GWANGJU < invest Korea

According to Yonhap News,

(SEOUL=Yonhap News) How will technological development influence human life? The question is at the center of the 2017 Gwangju Design Biennale that is currently taking place in the southwestern city.

The organizer said the global event looks at how the confluence of new technological advances will change lifestyles in the future and what role design may play in the changes.

The biennale, which opened Sept. 8, has brought in some 1,200 design items from 500 designers and 370 enterprises of 34 countries, including Britain, Italy and China. The Gwangju Design Center has run the event every other year since the city launched it in 2005.

The design items and projects on view fall into categories that include "Smart Object," "Smart House and City," "Sharing Community," "Smart Healthcare," "Mobility in the Future," "Future of Shopping" and "New and Renewable Energy."


The opening ceremony of the 7th Gwangju Design Biennale takes place in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Sept. 7, 2017. (Yonhap)

Many global artists and designers, including James Auger from Britain and Fleur Simons from the Netherlands, are showcasing their own creative solutions to an aging society, health care and environment, using new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, robotics, 3-D printing and big data.

Also many educational institutions -- 18 from seven countries -- have shown the results of their future-themed projects.

Britain's Royal College of Art is showing "Groove," a fitness platform based on the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is showcasing "The Fuel Station of Tomorrow." Korea University in Seoul put together "Education for Equals," an educational system to be used for children in developing nations.

"Design of the future should produce more meaningful values that deliver a story, while focusing on creativity and empathic abilities, not all of which can be replaced by artificial intelligence and automation," said Chang Dong-hoon, the biennale's chief director, in a statement.

The event runs through Oct. 23.

By Woo Jae-yeon

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr

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