Master Lecture: ‘A Dialogue with Fashion Master Ma Ke – from “Wuyong” to Value of Life’
Master Lecture: ‘A Dialogue with Fashion Master Ma Ke – from “Wuyong” to Value of Life’
10 Apr 2015
HKDI is enthusiastic in promoting creative education in Hong Kong. In addition to providing a wide-range of design courses, HKDI is actively engaged in collaborating with design experts world-wide and invite them to deliver master lectures at the institutions to inspire our students and promote creative culture among the general public.
On 31 March 2015, renowned designer Ma Ke came to Hong Kong from Beijing and delivered a master lecture at VTC Auditorium of HKDI. Ma Ke is the first Chinese designer to be invited by Paris Haute Couture Week. Her interest in the crossover between contemporary art and fashion led her to establish the artistic brand Wuyong in 2006.
Renowned media artist, Peter Wong, was invited as Moderator of the lecture. The event was attended not only by students but also teachers, famous fashion designers and industrial partners. Ma Ke showed the audience her collection WUYONG/the Earth presented at the Paris Fashion Week and the creative process of her handmade collections at the WUYONG space in Beijing, from weaving, sewing to herbal dying. She also talked about the design concepts behind her brand, a designer’s responsibilities to the environment, the preservation of traditional craftsmanship and how she explores these concepts through authentic design practice. Ma Ke also presented garments and socks collected from peasants in remote rural areas in China. For her, these pieces are a form of art that should be valued and appreciated.
According to Ma Ke, the only thing she can do for those peasants as a designer is to help them with her own professional knowledge. Her speech offered the audience an opportunity to understand how she is passionate about life’s origin – the earth, and the cares and love she devotes to people living on earth, and how she uses artistic creation to change these people’s destiny. At the end of the lecture, Ma Ke encouraged all designers and design students to create pieces which will touch their own heart and soul. She hopes that more people will be able to use creativity to express their ideas and make a difference to people and the environment.
