Student of the Month: Jingfeng Fang

February’s Student of the Month is HDK School of Design and Crafts, Gothenburg University MA first year, Jingfeng Fang! Much less of a mouthfull is the simply executed project, Bug Story. With inspiration taken from a piece of worm eaten wood from Naturhistoriska Museet in Gothenburg, Jingfeng aimed to combine “crafts and design with distinctive storytelling to make an object look exclusive”…

The theme of “exclusivity” came from Jingfeng’s awareness, or the lack of it, in a lot of “products that share the same technology, form and function”. So what he’s done is add a tactility and slight randomness to hand crafted boxes which could be mass produced but would each bare a trace, be it bug made or, in this case, with a drill to make each piece unique. It was this that brought attention to Bug Story at the Stockholm Furniture Fair, where he was exhibiting with fellow students.

At the time of making/creating this project, who or what was your biggest influence?

Actually, my classmates plays a great role in developing my project. We have different backgrounds and the concepts of each other’s work are also different, so we can share the idea freely and give the critical suggestion honestly, we do not need to hide something.

What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university to date?

I really appreciate of the way of my school leading to her students freely think, and put the idea into practice. For me, I have a lot of opportunities of immersing myself in specific fields of design. It looks like a journey. I try to find who I am, and where I should go on the way of pursuing my dream.

What would you be doing now if you weren’t at Art School?

I was a full-time product designer before I started my MFA study. maybe after I have been tired of CAD and rendering in front of a computer everyday, I would quit the job, but I was not sure what should I do at that time.

Where are you making/creating most of your work?

Usually the design process starts with a new idea or invention. I might hit on an interesting topic while talking with my friend in cafes, visiting museums or travelling to some other place. After that, maybe I will go to the library to collect more information to develop my idea. when it comes to carrying my idea out, I will experiment different kinds of materials, forms and technologies at workshop.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am trying to make a collection of products getting inspiration from insects. meanwhile I am interested in folk craft, what I am about to do is to figure out the role of design in folk craft. The textile will be the first field I want to explore. If possible, I hope I could show my works on London Design Festival.