Author Archives: AXM

Exhibition Design: Physical Work, Intellectual Work

Posted on September 19, 2011 by AXM

A friend commented recently that I look a little healthier, a little more in physical shape. While in Korea, I did do a lot of hiking. I climbed up to Sanghwangbong at the top of Mt. Gayasan, near Daegu, which is 1430m up, and then up to Guksabong at the top of Cheonggyesan in Seoul, [...]

Harvest Celebrations and Back in Beijing

Posted on September 12, 2011 by AXM

Back in Beijing after nearly a month in Korea. Left Seoul just as they began celebrating Chuseok, which friends translated as “Korean Thanksgiving.” And then I arrived in Beijing for Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie: 中秋节), where we drank, sang songs and ate mooncakes. It’s interesting to think about the many harvest-themed festivals in the industrialized [...]

Greetings from Gwangju, Korea

Posted on August 19, 2011 by AXM

Despite being only about 1000 kilometers (~600 miles) by the way the crow flies, the journey from Beijing, China to Gwangju, Korea requires nearly a 12 hour odyssey. Early wake-up in Beijing, cab ride in the morning sun to Beijing Capital International Airport, land in Seoul Gimpo International Airport (lovely, by the way–much faster and [...]

Notes from the “Future is Co-” at Xindanwei: Coworking in China, America and the World

Posted on August 11, 2011 by AXM

Had a lovely discussion this weekend at Xindanwei to discuss “The Future is Co-”, a look at the future of coworking, collaboration and collective creativity. I wrote recently abotu Xindanwei’s coworking model in Hyperallergic, and in a way, the panel was a way to continue that dialogue. What added to the event was that Tony [...]

Two Days in Seoul

Posted on July 4, 2011 by AXM

Two days in Seoul last week, packed with meetings, meetings and… did I mention meetings? My first time in Korea but not my last. Got me thinking about the different modes of experiencing a city. On one extreme is being born and raised and knowing it like a local. On the other extreme? A rushed, [...]

Texting in the Philippines, Sustainable Design in Malaysia, and the Southeast Asian Design Community

Posted on June 30, 2011 by AXM

Have a new photo essay in Design Observer this week. This time, I’m focused on Manila’s rich SMS/texting culture, and how that influences the design of storefronts, public space and even Starbucks trinkets. Did you know that the Philippines is the world leader in texting per user? In the United States, users send, on average, [...]

At the Old Drum and Bell Towers in Beijing

Posted on June 26, 2011 by AXM

Swung by the Old Drum and Bell Towers area this weekend to see Chak Man Lei’s tango dancing, as part of Stephanie Rothenberg’s Travel Office, an art installation/performance art intervention she’s set up in Beijing. The area reminds me a bit of Brooklyn, a historic part of Old Beijing quickly gentrifying and attracting “hipster” types [...]