BENWU STUDIO2013 EDITIONLONDON / NEW YORKHongchao Wang + Peng You

Benwu StudioFounded in 2010 by Peng You ( Royal College of Art ) and Hong-chao Wang (Columbus College of Art & Design). Benwu Studio is Based on both London and New York specialized in the field of Furniture, Product and Exhibition Design. Our characteristic de-signs have left their traces in homes, galleries and museums. We believe good conceptual thinking can be applied to anything, and that new experiences stimulate creativity. We immerse our-selves in all kinds of subjects. Inspired and refreshed our resulting dreams are made into reality through beautiful craftsmanship.

Selected Exhibitions21st- 23rd May 2013Clerkenwell Design Week Benwu Studio: Hyde Park CollectionClerkenwell, London

30 January – 3 February 2013Benwu Studio: Minimal MaximalSchool of Design Work-in-Progress ShowRoyal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU

15th -21th June 2012 Benwu Studio: Forté Table Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design Degree Show,Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, London N1C 4AA

May 18-22, 2012 Benwu Studio: The PH CollectionNew York International Contemporary Furniture Fair Designboom Mart (Booth 1866, 1st Floor) Javits Center, New York, NY

May 13 - September 10, 2012 Benwu Studio: The Sunmao Stool CCAD 133rd Annual Exhibition at the Canzani Center, 60 Cleveland Ave, Columbus OH

January 28 - February 2, 2012 Benwu Studio: The PH Collection New York International Gift FairJavits Center 3rd Floor, New York, NY

Benwu Studio Inc.15518 Sanford AveNew York, NY 11355 USAStudio Inquiries:Studio Manager Hongchao WangEmail:Hwang@benwustudio.comTel:+1-614-270-8489

Benwu Studio London OfficeFlat 11, 10 Porchester Terrace W2 3 TL London, UK Studio Inquiries:Studio Manager Peng YouEmail:Peng.you@network.rca.ac.uk Tel:+44-788-696-6626

WWW.BENWUSTUDIO.COM

“ We started our practice since 2010 and purposed the initial idea of “Benwu” -- a Zen wisdom phrase-means there is nothing in the begining of the world. Established the studio in 2010 and We carried this philosophy and applied it into our design practice.“The understated debut collection of newcomers Benwu Studio collectively bore the hallmarks of minimalist design, yet each piece had a fascinat-ing back-story rooted in Chinese culture. Indeed, designers Hongchao Wang and Peng You, cur-rently based in New York and London respectively, began collaborating in order to focus on materi-als, traditional techniques and crafts. Designs are highly inspired by fashionable and architectural elements and Zen philosophy” - Core 77.

Sunmao Traditional Joint Stool

Sunmao stands for a chinese phrase“榫卯”which means tenon and mortise. It is one of the oldest and most durable structures and was engaged in Chinese architecture for more than 3000 years. However, this technique began its decline because of the influence of Modern con-struction materials and techniques. It is in danger of dying out and is in great need of salvation and protection. We proposed a project to help this old traditional craft to be transferred to the next generation with our new interpretation. It turned out to be a huge challenge to embark on designing an ancient architectural structure on a modern chair. Even though the technology applied is fundamentally the same as usual, we still wanted it to have a totally different char-acteristic from its predecessors. Indeed, our predecessors have accumulated the know-how necessary to achieve complex and effective design over the years and the intricacy of the joints improve the character of the wood, bringing it alive. Many different kinds of joints preserve the natural strength ratio carefully balancing shear, bending, torsion, compression and taking shrinkage into account as well. It could be said that without the detail and strength of Sunmao structure design, there would not be any ancient wooden structure buildings still standing in China.Sunmao is inspired by a master signature wood joint design piece called “Lubansuo”(鲁班锁) which means it has inherited those most significant skills and philosophies.

Sunmao Stool LargeMaterial: Red Oak & AcylicL×W×H: 790×550×510(mm)

Sunmao Stool SmallMaterial: Red OakL×W×H:365×325×280(mm)

Sunmao is designed with simplicity but without fluid lines. The punctiliously shaped acrylic carving gives a notion of difference between elegance and comfort. It consists of different elements, a supporting structure, six pieces of sticks and the acrylic seat.The structure of Sunmao is obvious and not hidden away. The purity of the wood, the weight and raw beauty, all of these present the in-tense physical power. The very precious proportions of the wood-en block and the three legs give the chair an arcane charm and a legible appearance but its purposes still remain mysterious.

Rethinking Wooden ObjectThere is something nicely decent about old traditional wooden objects, the craftsman, the creator, made these objects accord-ing to a clear set of rules. However, design in China today has lost its character and focus. We want to break those rules and bring them to higher-level thoughts which use architecture structure as a way to narrate a very traditional story with Sunmao. Analogue experiences for our Sunmao no longer fit these rules and it will never made from those mass-produced materials.

Assembling demo with the STW proto-type.Six pieces of wood which can be assembled without using a single screw holds the weight of more than 300lbs

Nicely Made In ChinaGood craftsmanship had lost its’ notion in peoples’ mind.We were trying to direct all of our attention to refine the comfort and quality of manufacturing. The acrylic seat is an informal way in which the transparent material cover-ing the wood joints allows us to see the quintessence and intelligence of the Sunmao.However, we have not bond-ed these elements together so that each piece can be disassembled and flat packaged.

Hakkak Pandant / Floor Lamp

The Hakkak Lamp objectifies the aesthetic based on materials and construction principles. Be-fore modern architectural materials such as cement and steel were invented, traditional mortar was constantly used by the Chinese for 1500 years by adding sticky rice soup into the limestone mortar. They build their monumental pieces such as the Great Wall with it. Unfortunately, use of traditional mortar has gradually faded away from people’s memory these days. The shape of Hakkak was inspired by the Hakkak Round House. Hakkak offers a high level of lighting comfort engaged with an ingenious technical construction. The shade could be setup on either side as a pendant or a floor lamp. There is a similarity between the Hakkak ligthing glow and day light glow. The concave lens gives off a warmly diffused light and the acrylic ensures 100% light transmittance. This imitates the full advantage of natural light. The LED light bulb emits light from the concave lens to send out a more comfortable pyramid of light.

Hakkak Lamp Large FMaterial: Fiber Glass & AcylicDiameter: 500(mm)

The idea behind Hakkak was inspired by debris found from a Hakka Round House in Fujian, China. We re-alized that there could be potential hidden behind such a tiny piece of debris.

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Parts:1.Switch2.String3.LED Bulb4.Socket5.Light shade6.Celling Mount7.Upper bulb8.Lower bulb

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Hakkak Lamp Large SMaterial: Siicon & AcylicDiameter: 500(mm)

Hakkak Floor Lamp Large FMaterial: Fiber Glass & AcylicDiameter: 500(mm)

Twig VesselThe Hyde Park Collection is Lunching this May at the Clerkenwell Design Weekfrom 21st- 23rd May 2013. Please Join us at Clerkenwell London. For More information please visit our website www.BenwuStudio.com

www.BenwuStudio.comFor further information, we invite youto visit our website. You can discovernews and events, and see what goeson behind the scenes in our company.Copyright 2013© Benwu Studio Inc.All rights reserved

BENWU STUDIO2013 EDITIONLONDON / NEW YORKHongchao Wang + Peng You