Ci: Re-imagine Chinese Porcelain
China has one of the oldest and most cultivated traditions and has been the leader in craft inspiration worldwide for five thousands years. However, the contemporary craftsmanship of China is undervalued. The perception of Made in China has long been associated with low quality and poor working conditions. Given its immense history and extraordinary culture and traditions, how might we unfold this story to the rest of the world and bring more respect to undervalued Chinese craft?
Project /
Graduate Thesis Project
Year /
2018
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Porcelain has long held a special place in the history of China. Through its impact on customs and aesthetics , this material has deeply influenced the way we live. Porcelain was invented 2000 years ago in China and has been developed in a vast variety of colors, patterns and materials that make it virtually endless in its appeal. According to Robert Lockhart Hobson, who was the keeper of the Department of Ceramics and Ethnography at the British Museum, “The antiquity of Chinese porcelain, its variety and beauty, and the wonderful skill of the Chinese craftsmen, accumulated from the traditions of centuries, have made the study of the potter’s art in China peculiarly absorbing and attractive.” For five hundred years, its composition and method of manufacture were mysteries to the rest of the world. It has been valued as an equal to silver and gold and indeed has been referred to as white gold.
However, this irreplaceable medium in Chinese crafts history has suffered from a faulty understanding, both within China and worldwide. Porcelain once served a significant role in people’s daily life, as it was used in many applications that enhanced the experience of interacting with objects and rituals, but it is now solely considered as a decorative material that should be put onto a shelf. This causes the current production of porcelain in China to mainly mimic those ancient wares that sold at a very high price at auction. On the other hand, the richness of Chinese porcelain culture has never been widespread outside of China; people has forgotten how exquisite Chinese porcelain could be and no longer associate the term ‘Made in China’ with its enlightening crafts culture.
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Could porcelain, as a traditional Chinese material, build a bridge between the past and future?
After a series of research and mapping exercises involving existing applications of ceramics, tile stood out as a compelling typology that fully utilizes ceramic’s functional attributes and is widely used in the contemporary and architectural context.
How might Chinese porcelain culture be fused with the existing tile system, and even more, combined with technology to create a new way of interacting with the material and producing new ideas for interior installation?
Ci is an interactive tile system integrating Chinese porcelain culture that creates visual, tactile, and sculptural solutions for interiors. It contains various modules that emphasize the functional, aesthetic and interactive aspects of porcelain. It resonates five thousands years of history of Chinese porcelain by connecting different types of porcelain culture with various ways of interacting and displaying. After digging into the enormous history of different glazes, patterns, and techniques, three categories of traditional Chinese porcelain stood out as inspirations for contemporary interpretations that can be combined with technology to create new experiences:
Qinghua, known as Blue and White Porcelain. It is white porcelain body painted with a cobalt blue underglaze and covered with a bluish transparent glaze. Its invention marked a crucial milestone in the history of Chinese ceramics. This type of wares are often decorated with an exquisite floral pattern, which is integrated with wall lights in the Ci system - when the lights are off, it’s just a white plain tile; then when lights are on, the delicate pattern behind the tiles is gradually revealed like magic.
Linglong, also known as ‘rice grain pattern’ or 'devil's work. Holes are pierced through the rather thick walls of the rough and unfired porcelain and filled with translucent glaze. After the glaze has solidified, the walls are thinned by hand as much as the potter dares. By placing LED lights underneath the holes, Linglong could be envisioned as a more elegant solution for displaying and indicating a system for smart home technology.
Yingqing, also known as Celadon ware. It is characterized by its subtle bluish-green glaze and its simple and elegant shapes. The color was beautifully described in a poem, “the blue of the sky after rain as seen in the rifts of the clouds.” This type of glaze is usually applied on engraved surfaces where the glaze would show color variance based on the depth of the engraving. The Yingqing module from the Ci system applies this special appearance of the celadon glaze to an interactive light switch that brings poetry to everyday gestures and daily routines.
Ci provides three different ways of installation. The first option is to use grout to mount it, like installing regular tiles. The second option is installing it as a wireless light switch that doesn’t require wiring and cutting the drywall. The third option comes in a set of four and incorporates a junction box and a light housing. The size of each tile module is 4 by 4 inches, which could perfectly fit into the current US interior installation system - where the distance between studs is 16 inches.Ci provides three different ways of installation. The first option is to use grout to mount it, like installing regular tiles. The second option is installing it as a wireless light switch that doesn’t require wiring and cutting the drywall. The third option comes in a set of four and incorporates a junction box and a light housing. The size of each tile module is 4 by 4 inches, which could perfectly fit into the current US interior installation system - where the distance between studs is 16 inches.