design trust opens futures festival 2025 during art basel hong kong

DESIGN TRUST FUTURES FESTIVAL 2025 opens WITH FUNDRAISING EVENT

On the evening of Saturday, March 22, designboom had the privilege of attending the Design Trust Charity Benefit 2025, proudly serving as its international media partner. Under the theme of ‘The Art of Transformation,’ the fundraising event marked the official launch of the Design Trust Futures Festival 2025 – a three-month program dedicated to exploring sustainability, culture, and heritage in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. Transforming the iconic Murray House into a hub of creativity, the festival opens to the public from March 29 until June 18, 2025, coinciding with Art Basel Hong Kong’s architecture and design-focused cultural programs.

Design Trust opens Futures Festival 2025 during Art Basel Hong Kong | all images courtesy of Design Trust

AWARD CELEBRATION HONORS DESIGNERS AT CHARITY BENEFIT 2025

Prior to the Futures Festival’s opening, at the evening of the Design Trust Charity Benefit 2025, three esteemed designers were honored for their contributions to the design world. Elizabeth Diller, Co-Founding Partner of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, received the Design Trust Legacy Award. Kai-Yin Lo was awarded the Heritage Innovator Award and Gary Chang, known for his ‘Domestic Transformer’ design, was recognized with the Design Trust Arts Prize.

The night also featured a live auction curated by Marisa Yiu, Co-founder and Executive Director of Design Trust, showcasing a carefully selected array of 21 site-specific artworks, furniture, and installations, all of which are part of the Design Trust Charity Exhibition 2025: ‘Transformational Exceptions,’ displayed at the Futures Festival 2025. Proceeds from the auction directly support the organization’s ongoing design development, education, and research initiatives. Join Design Trust’s Patron Community – here.

Design Trust Charity Exhibition 2025: Transformational Exceptions

TURNING HONG KONG’S MURRAY HOUSE INTO A HUB OF CREATIVITY

Bringing together over 60 designers, architects, and artists from Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, the Futures Festival 2025 engages with themes of environmental responsibility, social innovation, and cultural heritage, all set within the historic architecture of Murray House at Stanley Plaza. As the cultural partner of Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, Design Trust offers a dynamic program of exhibitions, public installations, and cultural tours.

A highlight of the festival is the ‘Sea Garden: Design Trust Ideas Lounge,’ featuring five site-specific and interactive installations. Former recipients of the 2024 Design Trust Awards, including Toshiya Hayashi and Hokuto Ando, Island Lights, Alexander Groves and Azusa Murakami of A.A.Murakami, Chaklam Ng, and Wang Xin, transform the remnants of an old restaurant into an engaging and playful space, encouraging visitors to explore ideas of transformation.

Hamster Wheel, part of Sea Garden: Design Trust Ideas Lounge

Additionally, the ‘Design Trust Curatorial Survey Show: Hong Kong Islands & Material Ecologies’ showcases research and speculative projects focused on sustainability, oceanic pursuits, community, and cultural heritage. The works, which include contributions from MAP Office, Island Lights, and the Island Studies Network, offer critical reflections on urbanism, tourism, and the future of Hong Kong’s island communities.

Advocating for the value of design as a process of debate and creative exchange, the Design Trust Collaborative Space, titled ‘Transformational Exceptions,’ hosts cultural tours, workshops, and talks. This multi-functional area, adorned with an illustrated map of Murray House and Stanley by Connie Maoshan, also serves as a workshop space for the Design Trust Futures Studio Special project, led by Elaine Yan Ling Ng and Julie Progin & Jesse Mc Lin. Their community-participatory work unveils in May-June 2025.

the Lounge features five site-specific and interactive installation