During Salone del Mobile 2010 the new design brand Yii (Taiwan) will launch its first commercial exhibition on the international stage. Held upon the initiative of the Taiwan Craft Research Institute and under the artistic leadership of Gijs Bakker, the exhibition will be on show from the 14th until the 19th of April 2010 at Triennale Design Museum, Milan.
The exposed works are the result of Yii design projects in 2009 and 2010, for which Gijs Bakker was invited as the curator. Focused on the revival of the increasingly extinct Taiwanese craft in contemporary design, the project researched harmonious relations between man and nature. Bamboo work, woodcarving, ceramic, lacquer ware, fine silver works and other ancient crafts were included in the process. The choice of “green” manufacturing methods assured both sustainability and high production quality and also the authenticity of the prototypes.
Yii – reads like [i] – derives from “yi”, which means in Taiwanese philosophy “change and transformation” and is believed to be the underlying law behind Nature. The brand was conceived by the Taiwan Craft Research Institute. It aims to transform traditional Taiwanese crafts in the contemporary context through design, in order to bring extraordinary objects to the immensely impersonal modern environment. Yii commissioned 16 Taiwanese professional designers to work with local master craftsmen, enriching the creative process with progressive design ideas and ancient craft secrets.
The Taiwan Craft Research Institute is an agency under the Council for Cultural Affairs of the Taiwanese government. The Institute promotes unique local crafts, design, innovation, and the development of the culture industry. Its primary goals are the encouragement of Taiwan’s people to cultivate a greater appreciation of crafts, to bring beauty into life, and to seek greater international exchanges related to crafts. Gijs Bakker (the Netherlands) is a designer, the co-founder of Droog Design and Chi ha paura…?, and the head of the IM Master department at the Design Academy Eindhoven.
