Carl Liu

Design by Carl Liu

In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang, is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only exist in relation to each other. Yin yang are not opposing forces, but complementary opposites that interact within a greater whole, as part of a dynamic system.  The concept of yin and yang is often symbolized by various forms of the Taijitu symbol, for which it is probably best known in western cultures.

Taiji Chopsticks are two identical chopsticks each representing yin and yang. the spiral design on chopstick top enable two chopsticks to intersect each other. Together, they form the Taiji symbol in preference to the idea of dynamic balance and endless energy.

Design by Carl Liu

Smile stool is designed with a pocket underneath the seat. The pocket storage provides a secure storage space for your iPad or laptop computer. Through daily observation, I have found more and more people take their iPad to bar or restaurant without a backpack or handbag. This built-in pocket is absolutely a nice-to-have feature for a generation of internet.
Smile stool is made of Alloy aluminum. It is durable but light weight.

Design by Carl Liu

真实的谎言水晶杯组

当真实遇到谎言 WHEN TRUTH MEETS LIE
没有你我什么都不是…
真实中有谎言，谎言中也有真实…. 这个世界上不存在绝对的真实，也没有永远的谎言，真实和谎言同时并存，才能建构出所谓真实的人生。
真实是一个率直空心的水晶圆柱，谎言是一个圆滑实心的水晶圆球，当真实的水晶圆柱遇到谎言的水晶圆球后，才搭配建构出真实而有用的杯子。

Crystal glass

” I am nothing without you”There is no absolute truth and forever lie existing in reality. The fact is what so called truth and lie are co-exsiting in a real world.
The crystal tube is representing the truth when people scope the world with their own eyes; the crystal ball on the other hand is representing the lie because  it reflect the world upside down.
Together, the Truth and Lie work harmoniously and become a glass.As a whiskey or cocktail glass, the crystal ball can be put in the freezer as an ice-cube.

Design by Carl Liu

简“明”

圈椅是明代家具中最為經典的代表作。圈椅原本是用於室內的椅子,我嘗試將其用於戶外環境,搭配金屬材質的冷峻,保持不變的線條特徵,但使整個椅子的風格更為干練和明快, 圓弧扶手的末端將線條抬高,形成了符合人機工程的手把,容易施力將自己拉起身,另外一個用處就是可以用來掛隨身的皮包和背袋. 圈椅的扶手與搭背形成的斜度，圈椅的弧度，座位的高度，這三度的組合，造就了比例協調的現代圈椅.

Mingnimum Chair

Ming Chair is one of the most significant art and craft achievement in Ming dynasty. Ming Chair was originally a indoor chair for lobby and living room but I wanted to make this Contemporary Ming Chair as a outdoor chair. The Mingnium chair is make of stainless steel. Its overall design is an even more simplified geometry than the original Ming Chair. I still keep the main characteristic of the curve arm but with a slight modification to extend a pair of upward handles for easy getting up. The handles are also hooks for hanging your bags or purses when enjoying the sunshine and a cup of coffee outdoor.

Design by Carl Liu

凳／几／架 

這個作品的設計初衷是為了解決室內放傘的傘架. 傘架在不下雨的情況下是多餘不必要的,如果特別為了傘架而佔據家里或辦公室有限的空間,是件不明智的事.所以我想到將平時的圓木凳翻倒過來,便可以解決產生一個放傘的空間. 為了要承接雨水,自然需要一個容器來裝水. 那麼容器為什麼不能是座椅呢? 於是設計參考了中國古代的臉盆架, 演繹出了最終的設計方向. 除了是平時使用率最高的凳子,也可以將座面翻轉成果盤或零食盤,下雨時則是放傘的傘架, 一凳三用.

Party Stool

I am always struggled about buying a product for only occasional use. Umbrella stand is one of them. It takes out space and is only used for the raining day. I thought what if I could find a necessity at home then redefine and reinterpret its usages to bring new product experiences. Then I found wooden stools, it has a perfect structure to hold the umbrellas when it is up side down.

To receive the ripping water, the stool needs a container instead of a flat seat for the wet umbrellas. Here it is; an ordinary object acts like a stool for 90%, tea table for 7% and an umbrella stand for 3%.Smart! Isn’t it?

Design by Carl Liu

切入这次五十礼的主体，我希望从通俗一点的视角来寻找伴手礼的可能性。伴手礼虽然是一种心意的表达，但如果能藉由送出的礼品进一步介绍其由来和文化，也许就能将这个小心意变成一个印象深刻的纪念和回忆。
我不得不承认对台南的特有人文风情不是特别了解，因为我从小是在台北长大的，在没有高铁的过去，下一趟台南不是说走就走的事， 所以我对台南的了解，除了最有名的几个小吃外，还停留在旅游导引的书上。在我数得出来的台南游历中，其实印象最深刻的是台南的红砖红瓦。那些在夕阳照射下红润饱满夹杂着斑驳的红墙和地砖和空气中漂浮的古朴，多年来还是能够那么逼真的呈现在脑海。这个强烈的印象也一直是我对外国友人介绍台南时的”官方说法”。大概自己在海外生活的时间久了, 有时候反而比较能从外来人的角度来审视自己的文化. 地方文化理解的层次虽然肤浅了些，但也许相对容易传达给更多的受众吧.台南是台湾的发源地，所以台南的红砖应该比台湾其他地方的红砖更有承载历史的价值。这次五十礼的伴手礼我希望以砖的形态发展出一个系列的商品，但由于时间的关系，可能选出两个可行方案。
方案一，茶砖：台南的茶商不少，近几年也在大力的拓展茶文化，也许老茶和天然健康的红色素结合，例如红杞，能变成有话题 性的礼品。
方案二，衣砖：年轻人较能接受的伴手礼，其实是T恤能被真空压缩成各式各样的形状，我想把T恤压缩成砖块的形态。
I really like the idea of introducing or reminding a culture character through a souvenir, therefore I’d like to design interesting local souvenirs as handy gifts for this exhibition.
My strong impression of Tainan was the friendly people and the orange brick walls all over the town. It’s a town of history and orange color. I decided to design a series of gifts/ souvenirs with a single brick form to well represent Tainan.

Concept 1, Tea Brick: Although Tainan doesn’t grow tea locally, it has a long history of tea distribution business and activities. Tea drinking is truly an appreciated habit for Tainan people. I was thinking to make the tea into a brick form for representing the bricks from Tainan as a souvenir.
Concept 2, T-shirt Brick: The weather in Tainan is rather warm and hot. A simple T-shirt can be wear through different seasons. I was thinking to make the t-shirts printed in selected Tainan historical tour sites as gifts for young audiences to get to know the town. Through a high- pressured vacuum forming , the t-shirts can be packaged like a brick.

Design by Carl Liu

Material: Alloy Aluminum

NU Chair is a side chair for both indoor and outdoor environment. It started as a challenge for me to use minimum aluminum sheet metal to make a lightweight but strong and durable chair. The inspiration was from crushing a piece of paper to form several creased surfaces to increase its stiffness. The creased surfaces were calculated and applied on the structural area of the chair which is the join between the seat and the back support. The making of the legs were similar to the top seating section. Metal sheets are cut and folded to form strong structure for holding weights. The entire chair weights about 5KG which is rather lightweight in comparison of other metal chairs. The designed creased surfaces make the overall chair design visually interesting and structurally substantial.

NU Chair 是一把设计适用于室内和室外的椅子。源于一个自我挑战的课题；如何能用尽可能少的铝合金材料设计出重量轻但耐久坚固的一张椅子。创意来源于一张背揉折过的纸。纸面揉折后所产生的皱褶让一张柔软的纸变得有强壮有支撑力。这些在椅面和椅背的过度所切削出的折面是设计和计算过能够承受一个成年人的体重压力。椅脚的部分也是以同样类似的手法尽可能地减少材料的浪费及应用而且保证有效的强度。整张椅子重约5公斤，相对其他的金属椅子还是比较轻的。特殊折面的切削应用不仅让NU Chair的外观设计新颖并且使整张椅子的结构更坚固。

design by Carl Liu

Material: Alloy aluminum

Origami Chair was inspired by Origami art which is a traditional Japanese folk art of paper folding. The goal of this art is to transform a flat sheet of material into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques. The design of the seat and back support are made of one piece of aluminum sheet. By implementing a few cuts and folds, the flat sheet of aluminum magically transform into a strong but comfortable seating area. The formed rhombus becomes the critical structural element to hold up the seating area and back support as well as making the entire surface rigid. The four legs are made of solid alloy aluminum with a high polished finish. The Origami Chair is designed to be able to stack up for easy storage and transporting.

折纸椅的灵感来源是从日本传统民间艺术折纸，折纸艺术的技巧是将平面的材料巧妙地折叠后呈现出立体的雕塑形体。这张椅子的椅面和椅背部分正是应用相同的方式由一片铝合金板材经过简单的切线和折叠形成了有结构性的几何面，自然形成的菱形面不但承接了所有的应力，也形成了一个独特的元素，造就了这张椅子独特的几何美感。椅脚的部分是实心的铝条弯折而成。考虑到使用时的堆叠和存放，椅脚的设计更趋于简洁而大方。

Design by Carl Liu

Material: Alloy Aluminum

C Stool is designed as a multi-purpose stool. It’s used as a bar stool, a indoor reading stool or a outdoor dining stool. The design intended to make the overall geometry as simple as possible. The design challenge was to constrain the minimumness but remain a strong structure. The tilted angle is to make the seating more comfortable by re-adjusting the corresponding position between the seat and the foot rest. The overall design gives a impression of simple, sturdy and elegant.

C 凳是一张多功能的高脚凳。可以作为吧台椅，读书椅或是室外的简餐椅。设计的概念是尽可能地用最简单的线条和做出纯粹坚固的结构。凳子往后倾斜的设计是为了符合更好的人体工学，设计刻意改变了一般高脚凳椅面和椅子踩踏板的相对位置，让使用者坐的更舒适。整张高脚凳子的设计给人简单，坚固和高雅的印象。

Materals: Wire Chair

Design by Carl Liu