yii design: brick plan by rock wang

bowl
image © designboom

‘yii’ design is a taiwanese original craft brand. its name is derived from the word ‘yi’ which in taiwanese philosophy means ‘change and transformation’, and is believed to be the underlying law behind nature. ‘yii’ is an initiative of the taiwan craft research institute, whose aim is to encourage the taiwanese people to cultivate a great appreciation of the crafts, to bring beauty into life, and seek greater international exchanges related to these traditional production practices. dutch designer gijs bakker was invited to be the creative director. under his direction, these newest works focus on the revival of the increasingly extinct taiwanese craft in contemporary, exploring methods of bamboo work, ceramic, fine silver works, lacquerware, wood carving and other ancient craft processes, teaming up taiwanese designers with local craftsmen.  there is also a particular focus on ‘green’ manufacturing methods, assuring sustainability and high quality production.

brick is one of the symbols of taiwanese culture, influenced by the dutch and their colonization of the asian country during the 17th-century. taiwanese designer rock wang teamed-up with craft artist pei-ze chen on the project ‘brick plan’, a collection of vessels made from brick that includes a bowl, vase and tray.

detail
image © designboom

each of the pieces is created by carving out of a block of the industrial building material. the vases and bowls are achieved through an industrial technique.

bowl

vase
image © designboom

vases

detail of the layered bricks

display of tray and vase at the ‘yii’ exhibition held at the triennale museum, milan
image © designboom

tray
image © designboom

the ‘brick plan’ tray is also made from a block of brick, however it is carved out by hand.

tray

detail of the tray which is hand carved to achieve its form

a presentation of ‘yii’ projects were on show at the triennale museum, milan during design week 2010.