Elsewhere Seti Meaʻai by Yuhua Li is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award Apamemea in Meafale Umukuka Competition Category.

ApamemeaMeafale Umukuka· 2024

Elsewhere Seti Meaʻai

by Yuhua Li

Client: Ke Tong

A' Design Award Apamemea Winner in Meafale Umukuka Category

24,176

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #157088

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Elsewhere Seti Meaʻai

O Elsewhere o se seti meaʻai porelana e tuʻufaʻatasia ai le lauti ma le faatufugaga o fugalaau. O le seti e aofia ai se fagu, se fagu lauti, se fata teu lauti, se ipu ma se ipu laulau. O mea taʻitasi e faia i le bone china e ala i le faʻamaʻa (slip casting) ma e ui atu i le fa faʻafefiloi (four firings). O se vali paʻu paʻepaʻe e leai se pupula e maua ai i luga o mea ia se faʻaonaponei e pei o le ivory. O foliga faanenefu ma tipiga laʻititi e faʻaali mai ai se laulau i totonu, e faia ai se faaeseesega i le va o le mausali ma le avanoa. O foliga e mulimuli i le porelana masani a Saina, ae o tipiga e faʻavaivaia ai lo latou tutusa e faʻailoa mai ai se avanoa i totonu o se avanoa.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Apamemea

O le A' Design Award Apamemea na manumalo ai Elsewhere Seti Meaʻai, o se faamaoniga matuā mamalu e tuuina atu i mamanu ese e iloga i le fatufatuaʻi, le atamai ma le poto. O ē manumalo i le Apamemea o mea e iai le tomai atoa ma fatufatuaʻi mataʻina e faamaonia ai le poto masani tele, le mafaufau ma le atamai o tagata mamanu. E faamoemoeina Elsewhere Seti Meaʻai e avea ma mea e vivii tele, ua pelepelea, e iloga i le tomai faapolofesa ma mea fou. O lenei mamanu na manumalo i le A' Design Award Apamemea e tuufaatasia ai faiga sili i le faatufugaga, saienisi, mamanu ma tekonolosi ma e sili ona lelei i le mataituina o mea itiiti. Elsewhere Seti Meaʻai e faamalieina matagofie manaʻoga, pa i manaʻo, faalataina lagona ma faaosofia le fia iloa.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Elsewhere is a porcelain tableware set that blends tea and floral art. It draws from the Chinese aesthetics and philosophy, but also subverts them with a daring design. The pieces have a white finish and an indented design with small cut-outs showing an inner layer. The cut-outs contrast the solid and the void, the perfect and the imperfect, the real and the imaginary. They lure the user to discover the hidden beauty and meaning of the objects, and to flee from the dull reality to a different world. Elsewhere is not just a functional and elegant tableware set, but also a poetic and symbolic expression of the human condition.
Dimensions & Packaging: vase:150 mm x 150 mm x 250 mm; teapot: 170mm x 120 mm x 130 mm; tea container: 110 mm x 100 mm x 110 mm; cup: 120 mm x 70 mm x 60 mm; cup plate: 130 mm x 130 mm x 15 mm.
Tags: Chinese Tea Ceremony, Ikebana, Bone china, Aesthetics in life, Ceramic design
Production Technology: This design is made of bone china using the slip casting technique. It went through four firings: the first one was a high-temperature sintering, the second one was a medium-temperature glazing, the third one was a low-temperature decalcomania, and the fourth one was a low-temperature silver plating. Unlike ordinary bone china glazes, the design chooses to use a non-glossy white glaze with the intention of displaying a kind of ivory texture, and an indented design with small cut-outs revealing an inner layer. The cut-outs contrast the solid and the void, the perfect and the imperfect, the real and the imaginary. Wish to express the theme of elsewhere, a space within a space, a solid nothingness, a reality that is cut off. It drew inspiration from the Chinese traditional aesthetics and philosophy, but also challenged them with a bold and innovative design.
Design Challenge: The hardest part of this design were
1. To create a design that matched the Chinese traditional aesthetics and philosophy, but also challenged them.
2. To do in-depth user research to understand the needs, preferences, and experiences of tea and floral art lovers from different cultural backgrounds.
3. To use materials and techniques that suited my design concept and theme.
4. To balance functionality and aesthetics, as well as tradition and innovation.
Research: Elsewhere is a design research to create a porcelain tableware set that combines tea and floral art, drawing from and subverting the Chinese aesthetics and philosophy. I used a mixed-methods approach with 40 participants from different cultural backgrounds. The results showed that my design was appreciated by both groups, as it enhanced their tea and floral art experience, and created a sense of ritual and elegance. It offers a new way of enjoying tea and floral art.
Inspiration: Elsewhere is a fable, a space within a space, a solid nothingness, a reality that is cut off. It is a faithful reproduction of classic Chinese porcelain shapes, embodying the Confucian aesthetics of dignity, fullness, steadiness, and calmness. But Elsewhere also breaks perfection - a part of perfection is cut off, revealing the content of the entity, which is: a person looking away from this world, towards a hard pot or the emptiness in it. The cut-off part is the soul out of the body.
Project Duration: The project started in May 2015 in Nanjing and finished in March 2016 in Nanjing.
Operation Flow: This object is a set of porcelain tableware that can be operated by pouring hot water into the teapot and the vase, and adding tea leaves and flowers. The object transforms by creating a visual and aromatic contrast between the tea and the floral art, and by revealing the inner layer of the pieces through the small cut-outs. The interaction happens by inviting the user to appreciate the beauty and meaning of the objects, and to enjoy the tea and the floral art. The key frames are the moments when the user pours the water, adds the tea leaves and the flowers, and sees the inner layer of the pieces. This object deals a better result by adding a sense of ritual and elegance to the normal functionality of the tableware, and by making the tea and the floral art more decorative. It performs better by expressing the theme of elsewhere, a space within a space, a solid nothingness, a reality that is cut off.