Concave-Convex Mortise and Tenon Blocks

Concave-Convex Mortise and Tenon Blocks
by Sha Yang

• Awarded April 15, 2023
• CLIENT: Shanghai Art and Design Academy
• 37.941

Concave-Convex is a set of wooden building blocks for young children. The set contains 211 pieces drawn from the traditional Chinese mortise and tenon structure, simplified into 30 joint types such as the square dovetail and the T-shaped tenon. The tenons are made of dark black walnut and the mortises of light beech, so the two parts can be told apart by color. The blocks are carved by woodworking machine and finished by hand. Three levels of difficulty suit children from 18 months to over six years, from matching single joints to building large scenes.