Thursday 14th, we went to the Bridges II (Ju Men Lu 436), to understand the formation of creative area in Shanghai. They are so-call one of the most successful creative area in Shanghai/China. But by knowing how their thinking is, how do they do this, makes me wondered “does earning money counted as the only way to tell if one is successful?” They have certainly formed a very nice moden building, clean, open area for design firms, busineses, etc. But this kind of ‘ideal’ spaces only can be provided for those designers with their own brands, have their businesses, able to pay a large amount for rent and tax. Also, these ‘ideal’ spaces do not have anything to do with the area they are in, they just all in a sudden ‘dropped from the sky’ to some normal urban areas of the city.
This really makes me wondered is this a real success?
Friday 15th, I seemed to have found an answer to this question. In the morning, we met David Chan, the director of Osage Shanghai. He told us how his passion for art has slowly developed and become the director of Osage, which he really believes that everything can be insitutional. Even a commerical gallery, you do not only think about how to earn money, but also need exhibitions that give different perspectives to ordiences and art collectors.
It is not just about how much you can earn, but at the same time how much you can do to serve the community, how much you can create a new point of view to the public.
