Unseen: The Making of Traditional Chinese Furniture

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Affiliated to Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) and Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) (Lee Wai Lee), the HKDI Gallery along with the soon-to-be-opened Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), are pleased to jointly present the exhibition Unseen: The Making of Traditional Chinese Furniture. The exhibition features collaborative works by TSE Shing-luen and Roy NG, two craftsmen from different generations, with the aim to explore the intersection between traditional Chinese furniture craftsmanship and contemporary design philosophy. By reimaging the iconic designs of Samuel CHAN and Freeman LAU through the lens of traditional woodworking techniques, Tse and Ng’s works seek to further deepen the understanding of Chinese traditional arts and crafts, as well as the inheritance of Chinese culture among schools and the public.

As the first pre-opening public exhibition of the HKPM, the show will be held at the Experience Centre at HKDI and IVE (Lee Wai Lee) from 14 May 2022 to 13 June 2022. Visitors are provided with a unique opportunity to preview two pieces of furniture, namely a display cabinet titled Memory designed by Samuel Chan and the Intertwined Chair designed by Freeman Lau, which will be featured in the Scholars Commons in HKPM. To provide context for visitors to better understand the sophisticated craftsmanship behind traditional Chinese furniture-making and shed light on the intricate relationship between designers and craftsmen, the two pieces made by Tse and Ng will be shown alongside a video that explores the design and creation process as well as various disassembled furniture components.

“It is a great honour to organise this exhibition in collaboration with HKPM,” said Dr. Lay Lian ONG, Principal of HKDI and IVE (Lee Wai Lee). “This exhibition provides a platform for our students as well as the public to learn more about traditional Chinese furniture making, craftsmanship and the history. Collaborations with internationally renowned museums is a key part of HKDI’s extended learning programme. It provides our students more opportunities to hone their skills outside the classroom while enabling the institute to grow design talents.”

Mrs. Betty FUNG Ching Suk-yee, Chief Executive Officer of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said: “HKPM is committed to becoming an incubator for emerging design talents, allowing artists and designers from different backgrounds, industries and generations to collaborate and push the boundaries of their creativity. This collaboration with the HKDI is just one of the projects that will showcase the museum’s commitment to conserving, inheriting and promoting Chinese arts and culture. With the imminent opening of HKPM, more activities are in the pipeline that will help to deepen the understanding and appreciation of Chinese arts and culture among the younger generation.”

Dr. Louis NG Chi-wa, Museum Director of HKPM said, “We are delighted to host this exhibition in collaboration with HKDI. By showcasing craftsmanship from different eras, the exhibition allows the public to appreciate cultural traditions that are at risk of fading into history. It also demonstrates HKPM’s vision of promoting the inheritance of Chinese culture to future generations. We look forward to the exciting furniture project from Freeman and Samuel, coupled with the meticulous craftsmanship of Tse Shing-luen and Roy Ng, which creatively transformed valuable raw materials into practical yet innovative furniture, but added a stylish twist to the Scholars Commons at HKPM.”

Reinterpreting traditional craftsmanship with contemporary approaches
The Intertwined Chair, one of the highlighted exhibits, perfectly encapsulates the intersection between the traditional and the contemporary. The chair’s daring design allowed Tse, a craftsman with nearly 45 years of experience, and Ng, a woodworker in his thirties who represents a younger generation of craftsmen, to explore new ways of combining techniques from different eras during the production.

The creation of the spiral chair leg is a great example of the duo’s unique approach. Tse initially wanted to build the part with mortise and tenson joints, a traditional technique that connects two components without the use of glue. However, he quickly found that the design was too intricate to achieve by using traditional methods alone. To overcome this challenge, Ng adopted an innovative means via computer programming analysis, to deconstruct the spiral design step by step – which gave Tse new inspiration in the process. The collaboration showcases of how traditional craftmanship and contemporary designs are blended perfectly, and how Chinese traditional culture can be carried forward through innovative means. Visitors can learn more about the exquisite craftsmanship through the disassembled furniture components.

“The craftsmanship of traditional Chinese furniture is exceptionally rich and there is still a lot to learn and explore,” said Tse. “It is truly my honour to collaborate with such a dynamic group of young designers and craftsmen for the first time. This project allows us to bring our respective expertise to the table and push the boundaries of furniture design while paying homage to traditional craftsmanship. It also added a stylish tone to this series of furniture.”

As the first pre-opening public exhibition of the HKPM, the show will be held at the Experience Centre at HKDI and IVE (Lee Wai Lee) from 14 May 2022 to 13 June 2022. Visitors are provided with a unique opportunity to preview two pieces of furniture, namely a display cabinet titled Memory designed by Samuel Chan and the Intertwined Chair designed by Freeman Lau, which will be featured in the Scholars Commons in HKPM. To provide context for visitors to better understand the sophisticated craftsmanship behind traditional Chinese furniture-making and shed light on the intricate relationship between designers and craftsmen, the two pieces made by Tse and Ng will be shown alongside a video that explores the design and creation process as well as various disassembled furniture components.

“It is a great honour to organise this exhibition in collaboration with HKPM,” said Dr. Lay Lian ONG, Principal of HKDI and IVE (Lee Wai Lee). “This exhibition provides a platform for our students as well as the public to learn more about traditional Chinese furniture making, craftsmanship and the history. Collaborations with internationally renowned museums is a key part of HKDI’s extended learning programme. It provides our students more opportunities to hone their skills outside the classroom while enabling the institute to grow design talents.”

Mrs. Betty FUNG Ching Suk-yee, Chief Executive Officer of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said: “HKPM is committed to becoming an incubator for emerging design talents, allowing artists and designers from different backgrounds, industries and generations to collaborate and push the boundaries of their creativity. This collaboration with the HKDI is just one of the projects that will showcase the museum’s commitment to conserving, inheriting and promoting Chinese arts and culture. With the imminent opening of HKPM, more activities are in the pipeline that will help to deepen the understanding and appreciation of Chinese arts and culture among the younger generation.”

Dr. Louis NG Chi-wa, Museum Director of HKPM said, “We are delighted to host this exhibition in collaboration with HKDI. By showcasing craftsmanship from different eras, the exhibition allows the public to appreciate cultural traditions that are at risk of fading into history. It also demonstrates HKPM’s vision of promoting the inheritance of Chinese culture to future generations. We look forward to the exciting furniture project from Freeman and Samuel, coupled with the meticulous craftsmanship of Tse Shing-luen and Roy Ng, which creatively transformed valuable raw materials into practical yet innovative furniture, but added a stylish twist to the Scholars Commons at HKPM.”

Reinterpreting traditional craftsmanship with contemporary approaches
The Intertwined Chair, one of the highlighted exhibits, perfectly encapsulates the intersection between the traditional and the contemporary. The chair’s daring design allowed Tse, a craftsman with nearly 45 years of experience, and Ng, a woodworker in his thirties who represents a younger generation of craftsmen, to explore new ways of combining techniques from different eras during the production.

The creation of the spiral chair leg is a great example of the duo’s unique approach. Tse initially wanted to build the part with mortise and tenson joints, a traditional technique that connects two components without the use of glue. However, he quickly found that the design was too intricate to achieve by using traditional methods alone. To overcome this challenge, Ng adopted an innovative means via computer programming analysis, to deconstruct the spiral design step by step – which gave Tse new inspiration in the process. The collaboration showcases of how traditional craftmanship and contemporary designs are blended perfectly, and how Chinese traditional culture can be carried forward through innovative means. Visitors can learn more about the exquisite craftsmanship through the disassembled furniture components.

“The craftsmanship of traditional Chinese furniture is exceptionally rich and there is still a lot to learn and explore,” said Tse. “It is truly my honour to collaborate with such a dynamic group of young designers and craftsmen for the first time. This project allows us to bring our respective expertise to the table and push the boundaries of furniture design while paying homage to traditional craftsmanship. It also added a stylish tone to this series of furniture.”

Breathing new life into endangered wood
The HKPM, scheduled to open to the public in July, feature the Scholars Commons – a space dedicated for different kinds of cultural activities and gatherings. The space features 12 sets, a total of 24 Intertwined Chairs, which carry the same design and production methods as those displayed in the HKDI exhibition. These batch of chairs are made from endangered wood donated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, to HKPM, including Malagasy Rosewood from the United Republic of Tanzania and Red Sandalwood from Malaysia. To make the most of the unique materials, Tse and Ng employed precise calculations which transformed the raw materials into components to assemble using traditional techniques. The process, which took over half a year to complete, allowed the duo to breathe new life into the endangered wood and showcase the timelessness of traditional craftsmanship.