DOMUS

China

Q: You are called as the wizard in the design circle and have created many striking works, did this reflect it in your school days? 

A: I was not a typical good student. I wore weird and acted eccentric, and often cut classes and fell in love. Although I was majored in Environmental Art, I spent at least two years in learning pure art by myself, and spent about one year in reading biographical works of many world-class master architects crazily, including some Chinese architects with independent thoughts, and in some literatures, literary criticisms, independent films, etc. Looking back now, I think such revel against orthodoxy in my university days laid a thought foundation for my following design creation. Being brave enough to be different and to express some independent thoughts in works is necessary for a designer.

Q: How do you define a good design work? 

A: Good design works can be classified into two, the one focus on current effect, can meet some practical demands of users currently, including functional practicability and sensorial joviality; the other is special and is some delayed, because its effect is unconscious and constant, maybe you cannot find its significance currently, like some decorative articles, some superorganic and abstract decorations, smells and music (I think smell and music play a role in space creation). You may even think them are eccentric and incomprehensible, but in a casual moment you may understand their artistic conception and even be greatly inspired and enlightened for your important choices in your life.   

As Buddhism says, “real vacancy generates fine entity”. This means only “vacancy” can generate “entity”. Pause and space can generate wonderful things. We apply this thought into design creation, and leave wide vacant space，to fill your heart by such “vacancy” tranquility. In such space, you will have opportunity to understand such proposition. Of course, this is philosophical, needs understanding by heart rather than seeing by eyes or touching by hands, and needs some opportunities. I myself prefer creating both of the effects simultaneously. 

Q: How do you grasp the comfort artistic conception and atmosphere for human brought by space?  

A: In fact, in most cases, such comfort experience is not created by the designer but experienced by the individual. Experiences of a room quite vary from person to person. For example, maybe most normal people and psychopaths may think a bedlam is occlusive and depressive, but some people like Vincent van Gogh saw Starry Starry Night. An imperial palace is extremely wide, grand, and magnificent, but the people in it may feel depressive and blue. I like the saying experience changes as your mood changes.  

Q: I heard that you have traveled in many countries in Europe, would you like to tell me the difference between domestic and abroad buildings and interior decoration? 

A: As regard this, I dramatically think that the civilization history of Europe is reserved completely without loss, but it seems that our history is impacted greatly. The domestic design is introduced from other countries, and the current main design trend at home still follows the west. China itself is a country with long history and full of cultural sources. However, after some political events, some of our traditional cultures were lost. The traditional architecture and interior culture of China is just like a tree with roots reserved but trunk lost, China grafted a trunk for the tree from foreign countries, and hopes it to blossom and yield results soon. Can this tree yield results, of course it can. However, the results are not primary but hybrid without original essence. Worse, much chemical fertilizer can speed up maturity but run out of fertility of the soil. We need to consider about the following drive of the tree for not only the design industry but also our civilization. I advocate that we should deeply excavate essences from our history and cultures, to get our own things. This is a practice responsible for our descendants. Especially our design industry closely related to the life and art can affect human long, constantly and unconsciously. 

Q: Do you admire any master designers, or literature, art and film master?

Q: What do you want to do if you do not act as a designer? 

A: I will be a designer for all my life, but I want to get involve in many industries. Besides designer, I will try to be a film director, exhibition planner, artistic critic (I am a critic), and stray singer.