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M+, Hong Kong. Gift of Wuxing Ltd., 2013, © PINWU
PINWU 品物流形
Tié 蝶
2012
This armchair is made from many layers of fibrous paper, laminated together by hand to form a lightweight and surprisingly strong structure. The edges of the paper are left raw and uneven, pointing to the material’s natural origins and the handwork behind the chair’s production. In form, it suggests the silhouette of Ming-dynasty horseshoe chairs—one of the icons of Chinese furniture history—while the use of the material was informed by the traditions of paper umbrella–making in the Yuhang District of Hangzhou, where PINWU is based.
The three members of PINWU (Zhang Lei, Christoph John, and Jovana Bogdanović) established the studio after meeting at the Milan Salone del Mobile furniture fair in 2010. Much of their work explores how fragile or ephemeral materials like paper can be transformed through skill and creativity into something durable. The Tié chair and other examples of the studio’s From Yuhang series also respond to the history of paper in modern design. The material has migrated from associations with youth culture in the 1960s, to debates about recyclable design in the 1970s, to more experimental forms of design and connotations of high style in the 1980s and 1990s. Recent explorations like PINWU’s attempt to connect with the materials and techniques of specific artisanal traditions, often in response to a perceived lack of cultural authenticity or variety in globalised contemporary design.
The three members of PINWU (Zhang Lei, Christoph John, and Jovana Bogdanović) established the studio after meeting at the Milan Salone del Mobile furniture fair in 2010. Much of their work explores how fragile or ephemeral materials like paper can be transformed through skill and creativity into something durable. The Tié chair and other examples of the studio’s From Yuhang series also respond to the history of paper in modern design. The material has migrated from associations with youth culture in the 1960s, to debates about recyclable design in the 1970s, to more experimental forms of design and connotations of high style in the 1980s and 1990s. Recent explorations like PINWU’s attempt to connect with the materials and techniques of specific artisanal traditions, often in response to a perceived lack of cultural authenticity or variety in globalised contemporary design.
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