Alan Chan: Eastern elements will shine further in design

Eastern elements will further gain significance in the design world because there is so much “to be inspired [by],” Hong Kong famed designer Alan Chan has said.

Designer of a multitude of establishments in Macau, such as the China Rouge clubhouse at Galaxy Macau and two Michelin three-star restaurants – Robuchon au Dôme and The Eight at Grand Lisboa Hotel – Chan has spent 55 years in the design industry.

He was in Macau on Friday to open his lantern installations at a local shopping mall.

In almost all of his designs, there is a hybrid of both Chinese and western cultures. An expert in this respect, the master designer was asked whether he believes the practice will become even more popular in the future.

Replying with a resounding yes, Chan elaborated that with the engine of development now leaning against the East, particularly China and the UAE, elements from these cultures will exist more often in future designs.

Furthermore, “China has a history spanning 5,000 years,” Chan said, suggesting that there is “so much to learn and be inspired from.” He even emphasized that many of his recent designs had evolved from elements that were previously unused.

He also took to the cyclical trend in fashion to explain his understanding. “I hold on to the philosophy of ‘if there’s no past, there’s no future’,” Chan said. “Everything has to rely on our history and our past.”

Elaborating on what he referred to as “Asian sensitivity” in design, Chan said he is inspired by decades of creations in Greater China, insisting this is not due to his Chinese or Hong Kong ancestry.

When asked how the local design circle can further thrive, the master designer said that local designs had been enriched significantly in the past years, before saying that the vibe of local designs will only continue to improve.

Discussing his latest exhibition at One Central Macau shopping mall and MGM Macau, the master designer disclosed that his mother was from Macau but relocated to Hong Kong when she married his father. When he was small, he would spend a month or two in Macau every summer with his relatives in the city. This explains his fondness for the city.

Asked about his memories of Mid-autumn Festival, Chan recalled that shops on Hennessy Road in Hong Kong, where he spent his childhood, would set up mechanical installations that highlighted Chinese literature, such as Journey to the West, so he has incorporated imagined motion in his latest installations in Macau.