At the recently concluded SaloneSatellite Award 2024, Chang Qian, a 2016 graduate of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) majored in product design and manufacture, along with her partner Zhen Bian, stood out among 14,000 participating designers and won the only first prize.
The prize-winning lamp, “Deformation Under Pressure”, looks like a translucent bubble suspended in mid-air. It exemplifies innovative design that integrates shape, light, materials, and movement. The lamp reflects a synthesis of creative vision and technical expertise, earning recognition for its experimental approach and innovative use of inflatable PVC with a tensioned aluminium structure. In addition to exploratory creations like the “Deformation Under Pressure”, most of the designs from Chang and Zhen's studio, Studio Ololoo, closely align with people's everyday life needs, showcasing a human-centred approach to design. This reflects their long-standing commitment to the vivid practice of the "human-centred" design philosophy.
Chang began her design journey at UNNC, where she experienced a fulfilling time growing and exploring the world. Her earliest exposure to this "human-centred" design philosophy, which inherited from the industrial era, also occurred at UNNC, in Professor Xu Sun's module about human engineering. Chang expressed that the professional, open, rigorous, and diverse learning atmosphere at UNNC, along with the well-structured faculty expertise, fostered critical thinking and lifelong learning, and provided her with a very different experience. Various attempts and experiences laid a solid foundation for Chang to open the doors to the design world.
Published on 09 May 2024