Interdesign Hong Kong 1976

Traditional Craft Skills for Today’s Industrial Society, Hong Kong

29 November – 14 December 1976

The Interdesign was organised by The Hong Kong Industrial Design Council and was sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourist Association, the Hong Kong Development Council, and the Sing Tao Newspapers Ltd. The theme addressed traditional crafts and skills in Hong Kong that date back to ancient China; more precisely, how they could be developed so that they have survival and growth in today’s industrial society.

The techniques of production had been passed from one generation to another, and in many instances the craftsmen still used tools similar to those used by their forefathers centuries ago. Due to the rising expectations of the population at the time, and the more lucrative employment opportunities in manufacturing industry, a great many of the old crafts were becoming obsolete.

The objective of this Interdesign was to examine and recommend how Hong Kong’s traditional skills and crafts could have been refined and used for economically viable purposes, and how/which handicrafts could be improved to attract wider consumer markets.