Xishan Cultural Season｜Beijing Design Week

The 3rd Cross-Cultural Communication Seminar

"Cross-Cultural Communication and Site-Specific Art Design in Xishan"

Dialogue Salon and Exhibition

Dialogue Salon and Opening Ceremony: Sep. 24 9:30-12:30

Exhibitoin：Sep.24- Oct.6 11:00-16:00

In the last two years Crosss-Cultural Communication Seminar held in Xishan Forest Music Valley, the experts shared their studies, ideas and experiences on art, design and culture in the form of seminars with an international perspective. The 3rd Intercultural Communication Seminar continued the ideological exchange and collision of the previous two sessions, with a theme of "Crosss-Cultural Communication and Art Design", invites artists to explain the theme of intercultural communication and art design in the way of site-specific creation.

Cross-cultural Communication refers to the exchange activities between individuals, group or organizations from different cultural backgrounds. Communication between individuals, ethnic groups, and organizations, different regions, different countries and nationalities etc., all belong to the category of cross-cultural communication. The research, method discussion and promotion of cross-cultural communication are especially important in the context of globalization.

Xishan has rich human and natural resources. Historically, it has been the meeting place of Chinese and Western cultures, and has produced excellent human cultural achievements. This year's Xishan Site-Specific Creation Activity invites artists and designers to carry out creations with the theme of "Xishan" from August to September 2023. 

The works created by the artists, as well as the design results of paticipants from creative workshops will be exhibited in Music Valley during the Beijing Design Week. At the opening ceremony of the exhibition on September 24th, artists will share their creative experience, and impressions of Xishan at the theme dialogue salon.

Cross-Cultural Communication Seminar 

Inctroduction to Guest Speakers

    （In the order of family name）

Ivan Ballesteros (Spain)

Ivan Ballesteros defines himself as creative world citizen, always interested in learning about other cultures and all the good things each of them has to offer.

He studied Architecture & Urbanism at ETSA in Canary Islands, Spain, where he got his degree in 2001. From 2004 till 2006, He got his Master degree at the Architectural Association of London (UK) in the Design Research Laboratory Program (AADRL). He is selected by Jurgen Mayer H. to go to Stuttgart (Germany) for 9 months to continue his research on cutting-edge Design & Architecture In 2008 . He moved to Beijing, where he worked for few Chinese Companies before establishing his own office In 2012. He has won several competitions along his 20 years of professional experience.

In parallel to his architectural career, He has been an active visual artist using different media since 1998, exhibiting in locations as variated and enriching as La Havana in Cuba, Bamako in Mali, San Antonio de Texas in USA or Beijing where he contacted China for the first time in 2008.

From 2017 he has been teaching at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing at the International Foundation course (CAFA IFC) as the teacher of the Spatial Studio, helping Chinese students to apply to some of the most famous schools of Art & Design abroad; in fields related to architecture, interior design, landscape, or stage design. His experience teaching young Chinese students and helping them to adjust to the western ways has given him a certain perspective on the differences between Chinese and foreign education methodologies in the creative fields. 

Cao Xiaowei (China)

Cao Xiaowei, Doctor of Business Management, associate professor of School of Foreign Languages, Renmin University of China, has been teaching English and cross-cultural communication for master's and doctoral students in Renmin University of China for nearly 30 years.

She has been to University of Southern California, California State University, University of Oxford, and University of Florence to study for short periods, and acquired the training certificates respectively.

Her publications include books: Global Work Culture in Cross-cultural Enterprises -- A Case Study of Italian Fashion Industry, Professional Communications and other academic research works.

 Yvette Stride (Australia)

Yvette Stride is an Australian artist and educator, she is currently living and working in Beijing, China, and teaching Art at the International School of Beijing (ISB).

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art from Queensland University of Technology, and a Master’s in Education (Arts) from Southern Cross University, as well as a Master Scuba Diver Instructor certification with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), working for many years as an instructor and underwater videographer.

Yvette’s art-work is primarily a quest for knowledge, investigating how the mystical side of life manifests into reality. Dreamworlds morph into reality in her whimsical art works. Creatures from the natural world, sweeping curves, pooling voids and text resembling cuneiform reoccur as part of her visual symbology.

Yvette is immersed in her artistic sensitivities through her studio work, art teaching discipline and contemplative practices. She aims to balance logical and intuitive forces as she embarks on creative processes and collaboration. Her art practice includes paintings, sculptures, photography and installations.

Yan Chao (China)

Yan Chao is an artist/art educator,lives and works in Beijing.

His works combine contemporary aesthetics with traditional Chinese paintings in an abstract form, and his oil paintings create a sense of flow like Chinese ink. The artist intends to depict the concrete things in the mind, but the picture is an abstract visual presentation. This visual presentation has an oriental subtlety and a mature artistic vocabulary. His works make people feel the trace of Chinese culture, which is the result of his artistic practice of paying attention to Chinese culture for many years.

In addition to artistic creation, he is also actively involved in art education and public welfare work. He is a lecturer of UNESCO Asian Intangible Cultural Heritage, a special invited artist of the United Nations Development Program Art Concern AIDS Project; he serves as a permanent director of the Songzhuang Art Development Foundation, and an international youth of Zhongshan "Art Future" Chief planner of the art fair; judge of Beijing International Auto Show Design Grand Prix.

He is a special invited artist of many organizations such as Porsche, Minsheng Bank, Jinmao House Real Estate Project, Qishan Site-specific Art Project in Suichang, Zhejiang. His works have been exhibited in art institutions in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Taipei, Taichung, Fukuoka, Seoul, Paris, Berlin, and other cities. His works are collected by many institutions and collectors at home and abroad.

Zhao Yi (China)

Associate professor of jewelry design at Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, jewelry artist, living and working in Beijing. Graduated from Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology with a master's degree in 2003, she was a visiting scholar at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Belgium in 2009. She was invited to study at the Marzee Jewelry Gallery International Camp in the Netherlands in 2011, and participated in the training of international jewelry historians in 2017 . 

In the field of education, she has won many Beijing and national awards andparticipated in and presided over a number of important jewelry design research projects; in the field of jewelry design, she has won competition awards in Italy, Belgium, and other countries. And she committed to the cultural exchange activities of Chinese and foreign jewelry design. Her jewelry design works organically innovate traditional media, creating a dynamic and positive connection between traditional culture and contemporary life.

 She also holds positions in organizations and institutions including: member of the Chinese Traditional Jewelry Art Committee, nominated mentor for the "Youth Design 100" young designer training program, nominated mentor for the Art 8 "Hand of Wisdom" Sino-French Youth Handicraft Exchange Program, nominated mentor for Marzee International Jewelery Graduation Exhibition.

Xishan Cultural Season｜Beijing Design Week

The 3nd Cross-Cultural Communication Seminar

"Cross-Cultural Communication and Site-Specific Art Design in Xishan" Dialogue Salon and Exhibition

Dialogue Salon and Opening Ceremony of exhibition: Sept 24 9:30-12:30

Exhibition duration：Sep.24- Oct.6 11:00-16:00

Venue： Guitar Space, Beijing Xishan Forest  Music Valley 

Academic chair：Cao Xiaowei

Speakers：(In alphabetical order by family name)

Ballesteros, Ivan (Spanish)

Cao, Xiaowei (China)

Stride, Yvette (Australian)

Yan, Chao(China)

Zhao, Yi(China)

Curator：

Chen Lijun

Team：

Piper, Kule, Dongzi, Chang, Fang Zhou

Great Xishan Cultral Season

2023 Beijing Design Week Xishan Forest Music Valley Branch

Organizer

Beijing GeLinTianJi Culture Development Co., Ltd.

Supported by

Beijing Haidian District Cultural Development Promotion Center

Beijing Design Week

Event Hosting

Beijing Xishan Forest Music Valley