MAJIANG

The cultural significance of a language is multifaceted and complex. Language exists as not just a means of communication, but also a reflection of the history, traditions, values, and beliefs of a culture. Language holds within it the stories, myths, and art, passed down through generations and contains the nuances and subtleties of a community’s way of life, including their customs, social norms, and daily practices.

This bachelor thesis investigates how furniture can reflect this cultural significance of language, in its construction, structural, appearance, and use. Specifically, it will explore aspects of Chinese Clerical Script of the Han Dynasty, and apply it to the design of dining chairs, and a dining table.

Chinese calligraphy is able to achieve varying line thicknesses in a single stroke by varying the pressure applied to the brush, resulting in 2D medium achieved by a 3D motion. In our design, we wanted to capture that 3D motion using asymmetric curves, and undulating surface in a key places such as the front spindle or the underside of the seat to give users the feeling of balance stability like in clerical script, but upon further inspection, is able to convey the movement of calligraphy.