Chinese designer Mario Tsai presents From The Structures at Milan design week, a solo exhibition revealing the results of experiments with contemporary production techniques.
Hangzhou-based Tsai is showing a modular lighting collection and a range of tables with bases made by bending sheets of flexible steel.
The Mazha lighting collection is part of an exhibition by Mario Tsai at Milan design week
On show at Spazio Quattrocento, in Milan's Zona Tortona district, the products show the designer's material-led approach, but also reflect his desire to combine references to China's heritage with a futuristic vision.
"Older Chinese designers still focus a lot on the past and base their products on pieces from the Ming dynasty or other periods in China's history," he told Dezeen. "But China is changing and we want to make things that represent modern life." The lighting system comes in two variations to suit different spaces
Mario Tsai founded his studio in 2014. He describes it as "a research-oriented design studio whose core function is to explore the potential attributes of materials and new production methods while adhering to sustainable design principles".
The office works across product and installation design, and also offers creative consultancy services to brands in China and Europe. In all of its projects, it seeks to achieve a restrained aesthetic that the designer describes as "soft minimalism".
Each system can be extended ...