Final winners announced and awards ceremony held; Jeon Eun-ji, Sim Da-eun, and Park Min-cho honored
Second edition of the competition emerges as a platform for discovering creative Korean designers
The Embassy of Sweden in Korea, the Korea Institute of Design Promotion, and IKEA Korea held the awards ceremony for the 2020 'Korea+Sweden Young Design Award' on November 16, announcing and honoring designers Jeon Eun-ji, Sim Da-eun, and Park Min-cho as the final winners.
This year's winners earned high marks from the judging panel for their environmentally friendly designs that consider both people and the planet, aligning with the three core values of the 'Korea+Sweden Young Design Award'—'innovation,' 'sustainability,' and 'a better future'—as well as this year's competition theme, 'Eco-Friendly Design, Live Green! Go Green! Act Green!'
Now in its second year, the 'Korea+Sweden Young Design Award' is a design competition created to expand design exchange between Korea and Sweden, spark interest in the field of design, and nurture young Korean designers. Judging was carried out by a jury of 11 members, including a range of design experts and opinion leaders from Korea and Sweden, based on the evaluation criteria of creativity, aesthetics, relevance to the theme, and impact. Among the fresh entries across various categories, three designs that presented possibilities for a better future were selected as the final winning works.
A total of 20 award recipients, including the final winners, attended the ceremony and graced the occasion. The final winners received trophies specially made from 100% recycled and eco-friendly materials, reflecting this year's competition theme of sustainability, and will be given a variety of study-tour and promotional exhibition opportunities that will serve as a springboard for them to fully express their creativity and grow into the next generation of global designers. The recipients' works will be exhibited until December 18 at the 'Design Korea Festival 2020' (DKfestival 2020), held in a digitact format using an online platform amid the COVID-19 situation.
Jakob Hallgren, the Swedish Ambassador to Korea who served as this year's head of the jury, said, "I was greatly inspired to see young Korean designers combine ideas for a sustainable future with new and exciting design concepts," adding, "It was a welcome experience to encounter entries infused with both Swedish and Korean culture, and through them I could confirm that the two countries share a common pursuit of an environmentally and socially sustainable future."
Fredrik Johansson, CEO of IKEA Korea, said, "I applaud the passion of these designers, who demonstrated outstanding creativity to present simple yet impactful ideas even as the world undergoes rapid change due to COVID-19," and added, "We will continue to spare no support so that they can fully realize their capabilities and lead the movement to create a sustainable future."
△Jeon Eun-ji, 'From Peels to Casein'—A work that demonstrated a wide range of possibilities as the result of exploring materials that can be applied to a variety of design products. Rather than simply shaping a given material, it is noteworthy that the designer conceived and personally produced nature-friendly materials to achieve the forms she wanted.
△Sim Da-eun, 'Practical Use: 01. Clay'—A work that regenerates items we readily discard into new pieces, using somewhat rough finishes and forms to make us appreciate the charm of staying true to the fundamentals themselves. While a designer's goal is to solve given problems and present perfect alternatives, it is sometimes also important to discover the value of what is imperfect.
△Park Min-cho, 'Bitsolmaru'—'Bitsolmaru,' with its human-friendly spatial composition and the natural interplay of wind and light, delivered a special sense of emotion. The material properties of the elements the designer chose, the feelings evoked in a space of light that shifts over time, and the sense of affinity felt in the gaps where one space connects to another all made the work feel even more intimate.
▲ Jeon Eun-ji, 'From Peels to Casein'
▲ Sim Da-eun, 'Practical Use: 01. Clay'
▲ Park Min-cho, 'Bitsolmaru'