A unique project deriving from WE ARE IN THE SAME GAME 2021 was held in Shenzhen, China. An interview with Eric Zhu, who has been much influential in both the production and creative aspects of the project, including the design of the official website.
Interview
“WE ARE IN THE SAME GAME 2021” is a unique derivative project developed in Shenzhen, China. It is a platform where people from various positions encourage each other and cross borders and co-create with
supporters receiving the baton of art made by creators and delivering it to athletes.
Interviewed with Mr. Eric Zhu from Shenzhen Fringe Art Center / Intox Design & Communication, who was in charge of designing the official website of the project and also handled various derivative projects.
— When we made a WSG proposal at the ubies consortium meeting, we were impressed by your strong support. What was the reason?
Eric : Now that we are under an unusual situation because of a pandemic, the international community has discussed the pros and cons of hosting the Olympic Games. However the spirit of sport is based on the belief that mankind faces challenges together. I strongly sympathize with the idea that “WE ARE IN THE SAME GAME” means, and at the same time, I wanted to raise the level of interest in athletes through this project. It is also especially important for people to encourage and support each other. Our common passion as a co-sponsored organization is to provide opportunities for cross-country exchanges between artists through this project. I believe it has a special value.
— Please explain about the exhibition which was mentioned in this month’s News Curation.
Eric : First, I wanted to exhibit artwork using elements related to athletes. Then, the scene of table tennis where balls come and go crossed my mind and thought it could look like neither a competition nor a dialogue. Also, while observing the works, I noticed that there are many works that are inherently related to each other. Some have similar philosophies and some collide well with the colors and shapes. I combined these art pieces and wanted people to exhibit artwork while playing sports so I used a table tennis table for the exhibition.
At the same time as increasing the appreciation of the work, it added freshness and fun. About the layout of the venue, the main floor has been set up on the lower floor so that visitors can see all the works from a bird’s-eye view. Also, the visitors are mainly families. The height of the table tennis table has been lowered, the corners were shaped round and soft and environmentally friendly materials were used to make it easy for especially children to ensure safety.
— Some projects have been postponed due to the influence of the pandemic.
In order to continue to deliver the work as a cheer, it must be expressed in various ways through various media. Therefore, decided to sell the printed T-shirts of the artwork and donate the profits. I wanted the artists to wear T-shirts with their own work printed on them and cheer on the athletes on SNS, so I gifted some T-shirts to related artists. We will continue to improve our projects and continue to promote sustainable production and promote further awareness of WSG.
— By the way, what was your most exciting moment with this project?
It has launched a special Junior Docents project to encourage children’s participation and expression at Bàng!. Ten junior guides showed hundreds of visitors to the sports exhibition of Bàng!’, introducing inspiring episodes of athletes or their recommended WSG works. The junior guides who participated in this project worked very seriously and hard. I was deeply moved by their attitude of the sense of solidarity that always takes on challenges and helps each other like an athlete.
👉 FAC：Shenzhen Fringe Art Center
👉 Intox Design & Communication
👉 WE ARE IN THE SAME GAME 2021
This news can be found in the September 24th edition, ubies Newsletter vol.3.
