‘rush hour light’ by po-ching liao with craftsman sheng-wen liao H98 x W130 x D20 cm image courtesy of yii

the taiwanese design brand yii, under the lead of creative director gijs bakker, continues to translate the crafts and traditions of the east asian country into a language of contemporary design. showcased at milan design week 2011 inside the triennale di milano, was an exhibition of their newest projects all developed under the theme of ‘street life’ – a new way to express the culture of taiwan through everyday life.

for this new series, elements of daily street rituals have been interpreted as design objects, combined with the refined skills oftraditional craft techniques, giving ‘made in taiwan’ a new and authentic meaning. one of the projects on show was po-ching liao’s ‘rush hour light’, a wall lamp that draws on the high possession and use of scooters by the country’s population, which numbers 23 million people, more than half (approx,. 14 million) of which own these vehicles as a primary means of getting around. this impressive number is obviously visible in the hectic city life. produced in collaboration with craftsman sheng-wen liao, po-ching has symbolized the chaos and traffic these vehicles cause by developing a series of light objects with bright reflectors. made from polyester, each is coated using traditional taiwanese lacquering techniques in glossy black and silver and are controlled using programmable lighting software.

detail of the scooter lights and reflectors image courtesy of yii

‘rush hour light’ H85 x W128 x D20 cm image courtesy of yii

‘rush hour light’ on show at the triennale di milano during milan design week 2011 image © designboom

detail image © designboom

po-ching liao portrait © designboom

po-ching liao shows designboom his documentation of scooter usage in taiwan image © designboom

photo by po-ching liao

photo by po-ching liao

photo by po-ching liao

photo by po-ching liao