Virtual and Social Engagement (CAFA - MOUJITI)

Fei Jun + Lulu Li

Or download the final relay presentation as PDF here.




1. unbalanced eco system - the Body
798 evolved from an factory to an art district without previous planning,
due to lack of clear planning and efficient management, this eco system gradually grow out of it’s equilibrium,
it slowly filled itself up with low end souvenir shops and street stands, and less quality even irrelevant programs,
which are still leeching off 798 the “art brand”.

2. Vague brand image - the Mind (needs connection between the body and the mind )
798’s art eco system organically came first, then it’s brand as an art district evolved along from it.
the gradual change of the inner content - the eco system (the Body) has distorted it’s organic brand image into something mis fitting.

3. loosing the creative soil (connect different disciplines - cross disciplinary )
chinese contemporary art was quickly recognised by the market, it caused the commercial value of the place rising rapidly. not only losing pre-existing artists community, also it made emerging artists or creatives hard to enter 798 to provide flow of fresh blood to sustain the creative force which originally brought substance to 798.

4. disconnected communities (needs connection )
artists were the first community in 798, who had fled to further affordable places like songzhuang, huantie etc. studios left empty not used or to rent out to small merchants, visitors has been reduced from dedicated art lovers down to shallow souvenir scavengers, and due to the lack of not only consistency and coherence but the quality of over all information of the programmes, the big potential for online communities to be directed by programs to 798 was made impossible. Surrounding art school students were still remained as regular visitors disregard this fact.

5. fragmented experiences (for visitors, for users) (needs connection )
dis-orientation and incoherency the public experience from space to space when enter 798 is clearly caused by not only by lacking of overall program planning, but also coherent spatial planning. crowd drew from online information often go through social network’s public filtering function before giving trust of it’s quality.

6. lack of brand loyalty (to connect experiences to authenticity, to connect people to value )
798 experience is a place experience, program experience, overall is a brand experience, as an art district brand lacking of authenticity is the most fatal. from gallery opening, to festivals, to a talk, to a cup of coffee, to a tote bag, large percentage of time the experience is under whelming if not negative.

It ends up:

disconnected, incoherent, inconsistent, non-integrated,
a hollow art shell been drained out its’ substance lying among old Bauhaus architectures and other art ruins.

the cause is is all this is lack of connectivity or defined relation.

Current context:

1. the advent of information technology has changed our ways of communicating and relate to each others, the way we transport, the way we living, work, to be entertained, consume, invest, and the most importantly the way we think. online social networks on smart phones has wawen into the urban space, into everyone’s everyday life, and become inseparable, the divide between virtual and physical has been blurred.


50million (500,000,000) smart phones users in china using mobile network: (with growing rate 19% -2013 ):

sina webo monthly active users 12,9 million (129,000,000), and 73% through mobile end.
Wexin has monthly active users: 35.5 million (355,000,000), 75% using zhreing function “”moments”.
Qzone has monthly active users: 62.5 million (625,000,000)
% population are hooked with social network like wexin, weibo,QQ, line, vine, instalgram, twitter, renren, Tencent and Baidu are the biggest entry portal for the users.

58% of 42.8million (428,000,000) online video viewers are watching through smart phones.

14million using Kuaidi taxi calling app.

shopping: (E/M commerce)
taobao has 50 million users registered.
each shopper spends almost: 1000 usd.

more than 14.4 million mobile shoppers in china. (2013 has increased 160%)
every minute there are 5,300 mobile payment being made.



2. big data the network
the big data in one word is too big to know.
big data is interesting because we don’t know what turn out to be useful. because we couldn’t anticipate.

chinese cloud servers

3. the emergence of new creative practices. (art and beyond) this is achieved by crossing and connecting.

most artists or creatives are like many others are on smart phones with social networks, maybe curious of for example a bio hacker’s new product, concerning of it’s own living environment, questioning about the possible ethical borders of it’s social relations, wondering what he is going to make next, which tool he will utilise, to what concern he is addressing to, or maybe in which space he is in, what will be on his mind?

the new emergence of cross disciplinary practices are seen everywhere in every field: 3D printed clothes (design + science), smart wearable devices (design + science), shoes made with bio-materials (design + science), sculptures in AR apps (design + art + science), 3D printed faces resumed from founded DNAs in public spaces (art + science), google’s innovation (design + business+science ), the borders between different fields has been blurred. hackers has become to artists, biologist has become to designers, business men have become to innovators, it’s the creative making has not only changed but broadened, when creative idea meets with technology it has become: innovation - a profound creativity for us human beings and our society.

Brand re-positioning

the emergence of new creative practices (art and beyond) is the new creative soil. it is the fresh blood can provide culture and social substance 798 needs for self re-invention.

the commercial bubble of Chinese contemporary art not only brought international focus into China, also has attracted the wrong attentions from the wrong communities as the vendors we see on the street selling “art objects” look likes. the name of “art” seems has left it’s physical body to generates more values alone which has brought it’s suitability to an awkward situation.

as an art landmark of the culture capital - Beijing, as art district role model for entire China, as a unique icon in the international art communities, 798 demands its own reinvention, and a conscious re-brand.

798 super community
“from organic to connected”

798 community: a platform, a community, a smart network
brand DNA:
remark-ability: 798 art + (truly innovative, creativity beyond galleys and art institutions, ever generating)

core functions:
R&D/education, production, presentation, commerce.

this basic functional loop is the bed for a wide range, not only versatile but coherent creativity to thrive, where the value chain can start functioning.
also a base for a consistent system that provides a coherent experience for 798.

this is to create a 360 degree unique experience for 798 from online programs to offline programs and spaces , to the look and feel, to services, to products:

for online / offline programs and spaces: “creative, innovative, ever generating “
for commercial and services: “true authentic experience”

for brand loyalty:

1. managing quality: connect tenants with 798 brand value

-selecting relevant tenants based on the predefined core functions and brand DNA.
-the culture content management body produces quantitive and qualitative contents, freely transform all type of spaces and engaging different communities as part of the program.

-eliminate mess produced products, offer a clear indication to shops and f&b services not only sync with bigger shows and events but also work with artists to create unique 798 products.

2. manage timing: connect communities with programs with timing
intergrading culture content like shows and festivals or artist studio openings on related touch points,
like: during artist solo shows, creative shops could curate some unique custom made art works as co-promotion method.

strategy we offer...:

through an online campaign to open a call for creative communities and science communities and schools to envision and forming their own clusters of collaborative relationships. Ask existing 798 users to open up their space host seeding programs like brainstorming sessions, hackthon sessions, and exhibitions.

This is to use web power to mobilise the all related communities to invest interests towards the new possibilities to upcoming 798.

First build an open platform (Tim Berners-Lee’s “link data” method) in order for the users to be connected and withdraw resources from the platform and creating a expanding vitality for 798.



simple to build a mechanism or interfaces to connect through digital means.
through these connections , we hope to achieve a effect of intergraded experience of 798.


connect online to offline.
connect art to hacker communities.
connect individuals to resources.
connect individuals to other individuals
connect art to commerce
connect production to creativity
connect science to design
connect the consumers to products.

connected first then interactions happen.

forging a smart open network that can bring multiple communities together including online, offline and the public.

a strategy for full intergration and engagement

a smart network is a information infrastructure, is a distributed network, in this network everyone is the contributor, everyone is the benifitor. it’s a tool to empowering each communities and each individuals.

connect, share, express, exchange

big data harvested and visualised made easy and intuitive for the culture management, art institutions, collectors, curators, developer, artists communities, even the public to monitor.

- launch the brand
re establish the art landmark image and renew the image

-build smart network

that can intergrade on line and off line related communities.
as the first step to support brand campaigns.

1. engage the existing tenants
2. draw more versatile creatives into the zone.


Our relationship with our social and physical environment is today severely mediated by technology. New phenomena from big data to cloud based solutions are fundamentally transforming urban life. Already today the virtual realm has redefined mobility, real estate and culture itself. Future opportunities to upgrade areas such as 798 with new media technology seem boundless, but how to steer this ongoing transformation remains illusive.
How can technology foster new and engaging relationships between creative content and the different users groups and communities?


Owned by neville mars / Added by neville mars / 4.9 years ago / 2104 hits / 15 minutes view time

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