First look at V&A-backed design museum in China

The museum and cultural hub in Shenzhen has announced it will open to the public in December, and will include a permanent gallery space curated by the V&A.

Construction Site of Sea World Culture and Arts Center (photo taken in June, 2017) © Design Society

Update 31 October 2017: Design Society has revealed new images of its interiors and exhibition spaces, ahead of its opening on 2 December 2017. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the updated photos.


Design Society, a new cultural and design hub in Shenzhen, China has unveiled construction site images ahead of its opening in December.

Designed by Japanese architectural practice Maki and Associates, the museum is part of a wider complex located in The Sea World Culture and Arts Center in Shekou, Shenzhen.

The complex will comprise a multi-purpose hall, theatre, restaurants and retail spaces, along with a new outpost of London’s Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum that will aim to highlight the “interconnectivity between design and society”, says Design Society.

Designed by London-based architectural practice Sam Jacob Studio, the V&A Gallery will be the first collaboration of its kind between a UK museum and a Chinese partner; state-owned company China Merchants Shekou Holdings.

Design Society has also revealed details of three temporary exhibitions coinciding with the launch of the centre.

“Value and design”

This includes Values of Design at the V&A Gallery, which will draw from the gallery’s permanent collection to explore the relationship between “value and design”.

The exhibition will feature more than 250 products, furniture and graphic design pieces from 31 countries, spanning from 900 AD to the present day.

Other exhibitions will include Minding the Digital in the Main Gallery, which will explore the relationship between design, technology and humans, and one showcasing sketches, visuals and quotes from past and current projects by Maki and Associates.

The launch of the centre will also be accompanied by a two-day public programme of events, including panel talks, guided tours, workshops and performances.

Design Society opens at The Sea World Culture and Arts Center, Shenzhen, China on 2 December 2017.

All photos: Construction site of Sea World Culture and Arts Center (photo taken in June,2017) © Design Society


Latest images:

Exterior of Design Society | Sea World Culture and Arts Center. Photograph take on 29 September 2017 ©Design Society
Interior of Design Society | Sea World Culture and Arts Center. Photograph take on 29 September 2017 ©Design Society
Sundew( 毛 毡 苔)by Elaine Yan Ling Ng at Art Central 2016 –
Image Credit Stanley Cheng ©2016 (7)
Sharevari, Yuri Suzuki ©Swarovski
Borrowed Nature, Sky Yutaka ©Sky Yutaka
Winy Maas Jacob van Rijs 和 Nathalie de Vries 于 1993
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