Xiaofang Jiang 蒋敩方
About
Xiaofang Jiang 蒋敩方
Xiaofang Jiang is a furniture designer and a woodworker. His study focus on tracking the geographic migration of design elements through sociopolitical change or cultural colonization. He became determined to find ways to move traditional Chinese furniture design forward into a contemporary conversation. He was intent on creating work combining the eastern traditions of labor and culture with the often-contradictory forms of contemporary, western, modern technology-driven furniture design.
Education
MA Design Products, Royal College of Art (2022-2023)
BA Crafts and Materials Study, Virginia Commonwealth University (2017-2021)
Statement
Wooden furniture always exudes a very traditional and retro atmosphere. Instead of chasing trends, I prefer studying traditional furniture making methods, especially wooden furniture. I can find my own balance and tranquility in the process of making. Chinese traditional furniture is gradually losing the favor of young people. I still maintain the concept of combining traditional crafts with modern crafts and exploring how to integrate traditional Chinese culture. Integrating craftsmanship into modern society, and at the same time wanting the world to rediscover the prospect of Chinese furniture art, is the main reason why I maintain such a passion for furniture making. My philosophy is to become a bridge connecting the modern and the ancient, the East and the West through furniture design, integrate the essence of tradition into modernity, and bring traditional culture to the world.
Woven Bridge Table
Woven Bridge Table
After taking deep research into traditional Chinese architecture. I was inspired by the traditional Chinese woven bridge. I came up with the idea of loose joints. It only needs to be a simple stop for the wood to stay and provides stability in a certain direction. Furniture shipping and broken joints are always the pain of the furniture industry. The loose joints allow people to assemble and disassemble the stool easily. It not only preserved the wisdom of a traditional architecture in a form of a stool. Which also has the potential to replace the traditional tight joints which usually need to be glued up. Or at least provides a new idea of furniture design principle.
Medium: Wood
Size: 1220 x 600 x 500 mm