The Dynamics of Modern Asian Design: Material Culture and Social Agency

by Sandy Ng (Editor), Megha Rajguru (Editor)

Overview

Focusing on the late 20th century onward, this book brings to light the ways in which design as a material form has underscored cultural, social and economic changes across Asia.

The Dynamics of Modern Asian Design provides a deeper and more enhanced understanding of material culture in Asia through analysis of examples of ceramics, electronic items, fashion, furniture, interior design, architecture and ornaments from across countries such as China, Hong Kong, India, Japan and South Korea. Authors explore the production of objects as agents in modern material life, moving beyond their roles as commodities and addressing their values in a range of contexts and subjectivities.

Early chapters explore how ceramics and found objects are given innovative forms and meanings in their reincarnation, and how the reinvention of material is critical when design is produced and valued. Authors look at the intricate correlation between materials, design practice and social change, highlighting issues of cultural authenticity and tensions between local and global contexts. They then interrogate the significance of visual appearance in material representations of modern women and religious artefacts, exploring gender and religious representation through the analysis of magazines, statues and objects of adornment. The final section includes analysis of concrete, urban design and electrical appliances, specific to particular cultural and social contexts across modern and contemporary Asian cultures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350427815
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/13/2025
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.15(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Sandy Ng is Assistant Professor of Culture & Theory in the School of Design of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She is the author of Portrayals of Women in Early Twentieth—Century China: Redefining Female Identity through Modern Design and Lifestyle (2024). She is currently developing new ideas that explore craftsmanship, female identity, and creativity. She is also working on two research projects that examine the assimilation of poetic metaphors in product design and designing for women's mental health.

Megha Rajguru is Principal Lecturer in History of Art and Design at the University of Brighton, UK, where she is also Co—Director of the Centre of Design History. Her research is in South Asian design history, material and visual culture. She is co—editor of Design and Modernity in Asia (Bloomsbury, 2022) and has published articles in the Journal of Design History, Studies in the History of Gardens and Designed Landscapes, Journal of Museum Ethnography and the Journal of Visual Arts Practice. She has also acted as Trustee and Teaching and Learning Officer at the Design History Society, UK.

Table of Contents

List of Figures

Introduction, Sandy Ng (Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong) and Megha Rajguru (University of Brighton, UK)

Part I: The Nature and Experience of Materiality
1. Trash or Treasure? The East Asian Sherd as Material and Medium, Stacey Pierson (SOAS, UK)
2. Found Objects in Southern Chinese Craftsmanship and Design: Social Connections and Material Agency, Anna Grasskamp (University of Oslo, Norway)
3. Maintaining Material Culture: An Essay on Meaning and Values of Things and Technology in Downtown Seoul, Anneke Coppoolse (Hongik University, South Korea

Part II: Design, Material Culture, and Mediation
4. Health Booms and Bubbly Bodies: Hanako Magazine, Women, and Beauty in the 1980s Japanese Bubble Economy, Hui—Ying Kerr (Nottingham Trent University, UK)
5. Ornament and The Self: Feminine Design and Social Changes in the life of the Modern Woman, Sandy Ng (Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong)
6. Religious Aesthetics: Displaying and Collecting Chinese Gods, Valentina Gamberi (Palacky University, Czech Republic)

Part III: The Biography of Design
7. The Aesthetics of Concrete Watchtowers: The Hybrid and Contextual Architecture of Guangdong, Kwok—wah Tung (University of Edinburgh, UK)
8. The Home and the Street: Poverty, Development, and Heritage in Housing Design in India in the 1980s, Megha Rajguru (University of Brighton, UK)
9. The Weft of Nations: Circulating Imagery of Chinese Textile Technology on the eve of Britain's Industrial Revolution, Roslyn Lee Hammers (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

List of Contributors
Index

Editorial Reviews

A captivating book due to its comprehensive approach to material culture and social agency. Modern Asian design needs to be represented in literature and the editors make a significant statement in this regard.” —Deniz Hasirci, Head of Design Studies, IUE Graduate School, Izmir University of Economics, Turkey

“Exploring the intricate interplay between design, material culture, and identity, the book offers a profound examination of modern Asia's dynamic design landscapes. A must—read for anyone interested in how design shapes and is shaped by cultural contexts.” —Céline Mougenot, Associate Professor in Design Engineering, Imperial College London, UK

From the Publisher