Chinese designer Zhang Zhoujie (张周捷) founded his eponymous digital laboratory in 2010 after graduating from MA Industrial Design at Central Saint Martins, building on a background in traditional Chinese fine art. His main inspiration behind founding the experimental lab was to explore the latest trends towards parametric design and to investigate new digital workflows which seamlessly integrate the latest computer technology with Wu Wei. Wu Wei is one of the principles of the philosophy of Taoism. It means action less, or lack of intervention. It is the principle by which the generation methods utilized in the digital laboratory are inspired. His key project is based on the concept of ‘Spontaneity’ 自然而然. It pays respect to the logic of mathematics and objects are generated following the law of the digital environment. It is designing without anticipation. He believes that his role as a designer is to be ‘Actionless’ 无为, to interfere as little as possible and give space for imagination. His design is honest, revealing the true properties of materials and forms. There is no painting and no pretending.
In his work, he blends Chinese traditional art perspectives, western design methodology, digital engineering and handmade craftsmanship into a single project. Zhoujie believes that “Process is more important than outcome, the story is more important than style and the potential is more important than Practical”. The triangulation project explores the relationships and interactions of faceted triangular surfaces in the creation of beautiful objects, following the principles of the lab. The produced objects are selected from a range of 100’s of experimental objects. These objects are generated in an evolutionary way with families of objects sharing parents, grandparents and relatives. This creates a family tree of objects, with characteristics of different elements following through the family line like DNA. By using hundreds of sensors embedded into a measuring apparatus the shape of the client can be directly imported into the digital model. When the object is generated it will grow up to meet this shape without intervention or input. This creates an almost action less individual object.
