Zhixi Dai

Zhixi Dai featured image

About

Zhixi Dai is a product designer hailing from Guangdong, China. He excels at finding inspiration from ordinary life, and his works are characterized by their intrigue and authenticity.

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Education

2016-2020: Furniture Design Studio, Product Design, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, China

2021-2023: Design through Making, Design Products, Royal College of Art, UK

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Work Experience

Product Designer, MUMU Furniture, Guangzhou (2020)

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Awards

2021: Spring Mud - Team Project: Zhixi Dai & Zixi Chen & Hao Yao

• European Product Design Winner 2021

• Green Concept Award Winner 2022

2021: Seed Scoop Fertilizer - Team Project: Zhixi Dai & Zixi Chen & Hao Yao

• European Product Design Winner 2021

2021: Cocktail Liangcha - Team Project: Zhixi Dai & Zixi Chen & Hao Yao

•  Green Concept Award Winner 2022

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Exhibitions:

2020: Shenzhen Creative Week, MUMU Furniture, Shenzhen, China

2023: RCA Final Show, London, UK

Contact

Degree Details

Statement

Functory London is my brand, which aims to reduce the strain on the environment by recycling and reusing secondhand unwanted items in a fun way.

I collected secondhand items donated by businesses and individuals from various locations in London, giving these items a second life.

Functory London has an important principle: Forget their original identities. Because I believe the items people discard are not genuinely broken or useless. People have simply been conditioned by consumerism to believe that these items no longer hold value. However, if we change our perspective and give these materials new identities, they can transcend their original worth.

While designing, I strive to document as much information as possible about each material, including the donor, location, and time. The information represents the unique story of each component, making products more distinctive and meaningful.

I hope that Functory London can inspire people to reflect on sustainable living and the reuse of items and encourages people to consume in a sustainable way.

Rocking Chair

Materials were collected in Battersea and Camberwell on 28th Feb. 2023. The chair retains the traces of its original state on the surface but viewed from a different perspective, these traces become its unique decoration.

Size: 780x445x815 mm

Floor Lamp 01

The stool collected in Clapham Junction on 24 March 2023. When the owner moved to London she became friends with the manager of the pub nearby her work. Before the manager left the position 7 years ago, the pub went throw a renovation and the stools haven't the modern aesthetic they go with. So, the owner took them and love them so much. But due to some housing reasons she gave these two stools to Functory London and now they became a floor lamp.

Size: 315x380x1220 mm

Floor Lamp 02

Materials were collected at Allenby Road and Killieser Avenue on 6th March 2023. The lampstand is made from a donated incorrect banister.

Size: 1420x450x450 mm

Wall Lamp

The drawer was collected in Battersea in March 2023.

Size: 475x165x45 mm

Bench

Materials were collected at Battersea in November 2022.

Size: 1500x460x505 mm

Floor Shelf

The walking frame was collected at Islington on 4th March 2023. The owner of this walking frame recovered from a head injury and donated it to Functory London.

Size: 500x510x900 mm

Vase

The mug was collected at Fulham in 6th June 2023.

Size: 180x82x82 mm