Bronze Fine Arts and Art Installation Design · 2025
Cheers To Macau Bland Cultural Extension Design
- A' Design Award 2025 Bronze Winner in Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Unversity of Macau Centre for Arts and Design
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 37,079
- Verification code 7862E4E1B9 · Verify this award
About Cheers To Macau Bland Cultural Extension Design
Cheers to Macau embodies profound conceptual meaning through the transformation of aluminum beer cans into crumpled porcelain, symbolizing Macau's unique cultural fusion and contemporary environmental awareness. The design incorporates motifs such as the Ruins of St. Paul's, Portuguese tile patterns, bilingual text in Chinese and English, and gold splashes accented with wild cursive Chinese calligraphy centered around the theme of lotus. This artistic creation blends classical Chinese art with the expressive gestures of Abstract Expressionism.
Lampo Leong's Bland Cultural Extension Design engages the rich tradition of ceramic sculpture while simultaneously invoking the conceptual strategies of appropriation art and readymade transformation that have defined significant currents in contemporary practice since the early twentieth century, the work demonstrates exceptional technical facility in ceramic forming and surface treatment, achieving the seemingly paradoxical feat of rendering ephemeral disposable aluminum beverage containers in the permanent precious medium of high-fired porcelain with meticulous attention to dimensional accuracy proportional fidelity and surface character, the compositional achievement resides in the subtle choreography of sameness and difference as the two vessels present nearly identical forms yet diverge through chromatic treatment surface finish and rotational positioning thereby establishing visual dialogue rather than mere repetition, the left can maintains the cool clarity of white porcelain ground against which cobalt blue typography creates crisp graphic contrast while the right vessel introduces the warm radiant presence of golden metallic surface suggesting gilding or lustre glaze application associated with decorative ceramic traditions spanning global cultures from Islamic pottery to contemporary studio craft, both vessels bear the deliberate marks of compression or crushing where the cylindrical walls buckle inward creating irregular organic deformations that disrupt the geometric purity of the industrial can form, this intervention transforms the objects from perfect industrial multiples into individuated sculptural presences marked by apparent use damage or deliberate artistic manipulation, the chromatic sophistication emerges through the triadic relationship of cobalt ultramarine white neutral ground and warm metallic gold each color carrying distinct material and cultural associations while functioning together as harmonious visual chord, typographic elements visible across the ceramic surfaces reference commercial branding and product packaging design thereby anchoring the work within consumer culture even as the material translation into porcelain elevates these humble containers beyond their utilitarian origins, thematically Lampo Leong's work invites contemplation of value systems material hierarchies and the cultural mechanisms through which objects acquire meaning, the transformation of throwaway aluminum into enduring ceramic enacts a form of material alchemy that questions distinctions between high and low art precious and disposable industrial and handcrafted, the visible damage or compression marks suggest narratives of consumption use and discard yet the meticulous ceramic realization honors these deformed forms as worthy subjects for sustained artistic attention and technical virtuosity, one might observe how this work participates in ongoing conversations about appropriation transformation and the aesthetics of everyday life while demonstrating the continued vitality of ceramic media in contemporary sculptural practice.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- "Cheers To Macau" conveys conceptual significance by transforming aluminum beer cans into crumpled porcelain. This artistic approach highlights Macau's unique cultural fusion while symbolizing modern environmental consciousness. The design incorporates elements such as the Ruins of St. Paul‘s, intricate Portuguese tile patterns, bilingual text in Chinese and English, and dynamic gold accents. These are complemented by cursive Chinese calligraphy inspired by the lotus motif, merging traditional Chinese art with the expressive energy of Abstract Expressionism.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The size of this work is variable and it could be displayed in many different ways, such as hanging the porcelain cans on the wall to create an art installation or framed in an acrylic box frame.
- Tags
- Culture Industry Design, Cultural Heritage, Calligraphy Design, Bland Visual Extension Design
- Production Technology
- This is a cultural heritage bland extension design with 3D sculptural form in porcelain.
- Design Challenge
- Cheers To Macau is a brand extension culture industry design for Macau Beer. It embodies rich conceptual meanings through the transformation of mediums. The Western aluminum beer cans metamorphose into Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain, symbolizing Macau’s blend of Chinese and Western cultures over the past four centuries. This project promotes Macau Beer by highlighting the cultural connection between the artworks and Macau's history.
- Project Duration
- This project started in Macao in 2023 and finished in 2024. The work has been exhibited in Macao Contemporary Art Center, and received many awards internationally, including 100 Best Annual in Creative Quarterly International Art competition in New York, USA; RedDot Award: Best of the Best in Berlin, Germany; and Silver Award in The Second Quanzhou Zayton Cup International Design Competition in China.
- Operation Flow
- This project could also be displayed as installation or framed within an acrylic box frame.
- Research
- The design incorporates elements such as the motifs of Macau city flower lotus, the Ruins of St. Paul’s, and Portuguese tile patterns, as well as the gold splashes. These elements underscore Macau’s unique historical journey. The wild cursive Chinese calligraphy on the cans features ancient Chinese poetry centered around the lotus theme, blending traditional Chinese art with the gesture abstraction of Western Abstract Expressionism. The faded Chinese text derive from Sun Yat-sen’s famous quote in Zheng Guanying's "Words of Warning in Prosperous Times," representing the ideals of Chinese thinkers in Macau during the late Qing Dynasty, just before the establishment of the Republic of China.
- Inspiration
- The most exhilarating aspect of this design project lies in integrating brand and visual extension design into a three-dimensional sculptural form. Furthermore, the interplay between diverse mediums and textual elements adds an intriguing and stimulating dimension. The fusion of graphic design and sculpture opens up possibilities for engaging viewers!
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Lampo Leong, 2024
Image #2: Lampo Leong, 2024
Image #3: Lampo Leong, 2024
Image #4: Lampo Leong, 2024
Image #5: Lampo Leong, 2024 - Patents
- Copyrights belong to Lampo Leong, 2024.
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