Exhibitor’s Stories

Laying the groundwork for bamboo innovations through research and curation

Bamboo, one of the most commonly used materials in Asia, is imbued with many layers of cultural meanings. In modern life, bamboo is seen as a contemporary, sustainable, and versatile material. There are many contexts in which bamboo is harvested, crafted, designed, sold, and used, each warranting a careful investigation in order to understand the many sides of bamboo artefacts, from buildings to furniture, and from utensils to artworks. Freeman Lau, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent designers, carried out a year-long research project to examine the role bamboo plays in Asian cultures, and contrast it with the way bamboo is researched and developed in the West. As the title of the resulting exhibition and accompanying book, “Rethinking Bamboo,” suggests, Freeman Lau combined the long and rich Asian traditions behind the use of bamboo with the fresh and unorthodox design approaches to bamboo among international designers to offer a timely study for learning and reflection to prepare us for future innovation and put the material’s development into perspective.