ABSTRACT
However, Cold War design cannot be characterised only by objects produced in Europe and the US. In the background was another ongoing Cold War that divided Asia, in the form of the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the genocide by the Khmer Rouge, all of which are within living memory. The design developments that took place within this Asian context have not yet been explored, but are crucially important for the design histories of Asia. This is the period in which Japan had the opportunity to develop a fully edged design movement under the American-led system. The rest of the non-communist Asian regions also witnessed the emergence of contemporary design movements (with an emphasis on craft). While Euro-American Cold War design can be seen as a linear and steady autonomous design movement, albeit under the manipulative in uence of the
superpowers, as the pre-1945 design movements experienced further innovations, Cold War design in Asia can be described as more of a rupture or an intervention, as development was not entirely autonomous. Because there were not mature and solid enough foundations for modern design in Asia in the pre-1945 period, the Cold War marked the beginning of modern design in that area. Unlike the futuristic, high-tech products that characterised Euro-American design, Cold War design in Asia primarily manifested itself in the form of handicrafts, such as pottery and bamboo baskets, and low-tech industrial products, such as silk textiles, clothing and fashion accessories.
