"Róng" in Chinese means melt or fuse. This notion is at the core of the philosophy of "róng design exhibition". 13 designers deconstructed the traditional bamboo crafts of Hangzhou and apply them in contemporary design. Róng Design Exhibition started in 2013 — the year of bamboo.

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Paris, Milan & Lugano 

bamboo

Design Introduction： TREES OF MUSIC&nbsp;Collaborative craftsman: Master Ding&nbsp;A pair of projects of contrasting scales. Bamboo trees are typically presented in a forest scene. This tensile structure is composed of fresh bamboo in order to depict a true bamboo forest. The forest sways back and forth and the sounds of a bamboo flute can be heard in the wind. This work is intended to be expanded into a group of variations on the trees.

TREES OF MUSIC

Like many other traditional toys, the bamboo dragonfly has been modified and improved upon for more than two thousand years. We have the choice of which bamboo to select, which shapes to use, and which design details to employ. These will allow us to fully explore and realize the bamboo butterfly. We hope that by respecting time-honored methods, we can preserve the traditional spirit of toy making.

DRAGONFLY

Bamboo has many faces. Each face has a wealth of possibilities. It is up to the designer to decide which one to capture. The flexibility of bamboo leaves and the translucency of bamboo skin combine to form a special bond. Each leaf is a module. Placing them together en masse enables the designer to build a structure with remarkable character.

BAMBOO LEAVES

Being made of bamboo veneers, the Hangzhou Stool is a simple compact piece of furniture that takes the advantage of the special quality of the material. The flexibility not only offers suitable comfort, but also expresses the relaxing and free atmosphere of the Hangzhou city.

HANGZHOU STOOL

“Air” is an unconventional interpretation of traditional Chinese bamboo weaving. The concept explores the limits of bamboo’s weight and strength. The result is a significantly lightweight chair with the same durability of a much heavier chair.

“CLOUD” used flexible bamboo in an interlocking fashion to achieve the maximal supporting force. It combined traditional bamboo weaving methods with modern digital software technology. It also inspired us to investigate other structural designs and materials we could use in the future.

CLOUD

Bamboo weaving technique is a well-known skill for traditional Chinese craftsmen. It is often used for chair upholstery, baskets, lamps, etc. Bamboo paneling pinned with HANDMADE IN HANGZHOU is a lovely bamboo experience that will be the inspiration for future projects.

BAMBOO PANEL

"CHAOS" ceramics, bamboo weaving jewelry. Working with ceramics brings back memories and impressions of the body's natural state. Bamboo weaving and ceramics share a curious relationship, wrapped together and broken free, order and destruction, softness and hardness. These qualities come together to reach equilibrium.

CHAOS

Uses “Rong” as the design philosophy, by melting the wisdom of traditional bamboo weaving handcraft and annealing it again to form a new material which is both natural and flexible. This can be used in furniture production, giving a natural look to industrial materials.

Materials: paper、beechPIAO 2 is a chair fashioned out of paper and a grid of bamboo strips, following the traditional craft of Chinese lantern making. Applying this technique allows the chair to be surprisingly strong and durable, yet also thin and lightweight - a true paper chair.

PIAO 2

"XI" is the application of a new absorbent material. It possesses the convenient plasticity of ceramic material for modeling, and may also form linkages in the internal space of bamboo fibers.

The ancient Chinese craft of papermaking served as the inspiration for designing this chair. Natural pulp fibers and light bamboo paper form a solid seat with a unique style.

GU CHAIR

The paper fan, a handicraft that has been largely abandoned, is combined with modern lighting, and brought into the home. 60 fans are strung together by a spring-like rattan to form a lamp.

PIAN

Design Introduction：&nbsp;Wall-hanging / Carpet&nbsp;TWISTED BAMBOO&nbsp;Bamboo as a raw material is known for its strength and flexibility. But it can also be converted into paper. The paper itself is thin, the fiber is short, therefore the paper is fragile – it can tear fast. It seems as though the physical properties of bamboo all disappear through the process of papermaking. For the Wall Carpet and the pillows, the paper is cut, twisted and woven. The final textile is surprisingly strong, especially with the pillows. By continuously transforming and processing the original material, the physical properties of strength and flexibility reappear in the bamboo.

TWISTED BAMBOO

“Zhuangzi speaks about emptiness, infinity, time, they are feelings expressed in few words in my books. His work is deep, powerful, varied, and full of humor, fantasy, inventions, and extraordinary metaphors. I find lots of parts which have touched or delighted me in which I hope to illustrate one day.” François Lafranca said. This François Lafranca's artistic creation “Les Océans du ciel” adapted from the “Zhuangzi”, is deeply admired. Not only because he used traditional and nearly extinct European handmade paper technology and xylography applications, but also because he specialized in Zhuangzi's moral thinking.&nbsp;

Les Océans du ciel

“Rong” uses a blend of traditional culture and contemporary design. It features the natural texture and transparent qualities of rice paper, but the computer-assisted design gives off a distinct visual effect.&nbsp;

RONG – LOGO

This is a module system inspired by the Chinese traditional bench. When installed , all pieces are connected by one universal metal joint and stand in two levels. Natural material like wood and bamboo is quite suitable for such design. Moreover, when more elements are connected, more products can be composed

y BENCH

The bamboo cocoon is a miniature human capsule. Each bamboo fiber is long enough to wrap around the human body. The formation of the bamboo cocoon parallels the formation of the silkworm cocoon. The cocoon is woven from the inside out, and the opening is cut out of the whole completed capsule.

COCOON

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Founded by PINWU Design Studio in 2015, Róng Design Library is the first library in China focusing on traditional handcrafts and materials and a non-profit organization.
The core mission is to preserve the knowledge of Chinese traditional crafts and related materials. Furthermore, it offers a platform to deconstruct crafts, analyze materials and creating contemporary designs.

róng design exhibit - bamboo

Haoru Chen

Zhang Lei, Christoph John & Jovana Zhang

Zhang Lei, Christoph John & Jovana Zhang

Min Chen

Zhang Lei, Christoph John & Jovana Zhang

Junjie Zhang

Zhang Lei, Christoph John & Jovana Zhang

Xiaochuan Zhang

Shenghai Wang

Zhang Lei, Christoph John & Jovana Zhang

Liangxu Ma

Zhang Lei, Christoph John & Jovana Zhang

Zhang Lei, Christoph John & Jovana Zhang

Nicole Goymann

François Lafranca

Bob Chen

Min Chen

Haoru Chen