Dezeen Magazine

Eataipei exhibition showcases homeware and lighting by independent Taiwanese designers

London Design Festival 2015: minimal stationery, rippled-glass lamps and traditional steamers by Taiwanese studios are among the pieces on display at Tent London's Eataipei exhibition (+ slideshow).

Clamp collection by Drilling Lab
Clamp collection by Drilling Lab

The pieces are part of an exhibition seeking to explore Taipei's history, food and culture, ahead of its 2016 title as World Design Capital. It's part of Tent London's group of country showcases, which also includes work from Norway, Australia, Korea and Ireland.

Drilling Labwhose aluminium vessels Dezeen covered in 2014 – is showing a new take on the standard industrial clamp with a collection that unites polished and matt metal surfaces.

Desktop Collection by Beyond Object
Desktop collection by Beyond Object

Beyond Object's minimal metallic stationery collection is on display, designed by Poetic Lab, who are also showing a set of lamps with rippled, purposefully uneven glass exteriors.

Ripple by Poetic Lab
Ripple by Poetic Lab

Design studio Kimu has also contributed lighting, with a lamp held in a frame consisting of a single wire attached to a circular base.


Related stories: see more architecture and design from Taipei


Homeware being shown includes Gina Hsu's scallop-edged bowls that have embossed lacy surfaces, and industrial designer Pili Wu's collection of plastic, ridged tableware. Wu is also showing a white ceramic vase, dotted with brightly coloured illustrations.

Lighting by Kimu
Lighting by Kimu

On the more traditional front, Woo Collective has created a series of handmade tin containers, with a surface pattern that was created by burning incense on the surface. Homeware brand JIA Inc – who released a flexible condiment set last year – are showing a wood and ceramic steamer set.

Vase by Pili Wu
Vase by Pili Wu

Wood also features in Y Studio's brass and walnut pens, which have bodies that echo the hexagonal shape of a traditional pencil.

Pen by Y Studio
Pen by Y Studio

A series of "immersive" tasting experiences are also being hosted in the mesh-covered exhibition space, with a menu curated by designer Shikai Tseng and architect Rain Wu. These have been designed to lead the audience on a "narrated journey" that will give visitors an insight into Taipei's history and culture.

Inheritance by Woo Collection
Inheritance by Woo Collection

"We wanted to create an intimate dining atmosphere within an open plan trade show," Tseng and Wu told Dezeen. "The main feature of the space is a ceiling that aims to implicate the threshold of three functional spaces: kitchen, dining table, and exhibition display. The wire mesh is crumpled up to create volume and intricate light and shadow."

Steamer set by JIA Inc
Steamer set by JIA Inc

"We hope that people will be able to experience both Taiwanese hospitality and also to gain an understanding of the influences of Taiwanese design," they added.