“Arborescent”

Miao Li


email:
miao@miaoli.nl

website:
www.miaoli.nl

instagram:
@studiomiaoli

linkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/miaoli0614/

(+31) 06 29376672



With ‘Arborescent' (meaning: resembling a tree in growth or appearance) Miao Li explores the possibilities for design to create artificial nature. Aiming to evoke alternative narratives that challenge the human-nature duality and our anthropocentric worldview. To Miao trees are sublime entities of great intricacy and beauty. He studied meticulously how wrinkled bark flows along the curves of robust stems before branching out into slender twigs and busy foliage according to mathematical principles.

How leaves dance in the wind, projecting dynamic shadows onto the ground and how roots grow deep below the surface of the earth, whispering to each other across endless fungal networks in a language that is far beyond human understanding.

As a designer Miao tried to capture some of his observations by translating them into a collection of arborescent objects. By drawing inspiration from the art of bonsai and tree mythology and by innovating on the crafts of basketry weaving and Jiseung paper weaving, the final collection ranges from somewhat functional baskets to decorative tree objects. Through his work, Miao invites us to experience the profound interconnections between ecology, mythology and crafts and to see ourselves as part of a larger, interwoven, and sophisticated ecosystem.