yii design: world cups by idee liu

‘yii’ – crafts and design from taiwan. its name is derived from the word ‘yi’ which in taiwanese philosophy means ‘change and transformation’, and is believed to be the underlying law behind nature. ‘yii’ is an initiative of the taiwan craft research institute, whose aim is to encourage the taiwanese people to cultivate a great appreciation of the crafts,to bring beauty into life, and seek greater international exchanges related to these traditional production practices.

dutch designer gijs bakker was invited to be the creative director of ‘yii’. under his direction, these newest works focus on the revival of the increasingly extinct taiwanese craft in contemporary, exploring methods of bamboo work, ceramic, fine silver works, lacquerware, wood carving and other ancient craft processes.

a selection of ‘yii‘ objects will be on show as part of the taiwanese sector of designboom’s curated exhibition ‘asia now‘ which will be presented at dwell on design in los angeles, from june 25 – 27, 2010.

‘silver dragon’ silver and gold plated designed and produced with craft artist meng-chen lin

‘world cups’ by idee liu, in collaboration with various craft artists, take the global starbucks symbol and combine it with traditional taiwanese crafts such as woodcarving, koji pottery, glassblowing and silversmithing. the recognizable shape and circular logo element of the starbucks cups are integrated with various craft traditions to give each object ‘local’ character. creative input by taiwanese craftsmen contribute to the ornate details, such as a swirling dragon, climbing beetle or flower pattern. ‘silver leaves’ silver designed and produced with craft artist jian-an su