The Concept：Open 打开

The design work OPEN, is a part of NexLab’s Tableless Ware Experimental Project in innovating the concept of ‘table’, and is exhibited in 5Vie.it of Milan Design Week, joining the 1001-Nights Collection of Co-Creando Milano (Dr. Fatina Saikaly). By making this OPEN tea-set, an intercultural team is trying to explore the dynamics of culture (especially between China and South Africa) in a fixed setting (tea time), which promotes an OPEN gesture—it is a embracement about the diversity of how we do the same craft in different ways, how we enjoy tea-time with different approaches, how we balance the private and social, and how we communicate our stories with others, in all, it’s about lifestyles. So, the tea-set consists of six sets of cups, each set is a combination of: an African calabash (carrying the gesture for sharing) and Chinese cup (carrying the gesture for personal use); the low-temperature ceramic craft from South African and the high-temperature ceramic craft from China; the white and blue color characterizing both the starlight of The Southern Cross and the classical Chinese porcelain pattern; and 3 pairs of AR smart installations representing cultural icons from both countries are attached in creating a cultural exchange conversation and entertainment among users when enjoying the tea-time together. What is more fascinating is that the design in whole is a story of 1001-Nights, as it is co-designed by a team led by Lisa (Sinethemba and Brandon) from South Africa focusing on the craft part, a team led by Han (Baofeng, Chenxiao, Kai, Linlin, Jingbin) from China focusing on the interaction part, and a team of Chinese anthropologists in South Africa (Tian & Pengfei) focusing on the intercultural facilitation, which makes the whole work as an open dialogue from the journey of creating to the final design output.