, "purpose" (为) is not merely a direction or posture, but a condensation of Chinese wisdom emphasizing the unity of knowledge and action. As one of the organizers of the China Innovation Pavilion at this year’s Paris Design Week, the College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University, has joined hands with five top universities including Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Jinjiang, and related industrial chains. Guided by the concept of "purpose," they aim to build a bridge for exchanges between Sino-French design education and innovative practices.
"Purpose" is the original aspiration of design and the mission of education. Rooted in the Oriental philosophy of "investigating things to attain knowledge" (格物致知), it nurtures design talents with local roots and global perspectives through teaching practices focused on urban renewal and future lifestyles, within an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural environment. These talents actively respond to the demands of era challenges and social changes.
"Purpose" also embodies the responsibility and vision of Tongji University. Focusing on the integrated innovation of design with technology, culture, and industry, it uses design thinking to connect the entire chain from raw material research and development to product application, enabling Chinese design to demonstrate systematic and forward-looking strength in global sustainable development issues.
In the "Wéi 为" exhibition area, visitors will witness multi-dimensional explorations ranging from AI-assisted design to the translation of intangible cultural heritage, experiencing how design becomes an engine driving social progress and cultural co-creation. Under the theme "Wei way, Oui design!", with education as the foundation and design as the bridge, we walk alongside the world to paint a better future. The "purpose" of design is not only a commitment of the present but also a path of resonance connecting Oriental wisdom and French spirit.
——Mo Jiao, Co-curator of CCP
- 01 -
Exhibition of Works
【米】Bookshelf
In China, books are also known as "spiritual food". Coincidentally, the character "米" (rice) is part of my surname "娄" (Lou), hence the name of this bookshelf – 【米】. The 【米】 Bookshelf integrates the functions of a regular bookshelf, a compact shelf, and a curio shelf, serving purposes of book storage, item keeping, and display. The designer incorporates architectural language into its design: for instance, the steel cables running through the shelf not only add a sense of design but also reinforce the structure, making it like a "building within the home". A closer look reveals that the wooden boards of the shelf have a subtle curvature, resembling the spines of books, which cleverly echoes the theme of books. All connectors of the shelf are made of metal, ensuring it can be repeatedly disassembled and assembled while remaining stable and durable. Based on the same design language, the 【米】 Bookshelf comes in various specifications to fit most spaces.
——Lou Yongqi / Produced by 多少MoreLess
- 02 -
Zhang Zhoujie
Professor, College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University
Visiting Professor, School of Innovation and Design, China Academy of Art
Founder, Zhang Zhoujie Digital Lab
Founder, EndlessForm
Initiator, AI Factory Artificial Intelligence Art Center
Zhang Zhoujie, a pioneering practitioner in China's digital creation field, his works are characterized by independence, experimentation, and futurism. He explores the evolution and manufacturing of digital forms, seeking the principles of how things grow and change in a digital context. His works focus on the simplicity of logic, the diversity of results, and unpredictability. At this Paris Design Week, he presents his latest designs – the new mirror art installation from the Mesh Series "Mesh Surface Series" and 《Digitalstool Flying Stool》. Starting from "mesh surface", a basic computer graphics language, 《OBJECT #MS-28》 records the possibility of mirror fission, breaking through the original boundaries, and more purely expressing the characteristics of mirror combinations.
The first series, FlyingStool, delves into the intrinsic connection between games and digital entities, and pays tribute to 《Shooting》, the world's first video game and a flight shooting game. In the design process of FlyingStool, full consideration is given to the functional needs of the stool, exploring how to retain the unique stylistic features of an airplane while maintaining its comfort and stability, thus embodying both digital artistic characteristics and practicality.
Exhibition of Works
- 03 -
He Chuheng
He Chuheng studied industrial design at the College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University. His design practice focuses on furniture and product design, and his works have won multiple international awards including the Red Dot Concept Award, A'Design Award, and Asia Design Prize. Adhering to the design philosophy of being interesting, ingenious, and inspiring, he is committed to exploring new relationships between product form and function, and creating distinctive designs.
Exhibition of Works
《Color Roller》
Color Roller is a series of furniture that can change colors through flipping. As a compositional experiment, it uses basic graphics and colors to create a unique spatial experience. Made of transparent acrylic material, Color Roller displays rich and varied colors under different light conditions and viewing angles. Three acrylic panels in red, yellow, and blue are interleaved and overlapped through different structures, forming a vibrant color palette.In addition, Color Roller cleverly utilizes the rotational properties of different graphics to create geometric forms for various components—hexagonal chairs, rectangular tables, and triangular floor lamps. Users can freely flip and rearrange these furniture pieces, decorating the space with changing color combinations to create a personalized and creative atmosphere.
- 04 -
YIZIO STUDIO was founded by Wu Yizao in 2022, with the philosophy of "design reconstructing life" and a focus on exploring innovative expressions in urban contexts. It deconstructs life forms through product design, spatial installations, etc., integrates morphological semantics with material experiments, and spans across fields including furniture and jewelry. The works exhibited this time are a collaborative creation by Wu Yizao and Brazilian architect Marina Brant.
Wu Yizao
Wu Yizao (Yizao Wu) and Marina Brant are two creative practitioners engaged in cross-border collaboration in the creative industry. As an emerging independent designer trained at the College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University, Wu Yizao's creative field spans jewelry art, furniture design, and spatial curation. His works have gained international recognition, being showcased at events such as the Milan Triennale and Dutch Design Week, and he has also collaborated with renowned institutions like Shui On Workx and Xintiandi.
Marina Brant
Marina Brant, an architect from Brazil, has dedicated herself to the fields of parametric design and digital construction. Her career trajectory spans from digital manufacturing in Mexico to modern timber engineering in the UK, and she currently teaches at the University of Campinas. These two innovators take digital jewelry as an experimental carrier, continuously exploring at the intersection of traditional craftsmanship and digital technology, and jointly probing into the boundless possibilities of future design.
Exhibition of Works
“Loopware”
“Moldette”
“Between Form and Flavor”
This exhibition explores the cross-cultural possibilities of design through the perspective of taste, featuring three series: "Loopware", "Moldette" and "Between Form and Flavor". We attempt to use AI-assisted design and parametric modeling technology to conduct a contemporary translation of traditional Minnan dietary culture. The "Loopware" series transforms classic local desserts into wearable miniature food vessels, seeking a balance between functionality and decorativeness. The "Moldette" series reproduces patterns of traditional pastries such as red turtle cakes (Honggui Guo) using silicone materials, endowing the jewelry with the additional function of a mold. The "Between Form and Flavor" series explores the morphological transformation between tableware and brooches. These works aim to demonstrate the borderless nature of food as an emotional bond through design language, while also reflecting our new reflections on the functional boundaries of jewelry. In the integration of digital technology and traditional craftsmanship, we seek a modern expression of local culture.
- 05 -
Exhibition of Works
《啊有虫子！》
The brand originated from an encounter with uncut crystals. With raw stones as the core, it integrates Oriental Zen and natural laws, preserving the natural forms of materials such as 925 silver. This time, in collaboration with TINA ZHAO, it has co-designed the "Oh, there are bugs!" series. Featuring shapes like snails, the series breaks through traditions. Hand-carving is used to showcase the textures of raw stones, interpreting the concept that "nature is design".
- 06 -
The brand was founded by Xie Yadi, head of the Woodworking Lab at the College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University. It is committed to fostering a dialogue between traditional Oriental craftsmanship and contemporary design, drawing inspiration from structure, memory, and handcraft in its creations. The cloisonné series exhibited this time integrates traditional techniques, contemporary materials, and digital design. By replacing enamel with resin, the works exude a sense of lightness and transparency.
Exhibition of Works
This series of cloisonné works reinterprets the concept of intangible cultural heritage cloisonné by integrating traditional cloisonné techniques, contemporary materials, digital design methods, and modular structures. The pattern part of the series inherits the basic principles of traditional cloisonné craftsmanship, but innovates in material selection——replacing traditional enamel or glaze with resin. This gives the works a lighter and more transparent texture, creating unique visual effects in light and shadow.
- 07 -
Designer Fang Xiaoqi excels in shaping forms and color aesthetics. Drawing inspiration from daily life, she creates visual collisions through color matching, integrates natural textures with handcrafted colors, and explores the balance between machine precision and the freedom of handicraft. Her aesthetic tastes are largely rooted in Asian culture. The works exhibited this time are designed using computer software, combining traditional lacquer art with 3D printing to meet the needs of personalized customization.
Exhibition of Works
The design is created via computer software and expressed through curves. By utilizing traditional lacquer techniques combined with 3D printing technology, a diverse range of personalized bracelet designs are realized. The bracelets are printed using a 3D printer followed by surface treatment. In the surface treatment process, first, a file is used to smooth out the rough surface of the bracelet model. Then, sandpapers with grit sizes of 100, 220, 320, 800, 1000, and 1500 are used in sequence for multiple rounds of sanding to make the surface smooth. After the surface is polished to a smooth finish, the initial coloring is done with raw lacquer. Subsequent coloring treatments are carried out several times, followed by a polishing process.
- 08 -
Gao Zhu
Shanghai University of Engineering Science
Dean, Doctor, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, School of Art and Design
Zhou RuiNing
Professor Gao Zhu, Doctoral Supervisor
Doctor of Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University (Thailand)
Lecturer at the School of Art, Jinling Institute of Technology
Gao Zhu is the Dean of the School of Art and Design at Shanghai University of Engineering Science, and Zhou Ningrui is a jewelry and silverware designer. Their collaborative jewelry art series ⟪The Origin of Ouroboros⟫ symbolizes the cycle, renewal, and eternity of life. With this symbol that transcends cultures and eras at its core, the designers explore philosophical reflections on cyclicity, temporality, and self-renewal in modern society.
Exhibition of Works
《衔尾蛇之源》
The Origin of Ouroboros is a jewelry art series that integrates ancient totemic imagery with contemporary jewelry design. The collection draws inspiration from the "Ouroboros" – the serpent that devours its own tail, an enduring symbol of life’s cycle, renewal, and eternity since ancient times. Centered on this symbol that transcends cultures and eras, the designers explore themes that remain profoundly relevant in modern society: growth, transformation, and the enduring inner connections that bind existence.
This series breaks the boundaries of traditional jewelry design by combining cutting-edge 3D printing technology with classical metalworking techniques, complemented by unconventional materials and dynamic structures. Each piece is not merely a fusion of visual aesthetics and craftsmanship but also a vessel for philosophical reflections on cyclicity, temporality, and self-renewal.
Through this collection, the artists invite viewers to re-examine the relationship between cultural symbols and contemporary expression, and to perceive the tension and harmony between tradition and innovation. The Origin of Ouroboros does more than adorn with form – it inspires thought. It stands as an aesthetic response to the timeless proposition of "eternity" and a powerful testament to art’s ability to converse across time and space
.- 09 -
Chen Junkai
Chen Junkai is a master graduate from the National Higher School of Fine Arts at Villa Arson and holds a post - diploma from the French National Contemporary Art Studio Le Fresnoy. He often creates across multiple art forms, such as sculpture, installation, painting, music, and audio - visual art.
Exhibition of Works
《声形》
Light as rhythm, form as order, sound as scenery. We reconstruct natural shapes, interweaving them with light and sound. The language of future forms is an exploration: random, discrete, regular, floating, disordered...
.- 10 -
Li Qianhui
Teacher at the School of Art and Design, Shanghai University of Engineering Science
She comes from the "Gu School · Li Family" pottery heritage, being the fourth - generation descendant of Gu Jingzhou. She has long been engaged in purple clay ceramic design and research on intangible cultural heritage art. Her work "Secluded Seat in Streams and Mountains" integrates Zen aesthetics and Bauhaus concepts, realizing the contemporary interpretation and cultural inheritance of traditional purple clay craftsmanship.
Exhibition of Works
《溪山隐座》
"Secluded Seat in Streams and Mountains" is an innovative tea set that integrates Zen aesthetics, Bauhaus concepts, and Morandi color palettes. With wabi-sabi aesthetics at its core, it achieves the fusion of traditional purple clay and modern design through the combination of geometric shapes and natural elements (water, light and shadow, earth). The teapot body draws on architectural cutting lines, while the tea tray simulates the texture of mountain rocks, allowing users to feel the artistic conception of landscapes amid urban life. The clay materials selected are low-purity gray tones (azure clay and bronze clay), echoing Morandi's color philosophy and highlighting a simple yet sophisticated sense. The design balances ergonomics with spiritual needs, using purple clay as a carrier to convey the balance between nature and humanity. Through the interaction of materials, shapes, and light and shadow, the work guides users to perceive Zen from the utensils, find tranquility in prosperity, and demonstrates the contemporary interpretation and cultural inheritance of traditional craftsmanship.
.- 10 -
Yao Hui
Shanghai University of Engineering Science
Teacher of Visual Communication Design at the School of Art and Design
Yao Hui, who has been deeply engaged in the shape development of gold - porcelain products, once studied design in Italy. She is also employed by Shanghai Yonghua Zhimei Cultural Development Co., Ltd. to develop a series of gold - porcelain products. He is committed to integrating the genes of traditional Chinese culture with modern design language, extracting shape elements from cultural matrices such as the shapes of bronze ware, the aesthetics of Song Dynasty porcelain, and traditional auspicious patterns. Her exhibited work "Begonia of Wealth" this time adopts the thin - bodied bone china technique, implying “prosperous wealth and good fortune, nobility and auspiciousness”.
Exhibition of Works
《金钱海滩 骨瓷金碗》
Crafted with high - end thin - bodied bone china techniques, it innovates the begonia - shaped bowl design. Artisans hand - paint food - grade genuine gold lining and depict begonia patterns with wealth motifs on the exterior. It is delicate and practical. A pair of bowls symbolizes “prosperous wealth and noble auspiciousness”. Whether as a gift or for personal use, it carries wishes of good luck and smooth endeavors.
《财源滚滚 骨瓷金碗》
High - end thin - bodied bone china, with the begonia - shaped bowl improved. Artisans hand - paint food - grade real gold lining inside and draw linked gold coin patterns outside. Exquisite and practical. A pair of bowls implies “noble and auspicious, wealth rolling in”. Whether as a gift or for personal use, it carries the meaning of good luck and smooth everything.
Exhibiting Units:
D-JUST, BENWU STUDIO, CHENLU, COLORBO, FAYWEAVER, FORVIL, HUIHUI, HYOGL, ILLUMINE, PLAYFUL ACCESSORIES, REARTIER, REY, SDCC Saide Art Porcelain Materials, SENSLUX, WEI DESIGN, WU YIZAO & MARINA BRANT, YIF DESIGN, YIFAN RENXU STUDIO, Chen Junkai, Fei Fei, Gao Hao & Zhou Ningrui, He Chujin, Hengyuanxiang, Jiang Boming, Ji Lingzi, Li Jianyong, Li Qianhui, Lin Wenfeng, Liujing Art, Liu Duan, Rice Bookshelf, Pinwuliu Shape, Pusu, Qiu Jingmin & Wang Lei, Green Embroidery Plan, Taoshanfang STUDIO, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation Shanghai, Xipige Winery, Yao Hui, Yimu, Zhang Zhoujie, Zhu Shiren·Studio, Zaozhi China, YILANLIU Yilan Jewelry
Exhibition Date
September 4th to 10th, 2025
Exhibition Venue
Gallerie Joseph, 7 Rue Froissart, 75003, Paris, France