Origin Collection By Mario Tsai

Modern technology and tools make everyday work andlife more convenient, but according to Mario Tsai,they also gradually hinder our human instincts andsensitivities. The Origin collection is a designperformance reflecting on this social phenomenon. Axes and fire formed the basic tools of humancivilisation in primitive times. In today s society,how can we still create objects that fulfil theneeds of our primitive instincts? To this end, the designerhired a carpenter from the Hangzhou countryside toshape the furniture through the organic methods oflog-cutting and fire-burning. All the processes usedto complete The Origin are based on instinctivehuman wisdom. The process of creating tools to carryout the project, using native materials and existingconditions was also the best way of expressing theidea of locality in contemporary design. The six pieces of theOrigin Collection were sourced as closely aspossible to the process of finding the wood, withall the logs being scraps left over from lumbermills, selected to the right size and without theneed to rework the lengths. The curved surface ofthe seat is an intriguing and unconscious concept,roughly cut by an axe and shaped by a flame, thecracks in the surface are all naturally occurring. The production process wascompleted in the fields of Huanghu Town in Yuhang,Hangzhou, where Mario Tsai Studio placed thefinished works on the fields and roadsides andguided local residents to visit them, thus realisingthe Originof temporary exhibitions in thecountryside. The Origin is not a criticism of modern society butrather a design experiment that can inspire peopleto enhance their consciousness of independentthinking and sensitivity. The production process inthe series is almost like a form of performance art. The final products still belongs in the category ofmodern design but is accompanied by a unique twistin production procedure.