Designer : Julie Richoz (Switzerland-France) & Craftsman : Chin-Mei Huang (Taiwan)
Richoz discovered the Cong vase at the Taiwan National Palace Museum and was really fascinated by its shape. She felt in it a very contemporary and timeless design, and was impressed by its aura. She decided to reinterpret the Cong vase by using lacquer ware. Having never seen this shape with very sharp edges made using the traditional techniques, she knew in advance that it would be a very challenging as well as rewarding experience if she could achieve it. Her main objective has been to create the sharpest appearance including the corners of the lacquer ware.
The Cong Collection is composed of three archetypal pieces: a high vase, a box and a tray, tableware elements that play with this game between the circle and the rectangle. This quest for universal shapes allows Richoz to have a better flow of understanding with the craftsman she works with Chin-Mei Huang. The lacquer is also capturing the natural light in a very organic way thanks to its successive layers. By using black lacquer, she reinforces the deepness and the eternal aura of this material used for centuries in Extreme Asia.
The craft and design process of The Cong Collection
The Cong Collection final prototypes
- Context of lacquer
Long-Nan Museum of Natural Lacquer Ware is a destination in Taiwan. During their trip, the designers had the chance to explore this craft through various visits to some masters specialized in bodiless lacquerware and lacquer painting. The Lacquer Art Studio at NTRCI run by Chin-Mei Huang has become the main workshop for finalizing the prototypes by Julie Richoz and Wonmin Park. This is a workshop where experimental research can be operated in close collaboration with other high-end craftmanships.