At 09:30 on November 27, 2023, the opening ceremony of the Cumulus Wuhan 2023 (Parallel Conference on “Narrative in Design” at Hubei Institute of Fine Arts) was held in the Taohuayuan Hall on the 4th Floor of Taohualing Hotel, No. 293 Zhongshan Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan City, China. Prof. He Qingjun, Dean of the School of Arts and Communication, CUG, was invited to attend the opening ceremony. Leaders attending the opening ceremony were Yang Yunyan, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial People’s Congress, and Jiang Guijun, second-level researcher of the Physical Education, Health and Art Education Division of the Department of Education of Hubei Province. Experts attending the opening ceremony include Yang Dongjiang, Vice Chairman of the National Design Degree Graduate Education Steering Committee and a professor of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, Fan Shengxi, Secretary General of the National Art Degree Graduate Education Steering Committee and professor of Tongji University, Li Haiming, member of the National Art Degree Graduate Education Steering Committee and professor of Soochow University, Prof. Zhao Lu, member of the National Art Degree Graduate Education Steering Committee and Vice President of LuXun Academy of Fine Arts, Xin Yihua, member of the National Design Degree Graduate Education Steering Committee and professor of Central China Normal University, Fang Lili, President of the China Society for Anthropology of Arts and professor of Chinese National Academy of Arts, Prof. Li Baofeng from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and scholars from the United Kingdom, Austria, Malaysia, Japan and other countries. All the school leaders of Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, representatives of teachers and students from all teaching units of Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, as well as more than a hundred academic researchers attended the opening ceremony, which was presided over by Zhou Feng, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Hubei Institute of Fine Arts.
Group photo of guests
With the theme of “Narratives of Love - Toward Healing, Transformation and Transcendence”, the forum discussed the expression and interpretation of love in art and design from different cultures and perspectives. The forum includes multiple themed activities such as opening ceremony, main forum, sub-forums and art study tours. With the theme of “Narrative in Design”, this forum discussed the integration of art and science, culture and economy, society and politics, local and international aspects from the dimensions of structure of digital intelligence, spatial meditation, industrial stories, and body temperature, with a view to promoting the cultivation of comprehensive and cross-disciplinary art and design talents and to promoting the art and design education to better serve and empower the economic and social development.
On November 28, 2023, an expert forum on the theme of “Structure of Digital Intelligence" was held from 08:30 am to 13:00 am in Lecture Hall 201, No. 5 Teaching Building, Tanhualin Campus, Hubei Institute of Fine Arts. Prof. He Qingjun hosted the forum and delivered a keynote speech on the topic of “Classic Paradigm of Residential Ideal: Narrative Mechanism of Traditional EIGHT SCENES”.
Prof. He Qingjun, Dean of the School of Arts and Communication, CUG, hosted the expert forum
The expert keynote speeches also included: “Design Position Determines Design Orientation” by Prof. Li Haiming from Soochow University, “Design and Craft International Collaboration” by Rachel Kelly (UK), “Status and Progress of Urban Environmental Renovation Design Research from the Perspective of Public Health” by Prof. Tian MiMi from Zhejiang University of Technology, “Examining the Emotional Elements in Narrative Development via Artificial Intelligence” by Mohd Asyiek Bin Mat Desa (Malaysia), “User Design: Future-oriented Design Strategy” by Prof. Xiao Xingfeng from Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, “Research on Color Narratives in Chang Wu Zhi” by Prof. Xiao Shimeng from Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, “Posthuman design speculatuon” by Prof. Zhang Li from Guangdong University of Technology, and “Narratives of Countryside” by Prof. Yin Chuanyin from Hubei Institute of Fine Arts.
On November 28, 2023, a roundtable on the theme of “Reflections on the Construction of Design Disciplines in the New Era” was held in the conference room of the Art Museum of Tuhualin Campus, Hubei Institute of Fine Arts from 14:20 p.m. to 18:00 p.m., which was co-chaired by Prof. Fan Shengxi from Tongji University and Prof. Li Haiming from Soochow University. Prof. Ji Tie, a member of the Eighth Design Discipline Evaluation Group of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, Secretary General of the Teaching Guidance Sub-committee for Industrial Design of the Ministry of Education, Dean of the School of Design, Hunan University, and Prof. Cao Dan, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of Hubei Institute of Fine Arts also attended the meeting. Speakers of the roundtable also included Lv Jiefeng, dean of the School of Art and Design, Wuhan University of Technology, Bai Ge, director of the Department of Design, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Prof. Tian Mimi, discipline leader of the School of Design and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Technology, Prof. Xu Kaiqiang, dean of the School of Art, Hubei University, Prof. Guan Jiaqing, dean of the School of Art and Design, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Prof. Wang Xin, deputy dean of the School of Art and Design, Hubei University of Technology, and experts from the School of Visual Art and Design, School of Environmental Art and Design, School of Fashion Art and Design, School of Industrial Design, and School of Handicrafts of Hubei Institute of Fine Arts.
Expert roundtable
During the roundtable, Prof. He Qingjun, dean of the School, introduced the development history of our design discipline and the characteristics of our design disciplines and specialties, and the participating experts highly praised the professional directions of our distinctive disciplines of ecological restoration and environmental design and jewelry design. This roundtable focused on “Education - Collaboration – Future” to discuss, build consensus and share experience, promote the healthy development of design discipline in the new era, discuss the development trend of design discipline in depth, jointly study the high quality construction of the discipline, promote international exchanges and cooperation, formulate the future development plan, and promote the in-depth integration of industry, university and research. Finally, Prof. Chen Hanqing from Wuhan University of Technology made a concluding speech.
Introduction to Cumulus:
The Global Association of Art and Design Education and Research (Cumulus), established in 1990 and headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, is dedicated to fostering international exchange and cooperation in teaching, research, and practice among design schools. With over three decades of growth, it now boasts nearly 400 member institutions from over 70 countries worldwide, bringing together some of the world's most prestigious art and design schools. Cumulus stands as the largest and most influential international academic organization in the field of art and design education. It focuses on the development and innovation in the realms of art, design, and media, paying close attention to global dialogues and strengths across various domains. Emphasizing the diversity in teaching, practice, and research across regions and cultures, Cumulus also spotlights the social and environmental responsibilities of academic disciplines. Through these efforts, it advocates for designers and artists to actively contribute to building a better world.
