‘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. yii design: world cups by idee liu ‘silver leaves’ silver designed and produced with craft artist jian-an su

yii design: world cups by idee liu ‘heaven’s eyes’ string knit designed and produced with craft artist shu-li lin

yii design: world cups by idee liu ‘frog’ bamboo carving bamboo designed and produced with craft artist chi-hsiang yeh

yii design: world cups by idee liu ‘beetle’ woodcarving, front view wood designed and produced with craft artist ching-tian cai

yii design: world cups by idee liu ‘beetle’ woodcarving , back view wood designed and produced with craft artist ching-tian cai

yii design: world cups by idee liu ‘wiggling dragons’ koji pottery designed and produced with craft artist shi-ren lu

yii design: world cups by idee liu ‘bamboo waves’ bamboo designed and produced with craft artist chun-han lin

yii design: world cups by idee liu ‘shadow orchid’ silver, ceramic designed and produced with craft artist huseh-fen lu

yii design: world cups by idee liu ‘ink lotus’ silver, bamboo designed and produced with craft artists hsueh-fen lu (silversmithing) and chun-han lin (bamboo work)