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STEPHEN & LEO CHI - Chi and Chi Studio, Taiwan

January 14, 2017Alex Rückheim

Chi and Chi Studio, Polygon Watch, Taiwan

Chi and Chi is a Taiwanese design studio that was founded by brothers Stephen Chiu Chi Hung and Leo Chiu Chi Tat in 2013. Formerly full-time designers for other studios, the two Hong Kongese brothers decided to set up their own studio, driven by a desire to develop a better understanding of products’ lives and to work more closely with manufacturers. “The meaning behind an object should come first – its story, its interesting facts and its uniqueness,” says Stephen.

The duo pays close attention to the relationship between people and objects. Taking inspiration from everyday – often forgotten or ‘normalised’ – objects, Chi and Chi aim to create and redesign objects with content and purpose; with simple functions in their essential forms; that look nice, work well and make someone’s day happier.

The Polygon watch – the studio’s signature piece – is a modern 24-sided analogue timepiece. Each side of its unusual faceted case corresponds to an hour of the day. The watch is designed with geometric features and made with precision engineering and careful hand polishing. Unlike the usual round and smoothened contours of regular watches, Chi and Chi’s Polygon watch preserves the ‘edges’, thereby presenting the time in a distinctively different yet aesthetic way.

For Chi and Chi, working closely with its manufacturers is an integral part of the creative process, and the studio had initially struggled to find a watchmaker able to produce the Polygon’s geometric silhouette. “At the beginning, several manufacturers turned us down because it was too difficult to make,” explains Stephen. “We almost needed to redesign the whole watch.” Instead, the studio has now successfully launched its second edition of the Polygon series.

“The reason we set up the studio is to have a better understanding on product life, not merely to design an object. We can work closely with manufacturers, create something cool with clients and have more interaction with the customers.”

Meanwhile, Chi and Chi is partnering with brands and creatives on designing new products set to launch in early 2017, including tableware and home accessories. Make sure to scroll down the page to view a personal selection of the brothers' favourite works of art, artists and products as well as the things that inspire them.

@chiandchico

chiandchi.com

The composition of images below is a personal selection of Stephen and Leo Chi's Favourite Works of Art, Favourite Products and the things that inspire them.

Sabine Finkenauer, Sculpture-sample, 2010

Harry Gitlin,Table Lamp, Model T9, 1951 — Harry Gitlin,Table Lamp, Model T9, 1951

Marcel Breuer, Cesca Side Chair (model B32), 1928 — Marcel Breuer, Cesca Side Chair (model B32), 1928

Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, Cripsis, 2013

Izziyana Suhaimi, Reaching for equilibirum

Molded Pentray by collaboration brand "PH" (HIGHTIDE and PAPIER LABO)

categories portraits
tags portraits, chiandchi, taiwan, product design, design, interior, tableware, polygon watch, watchdesign

RAIN WU - Architect and Artist, London

November 06, 2016Alex Rückheim

Rain Wu is a London-based, Taiwanese architect working across various fields of art and design. With a specific interest in material development, speculative narratives and interactive spatial experiences, her work impressively ranges from drawings to set design, building design, art installations and curation.
We’ve had the chance to meet Rain at this year’s London Design Biennale where she walked us through her latest project – Eatopia – and talked to us about her future plans.

Rain Wu is the Designer in Residence 2016 at the Design Museum, London.

Rain Wu graduated from MA Architecture at Royal College of Art and has worked at a number of architectural practices including Carmody Groarke in London and Sou Fujimoto Architects. Her architectural background has informed her way of critically dissecting subjects and assembling them in a coherent and relevant manner. She has not only lectured and exhibited internationally, but has also collaborated with professionals from different disciplines to continuously explore architecture's versatility in art and design.

London’s first ever Design Biennale took place at Somerset House in September. In response to the Biennale’s inaugural theme – Utopia by Design – Rain Wu and designer Shikai Tseng teamed up with chef Chung-Ho Tsai to create a utopian dining experience for Taiwan’s offering – Eatopia. Surrounded by cast tree trunks and woodland sounds in a forest-like installation, we had the chance to immerse ourselves in this unique, culinary experience of Taiwan’s cultural collision. Rain and Shikai are currently planning a world tour for Eatopia.

Looking towards the near future, Rain will host a series of events and public programmes as the Designer in Residence 2016 at the Design Museum, London. For her residency, she wishes to explore new ways to engage audiences and find a way to reimagine the traditional exhibition format; possibly by imagining new approaches to experiential storytelling. The residency – which explores the theme of “Open” – coincides with the opening of the museum’s new John Pawson-designed building in Kensington in November.

@ranwu_

rainwu.net

eatopia.tw

The composition of images below is a personal selection of Rain Wu's Favourite Works of Art, Favourite Place, Products and the things that inspire her.

Anthony Gormley - Block (2016) — Anthony Gormley - Block (2016)

Anton Alvarez - Alphabet Aerobics — Anton Alvarez - Alphabet Aerobics

COS x Sou Fujimoto - Forest of Light — COS x Sou Fujimoto - Forest of Light

James Shaw and Marjan Van Aubel - Well Proven Chair — James Shaw and Marjan Van Aubel - Well Proven Chair

Eva Hesse - Right After — Eva Hesse - Right After

Junya Ishigami - Kanagawa Institute of Technology

Mona Hatoum - Grater Divide (2002) — Mona Hatoum - Grater Divide (2002)

Junya Ishigami - Table — Junya Ishigami - Table

Odires Mlászho - Transformations — Odires Mlászho - Transformations

Egon Schiele - Torso (1913) — Egon Schiele - Torso (1913)

Isa Genzken - World Receiver — Isa Genzken - World Receiver

Olafur Eliasson - Riverbeds — Olafur Eliasson - Riverbeds

Carmody Groarke - Studio East Dining — Carmody Groarke - Studio East Dining

categories portraits
tags portrait, art, artist, moodboard, goodswelike, installation

SEEM SOAP STUDIO - Product Design Duo, Paris

October 09, 2016Alex Rückheim

Mathilde Lehmann and Valentine Sée are the founders of Paris-based Seem Soap Studio. After completing individual studies in Strasbourg and Geneva, the two young women decided to open their own studio in 2015 after crossing paths in Paris. We met the trained plastician and product designer in Paris to talk about their work, their approach to product design and the importance of everyday objects.

Mathilde and Valentine are fascinated by working with functional everyday objects that seem often forgotten. Experimenting with natural colour pigments, various moulds and 3D printed shapes, the duo approaches the everyday mundane in completely new ways – often bridging the gap between design, art, sculpturing and functionality.

What had started as an experiment, ended up in their first collection, which the studio launched at Paris Design Week in 2015. Taking a new approach to soap, the duo questions and explores the function of this, often unnoticed, object, reimagining it as a sculpture that adopts new states as time passes. Seem Soap’s four collections – Songe, Patience, Vertige and Paradoxe – apply this careful consideration of product design. Made with a vegetable soap base and formulated with natural ingredients and pigments, the artisan soaps are not only fragrance and allergen-free, but also ergonomically shaped to fit your hand with ease. Mathilde and Valentine make up to twenty soaps per day by hand in their Paris based studio.

Today, soaps are everyday objects; and their shapes have developed into something quite standardised. We wanted to push the boundaries of new approaches in conception and production.

Seem Soap have recently been added to the selections of WallpaperStore*, Papier Tigre and the London Design Museum and have launched an exclusive collaboration with Emily Marant.

@seemsoap

seemsoap.fr

The composition of images below is a personal selection of Mathilde and Valentine's Favourite Works of Art and the things that inspire them.

Thevoz Choquet for Bloc Studios - Marmo Domestico Collection N°1 (2015) — Thevoz Choquet for Bloc Studios - Marmo Domestico Collection N°1 (2015)

Ladies & Gentlemen - Scales & Folds (2015)

Henri Matisse - Formes, PL. IX (from Jazz, 1947) — Henri Matisse - Formes, PL. IX (from Jazz, 1947)

Hella Jongerius - Gemstone Tables (2013)

Aude Pariset and Juliette Bonneviot - Last Spring/Summer IV (2015) — Aude Pariset and Juliette Bonneviot - Last Spring/Summer IV (2015)

Éléonore Delisse - Day & Night, Lights (2015) — Éléonore Delisse - Day & Night, Lights (2015)

Gustaf Nordenskiöld - Beardrops, Ceramics (2011)

Louise Zhang - Slosh Samples (2014) — Louise Zhang - Slosh Samples (2014)

Dephine Coindet - Modes et usages de l'art (2015) — Dephine Coindet - Modes et usages de l'art (2015)

Delpozo, Resort 2017 Collection (2016) — Delpozo, Resort 2017 Collection (2016)

The Getty Museum - Los Angeles — The Getty Museum - Los Angeles

Celia Hannes - Emissaire, Glass Objects (2013) — Celia Hannes - Emissaire, Glass Objects (2013)

Camille Henrot - Sculptures Massées (2011) — Camille Henrot - Sculptures Massées (2011)

Tomas Alonso - Lines & Waves, Marble (2014) — Tomas Alonso - Lines & Waves, Marble (2014)

Epiforma - Meanwhile Curiosities: A Conceptual Representation of Time (2015) — Epiforma - Meanwhile Curiosities: A Conceptual Representation of Time (2015)

Pierre Charpin - Oggetti Lenti, Vases (2005) — Pierre Charpin - Oggetti Lenti, Vases (2005)

Anny Wang - Treasures (2016) — Anny Wang - Treasures (2016)

Button - "Déboutonner la Mode" (2015) — Button - "Déboutonner la Mode" (2015)

Philippe Jarrigeon - Baccarat, Harcount Bday (2011) — Philippe Jarrigeon - Baccarat, Harcount Bday (2011)

Bruno Peinado - Sans titre, Looking for a certain ratio (2014) — Bruno Peinado - Sans titre, Looking for a certain ratio (2014)

Hermès - Les facéties de Pégase — Hermès - Les facéties de Pégase

Karina Bisch - Arlequine (2015) — Karina Bisch - Arlequine (2015)

categories portraits
tags seem soap, soap, design, product design, paris, skincare

SIMON FREUND – A Young Conceptual Artist, Munich

September 11, 2016Alex Rückheim

Simon Freund is not only a close friend of ours, but he’s first and foremost an inspiring conceptual artist. A provocative thinker with a weakness for considered design, Simon lives and breathes somewhere along the lines planner by day and creative by night. He earns his daily bread at renowned furniture company Vitsœ who’s long-living products are rooted in the design philosophy of infamous product designer Dieter Rams - one of the few companies he truly values and respects. And ‘by night’, he conceptualises and creates…

Born in Königstein im Taunus – a dreamy little town in Germany – Simon’s work primarily focuses on the interplay between design and functionality, the concept of value and contemporary consumerism.

Before Simon decided to pave the way for a more artistic expression of his work, he was running the premium lifestyle brand SIMON&ME (later Simon Freund) that he had founded back in 2010. As an autodidact, he has been working on numerous projects spanning from opening his own Berlin-based concept store – LOCAL – to web design, branding and several published works of art.

“I don’t really think I’m an artist, it’s just the best description for what I’m currently pursuing.”

One of the projects Simon is currently working on is fittingly titled all i possess – an ongoing online art installation that draws upon the notions of transparency, consumption and relentless materialism. All of the objects displayed on the site belong to the artist and have either been purchased by him or gifted to him at any given point in time. Documented with meticulous accuracy, all i possess not only reflects on the concept of ownership but rightly raises the question: how much is enough? Simon is currently living and working in Munich.

The composition of images below is a personal selection of Simon's Favourite Works of Art, Favourite Products and the things that inspire him.

Cedes MilanoChrome Toothpaste/Tube Squeezer on Black Base – via The Line — Cedes Milano
Chrome Toothpaste/Tube Squeezer on Black Base – via The Line

Magali Reus – Parking (Retainer)Fibreglass, polyester resin, pigments, painted steel rod, silicone rubber, PVC, cotton2014 — Magali Reus – Parking (Retainer)
Fibreglass, polyester resin, pigments, painted steel rod, silicone rubber, PVC, cotton
2014

Hartwig Klappert – Waldinseln & Waldfahnen

Alicja KwadeEADEM MUTATA RESURGO 3, 2013 door216 x 50 x 30 cmunique — Alicja Kwade
EADEM MUTATA RESURGO 3, 2013
door
216 x 50 x 30 cm
unique

A shot of Simon´s wardrobe at his home in Munich.

Kim De Ruysscher – crumbled paper — Kim De Ruysscher – crumbled paper

Kiyoshi Mino“Common Chimpanzee” (Pan Troglodytes)via Chamber NYC — Kiyoshi Mino
“Common Chimpanzee” (Pan Troglodytes)
via Chamber NYC

Claire Rothstein – Margaux Brooke for P Magazin

Nicole Werners – Infrastruktur, 2015 — Nicole Werners – Infrastruktur, 2015

Ian McIntyre – A Ton Of Clay — Ian McIntyre – A Ton Of Clay

muller van severen – cuttingboards, 2011 — muller van severen – cuttingboards, 2011

Linck Keramik – V5 by Margrit Linck — Linck Keramik – V5 by Margrit Linck

Gino Sarfatti – Mod. 548, 1951 — Gino Sarfatti – Mod. 548, 1951

Vitsoe 620 photographed by Rich Stapelton for Cereal Magazine

DOCUMENT – repetition and difference #03 ‘repetition and difference’ Thers is a difference between those that are repeated, creating a different repetition. — DOCUMENT – repetition and difference #03
‘repetition and difference’ Thers is a difference between those that are repeated, creating a different repetition.

Robert Mapplethorpe – 23. Calla Lily, 1987 ( black and white )‘His vast, provocative, and powerful body of work has established him as one of the most important artists of the twentieth century.’ — Robert Mapplethorpe – 23. Calla Lily, 1987 ( black and white )
‘His vast, provocative, and powerful body of work has established him as one of the most important artists of the twentieth century.’

categories portraits
tags simon freund, artist, conceptual art, portrait, inspiring people, creative personalities, vitsoe, simon and me, SIMON&ME, local, kunst, art, dieter rams

ANNIE NGUYEN – Design Director, Los Angeles

August 14, 2016Alex Rückheim

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai'i, Annie Nguyen now lives and works in Los Angeles. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design, she spent several years in marketing and advertising. Today, Annie works as a Design Director specialised in branding, identity, marketing strategy and product consulting.

When she’s not working or writing about music for Space&Sound – a music and art collective that she co-created with some of her friends – she’s a hobbyist photographer. Annie’s photography is largely influenced by her passion for architecture, fashion and designer products, as you’ll notice when scrolling through her work below.

Besides that, she’s currently working on a ‘dynamic connection channel’ called Since I Left You that she set up with some of her colleagues. The aim with this project is to create connections with people both living in Hawai'i and abroad, and to keep these conversations going. “This project is intended to give back to Hawai'i, my home, by providing stories of those who have moved away from the islands and what they are doing now”, explains Annie.

We surely will hear a lot from her in the future, not least because Annie has some really exciting project releases coming up. So make sure to keep an eye out.

@annienguyen

annienguyen.net

spaceandsound.org

sinceileftyou.org

The composition of images below is a personal selection of Annie's Favourite Places, her Daily Essentials and the things that inspire her.