World Design Cities Conference Shanghai 2026 - UTS x Shanghai University Creative Industries CoLab
WHEN
26 September 2026
Saturday
9.00am - 6.00pm Asia/Shanghai
30 September 2026
Wednesday
9.00am - 9.00am Asia/Shanghai
WHERE
Other
No. 689 Jumen Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, China (Main venue)
COST
Free admission
Celebrating more than 32 years of international relations between UTS and Shanghai University, we are honoured to be invited by Shanghai University and the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts (SAFA) to be represented alongside them at the World Design Cities Conference (WDCC) 2026 in Shanghai.
This invitation marks the second instalment of the UTS × Shanghai University Creative Industries CoLab Event Series, following last year’s inaugural Creative Industries Showcase. It reflects the enduring strength of our institutional relationship and our shared commitment to fostering meaningful connections between creative communities in Australia and China.
The three-year collaboration (2025–2027) is designed to strengthen academic and industry partnerships across both universities, exploring the powerful intersection of creativity and commerce. Through architecture, the built environment, fashion, design and virtual reality, the initiative highlights how collaboration with creative sectors can shape economic, social and cultural landscapes.
Bringing together students, academics, industry professionals and cultural leaders, the series creates opportunities to exchange knowledge, spark new ideas and establish lasting partnerships. It also showcases the expertise of the UTS Faculty of Design and Society and the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, highlighting our commitment to innovative creative education, research and practice.
Our participation in WDCC 2026 further deepens the relationship between Australia and China, while contributing to an ongoing exchange of ideas and expertise across the creative industries.
Marking its fifth anniversary, this year’s conference is themed “Design without Boundaries, Quality through Intelligence” and aims to build a global platform for design innovation, drive new productive forces and integrate design into city life. An exhibition will open two days before the conference.
When: 28–30 September 2026
Exhibition: 26–30 September 2026
Where: No. 689 Jumen Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Explore the exhibits and the UTS academic representatives below
Collaborative Bamboo-Weaving Project
UTS x Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts Collaboration
UTS students, alumni, PhD candidates and academics explored how traditional craft techniques can inform contemporary design thinking across China and Australia. The works use colour, pattern and visual language to express observations, experiences and interpretations of Australia through contemporary bamboo weaving.
BioCOOL - Data-driven, Bio-fabricated, Carbon-negative Building Skins
This collaboration brings together UTS's Australian bio-based materials and architectural research with Shanghai University’s expertise in structural and high-performance timber systems to explore shared opportunities in bio-fabrication, circular construction, low-carbon materials and climate-responsive architecture.
Digital Empowerment and Spatial Restructuring: Strategic Research onEnhancing the Resilience of Shanghai’s Creative Industry Parks
Creative parks should evolve from "art enclaves" to"people‑sharing spaces", achieving new balances in function, audience, and attractiveness. Our research findings in collaboration with the Institute of Shanghai Urban Renewal and Sustainable Development offer practical pathways for urban renewal and digital transformation policies.
Knit Forward
Using generative artificial intelligence and cutting-edge seamless knitting technology, two seamless knitted pullovers were produced, inspired by Australian knitter Myra Mogg's award winning original 1930s hand-knitted garments held in the Powerhouse Collection.
Tunnel Visions: Reframing the Australian Landscape in VR
Tunnel Visions: Reframing the Australian Landscape in VR is a cinematic immersive experience that remediates the 19th-century "tunnel book"—a layered, pre-cinematic optical toy—to interrogate the history of the colonial gaze.
The Motherboard - Bio-based Surfboard
The Motherboard envisions a future where surf craft are made from biodegradable, locally sourced materials. Crafted from foam created with SCOBY, a by-product of the Kombucha brewing industry - diverted from landfill and combined with other cellulose-based ingredients to create a 100% biodegradable foam alternative.
The Cube that Came from the Sea
Shot on a clear day on Blenheim Beach, Vincentia, an endlessly rotating cube which seems to have emanated from the Sea is at the same time reflecting its surroundings. This goes against rational thought, that math and geometry are absolute truths, and that huge geometric shapes can hover in space.