Four seasons

• Main Author: Chan, Ru Ying
• Other Authors: Chalit Kongsuwan
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Visual arts and music::Design::Product
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/63267
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Due to my strong interest in traditional Chinese art (Chinese painting, calligraphy and seal-carving), I would like to infuse these in my products. I am concerned with the decreasing contact with traditional Chinese art in the modern society, especially among the younger generation and would like to promote this valuable art form through my products. My Final Year Project is a series of four table lamps inspired by four seasons. Four seasons in my project depicts impermanence of life. I chose four seasons also because it is a common theme in Chinese painting under “flower and bird” category. As handcraft is taken over by manufacturing in modern society, I also wish to promote the beauty of handcraft through making the lamps by hand. I believe that handcrafted objects have a soul, as each piece is never the same from one another. My lamps are inspired by Japanese lamp design by Isamu Noguchi and Issey Miyake, which I think are minimalist, sleek and have a sense of fragility and lightness to them. Traditional Chinese art on my lamps is depicted traditionally, on the modern lamp design, fusing both tradition and modernity together.Traditional Chinese art is seldom depicted on modern design; hence I would like to combine these two in my lamps. I believe through infusing the art on lamps, which is a daily product, can reach out to more people as it is functional and not just an art piece.Through the lamps, I wish that the traditional Chinese art could reach out to more people, especially among the Chinese. Being Chinese, I am concerned that the art might slowly fade away in future due to lack of contact and the chance of exposure in the modern society.