Haoshi Design Studio creates a universe that is whimsical, surreal and a little eerie at the same time. Named after the Mandarin for “good thing” (好事), haoshi’s signature is highly detailed, white resin pendants and rings that feature a menagerie of animals ranging from rabbits and ducks to fierce-looking hippos and alligators. Human figures have their heads swapped for everyday objects like toothbrushes and faucets, while a miniature carousel turns out to be an intricate timepiece.
Founded in 2008, haoshi is the creation of husband-and-wife team Griffin Yang (楊皓鈞) and Sweeny Chung (鐘佳玲). The two met while studying information communication at Yuan Ze University in Taoyuan. After graduating, Yang worked as an in-house visual designer for a tech company, while Chung did freelance wedding videography.
Three years ago, the two began dreaming of creating jewelry inspired by the clean, glowing whiteness of plaster sculptures they had seen in art museums. At first, they deliberated casting pendants from the same material.
Photo Courtesy of Haoshi Design Studio
“We thought if we could capture that luminescence and turn it into something people could display on their bodies, then it would be a beautiful thing,” Yang says.
Plaster turned out to be too fragile, however, so the couple worked with artisans to find a new material. Someone suggested resin for its durability and ability to handle tiny details. The material is transparent, so Yang and Chung experimented with adding pigment until they achieved the opaque, cool whiteness of plaster. Then they turned their attention to the findings for their jewelry. The two had originally wanted to use sterling silver, but decided that the metal was not the right shade. Instead, they decided to use brass plated with white gold, which creates a better contrast with their figures.
Yang and Chung sought out Taipei-based artisans who originally worked on temple carvings instead of toy designers to create haoshi’s prototypes because they didn’t want their jewelry to have a cute or “cartoonish” feel.
Photo Courtesy of Haoshi Design Studio
“Working on fashion accessories was a complete change of pace for these craftspeople, but they figured it would be interesting to try something new,” says Yang.
A series of prototypes is created for each design. The first is used to set the placement of the animal’s facial features and the pattern of its fur, skin or feathers, while fine details are carved into the second one. Each pendant or ring captures a host of microscopic detail, like the scaly, bumpy skin of a crocodile, the tiny claws of a squirrel gripping an acorn or wrinkles on a curious piglet’s snout.
Some of the animal pendants were inspired by classic children’s stories, like a ring that pays homage to the punctuality-obsessed white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
Other creatures were picked for their symbolism. The “lone wolf” pendant looks proud and haughty, while a giraffe has a direct, curious gaze.
“Humans and most animals only see what is directly in front of them, but giraffes have a higher perspective,” Chung says.
The Merry-Go-Round clock, shaped like a classic early 20th-century carousel, is the company’s first foray into home accessories. Nine horses trot in a circle behind six graceful Corinthian columns that support an elaborate facade graced with Baroque-style flourishes and medallions.
Photo Courtesy of Haoshi Design Studio
A father in a top hat, sporting a handlebar mustache, rides on the outer ring and keeps track of the hours, while a mother, representing the minutes, circles a small child in the center, whose lively movements tick away the seconds.
The timepiece was inspired by the couple’s recollections of childhood visits to the Taipei Children’s Recreation Center (台北市立兒童育樂中心). “Memory is about turning back time, so we decided to turn our memory into a clock,” Chung says.
Haoshi’s next series will celebrate the upcoming birth of the couple’s first child, a boy, and includes a lamp shaped like a floating balloon. Their first collaboration with PLA Studio, a thermos with a trompe l’oeil design that makes it look like a crumpled aluminum can, was recently released.
Photo Courtesy of Haoshi Design Studio
Since launching the company, the duo has focused on marketing overseas and has exhibited in cities including Melbourne, Tokyo, New York, Berlin, London and Moscow. In Taiwan, haoshi’s creations are sold in design-oriented stores such as designburg (www.designburg.com), 25togo (www.25togo.com) and Leon’s.
“After the two of us graduated from school, we weren’t sure of what to do, so we just looked for ways to earn money,” Chung says. “But then we began to come up with ideas for things we want to accomplish and we don’t want to miss this opportunity.”
For more information and stores, visit www.haoshi.com.tw
Photo Courtesy of Hhaoshi Design Studio
Photo Courtesy of Haoshi Design Studio
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