new chi lighter than white porcelain collection by heinrich wang

‘bel canto’ image © designboom

indonesia-born and taiwan-raised designer heinrich wang is the founder and art director of the taipei-based porcelain production company new chi— a workshop which based upon the philosophy that any form can be achieved with patience and determination. when wang first approached manufacturing companies with his designs, he was either turned away immediately or his chosen production organization was unable to realize his designs. eventually, the designer decided to create the models himself.

his newest collection, ‘lighter than white’, once again pushes the boundaries of the possibilities of porcelain. the series references legends and symbols often found in chinese culture. the pieces have significance beyond simply their form, as they reflect either a particular event or a general mentality.

porcelain has a tendency to shrink and collapse under high temperature, making it very difficult to produce floating forms or perfectly flat surfaces. to add to the complications, only hard paste porcelain — the purest of all of the porcelains — is used because of its toughness and transparent quality. however, the material shrinks by 15% of its original size during firing, making it nearly impossible to maintain the sharp angles required for the design. to create the complicated structures, each part is made separately with intricate plaster moulds holding every angle and surface in place. eventually, the parts are fired at 1300° celsius minimum until they harden. the process takes anywhere from half a year to a year and a half to complete. although these obstacles were overcome, there is still a high failure rate.

‘spring bloom’ teapot  image © designboom

cups from ‘spring bloom’ image © designboom

‘shadow of the wind’ image © designboom

the teapot balances on two points, showing the lightness yet power of nature. the piece is entitled ‘shadow of the wind’ as a reflection of the negative space, a key ingredient of the design. 

‘flying high and free’ image © designboom

‘fullness’ image © designboom

a depiction of ‘ruyi’ the two interconnected spheres are based on the chinese symbol of a heart’s wish coming true. ‘fullness’ is therefore a visual representation of fulfillment. 

‘boundless mind’ 19 L x 12 W x 32 H cm (7 L x 5 W x 13 H inches) image © designboom

detail of legs from ‘great stride forward’ bowl  image © designboom

detail of ‘circles of fulfillment’ image © designboom

‘stirring winds and water’ 51 L x 23 W x 40 H cm (20 L x 9 W x 16 H inches)

translating to a success or prosperity which is about to happen, ‘stirring winds on water’ depicts the movement of a dragon who glides on the water’s surface. each complex and intricate form takes six months to complete with the entire production process lasting a year and a half. 

process images  video © new chi  

heinrich wang speaks to designboom about why he founded new chi video © designboom 

heinrich wang portrait © designboom

‘lighter than white’, the first european solo exhibition of new chi, was at the triennale di milano during milan design week 2012.