*** The following is an eye candy review of some of Beijing Design Week's best projects. The text is from Josh's piece. It has been past-tense-ified. Enjoy.

: LEAP + Bactagon What was it?: "Contemporary Chinese art magazine LEAP and multi-disciplinary curator collective Bactagon team[ed] up to create a reading room in Dashilar: "In an ode to the ways in which printed matter was first experienced, The Bibliorium serve[d] as a contemporary reading room [which] intended to explore the expansive function, history and current use of print. The Bibliorium engage[d] local audiences with one week of programming, including a three-day symposium, the full archives of LEAP and Chutzpah, the newly launched independent journal from bāc-tā-gon, 八家BaJia, a curated library, temporary exhibitions, and a site-specific grove of book-trees by Beijing-based artist, Chen Zhiyuan." ***

: Institute for Provocation What it was: "The Institute for Provocation host[ed] a series of artist shows and site-specific works in their adjunct Black Sesame Space, with a schedule of related activities for the duration of BJDW. This culminate[d] in a "Speed-dating for Designers and Artists" event on October 3: "a social event taking inspiration from speed-dating to set up a game for designers / artists / creatives to couple and work creatively together [on] specific tasks. After one round, the pairs [were] shifted again to create new constellations and creative statements." ***

: Yi Zhou What went down: "During BJDW in Dashilar, Body Memory [popped up a] pop up shop at 49 Yangmeizhu street. In the shop, I provide[d] customized service for people who want[ed] to make their own body parts into accessories. At the same time, there [was] a new ready made collection -- ’Piercing’ -- available in the shop." Check out our recent interview about creative Chinese and education abroad with the organizer and artist, Yi Zhou. Also, read SmartBeijing's interview here with her as well.

Yep, that's a nipple

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: Concrete Flux What happened: "Beijing journal Concrete Flux launche[d] their third issue, which [was] themed around the topic of Escapism. "With the launch of Issue III, and the theme of escapism in mind, we ask[ed] the public two questions: Why did you come here? Where will you go? The answers [were] live projected onto the walls of the space in an attempt to blur the lines between what it means to come to a place, whether that be a geographical location or a frame of mind, and to go somewhere else; to stay and to leave." ***

: "BLAKK / Echo Inc. What it was: "Art / fashion / design shop BLAKK present[ed] a pop-up "sound booth" featuring wares from its adjunct record store, Echo Inc. "Inside the booth, the staff of Echo Inc. play[ed] music all day long and offer[ed] a variety of vinyl records for visitors to choose and buy." [Editor's note: The above photo isn't actually of the Echo Inc. sound booth, that was just a straight up record store. This is the thing that was next door to it. But still looks cool. So here are more pics:] ***

: LAVA Beijing What?!?!: " The Beijing branch of Dutch design firm Lava present[ed] a public-space-oriented exhibit of minimalist, binary designs by their two core founders. "This year's exercise [was] all about simplifying contradictions of this world: rich/poor, east/west, public/private, etc. Inspired by the Chinese characters around us, in which you can sometimes clearly recognize what image they derive from, we took it upon ourselves to catch today's world in clear visuals. Working with as few strokes as possible, we [tried] to capture abstractions into symbols." The designs [were] displayed within a gallery space in Quanyechang, as well as in the surrounding hutongs. There will also be a magazine documenting LAVA's work for this project." ***

: Make Architects + Great Leap What it is: "Beijing firm Make Architects [took] over Great Leap's Sanlitun location for a site-specific installation: '[They] explore[d] Beijing’s traditional craft of kite making with a contemporary interpretation of kite design and fabrication. The hand-split bamboo frame [became] a CNC-routed timber framework, hand-painted pictograms [became] a digital storyboard, and rectilinear design [became] parametric geometry. Lit with reactive LED’s, the lightweight structure respond[ed] to visitors' touch. Instead of flying, this kite [became] a piece of playful, interactive furniture around which people gather[ed], dr[a]nk, and socialize[d].'" ***

: The Product Republic What it was: "The Product Republic (TPR) is a Beijing-based showroom & retail project that reflects the intersections of creativity & consumerism. The Product Republic is a hub for producers, users & consumers, for products to use, to wear, to hear, to read, to look at, and to produce." Straight up. ***

: Max Gerthel + Wu La Whaaaaat: IFP's Max Gerthel and Wu La [made] chairs in Yangmeizhu hutong via their collaborative furniture design project. As WAM万物 put it: "The piece we [made] is called ‘Untitled’, a colourful chair made from wood with seat and back made from nylon straps from backpacks that are woven onto the frame." *** There you have it. A look at what you may have missed or have else been pining to revisit in visual form. Regardless, it's our sincerest hope that you dug this. Photo credit to our main man Mao (毛)