Second “Silent Class of 2019” at W+S Lifestyle Gallery 

To help hearing-impaired design students hone their skills, C Foundation’s volunteer group in Shanghai works with Shanghai Puki Coordination Agency for the Deaf on Silent Classes of 2019. The second class of the project took place in W+S Lifestyle Gallery where students were immersed in the charm of the prevailing Modern Oriental design language.

On the afternoon of April 26th, the students arrived on time; Qin Danfeng, Secretary General of C Foundation, made some opening remarks and then Ben Wu, Director of C Foundation and founder of W+S GROUP and chief designer of W.DESIGN, shared his thoughts in the speech “What It Takes to Become a Designer”.

To become an outstanding designer, one has to lay a solid foundation in the first decade, making efforts to learn, feel and perceive, reflect and expand horizon, which culminate in independently conceiving and completing a design.

Director Ben Wu mentioned many things that a good designer should never cease to do throughout his life, which include learning and reflection, finding more about himself, soul-searching, looking for and forming his own design language, thinking and seeking breakthroughs, and pondering the meaning of design to the present in a larger context and across time periods, and finally arriving at a state where you are no longer confined to your own being but you will have established a genuine being.

Director Ben Wu sharing his experience as a designer

Director Ben Wu shared several cases of W.Design to illustrate the “Modern Oriental” design philosophy, a concept proposed by himself. The quintessence of the Modern Oriental design language lies in the relationship between man and nature, joining life and art together across time and space and applying the oriental aesthetics to create soul-touching spaces. Through attending the lecture and visiting the lifestyle gallery, many students spontaneously felt that “blending into life artistically makes design more charming”.

Visiting

Ben Wu showed students around and made some explanation

It is obvious that the students have an innocent and pure character as well as a strong thirst for knowledge, as evidenced by the many questions that they asked during the Q&A session with Director Ben Wu and the tour around W.Design. Director Ben Wu answered all those questions patiently and told the students to not worry about language being an obstacle to their communication because most information is visual. He also encouraged the students to design with love and preserve that love all the time.

In the second Silent Class, students learned about a design philosophy that is rooted in the orient but emphasizes a global awareness, listened to thoughts sincerely shared by Director Ben Wu and got to look around a real design company and feel its artistic vibe. Though they wanted more, the class had to come to an end.

Group picture