KMU Focus

Design group ‘Bao’s’ furniture exhibition- Furniture by four designers

  • 12.01.20 / 이영선
Date 2012-01-20 Hit 27129

The 1st Furniture Exhibition was held by four Kookmin University College of Design alumni at Kumsan Gallery in Myoung-dong. Goup ‘Bao’ was founded a year ago. They work in various fields of activity through exhibitions and art fairs. Last year in August they had special exhibition at the Asia Top Gallery Hotel Art Fair (AHAF 2011 Seoul) in the Hyatt Hotel. I joined their group meeting on the 29th of December to hear about their passion for making furniture.

Gumsan Gallery
(SSangyong Namsan Platinum B-103, Hoehyun-dong, Joong-ku, Seoul)
2011. 12. 14 ~ 2012. 1. 7

Design group ‘Bao’

The Seoul Design Festival shows various contents each year such as brand publicity, Korean contents, global design, and designer’s labs. In 2010, Hyung-woo Yi (Metalwork & Jewelry ‘01), Jun-bum Park (Metalwork & Jewelry ‘02), Sung-jae Han (Metalwork & Jewelry ‘06), and Jong-ho Park (Interior Design ‘03) participated in the festival individually and showed each of their works. Through this experience they founded the group ‘Bao’. ‘Bao’ means ‘looking good’ in Korean. All the members of the group are currently working as designers. Hyung-woo Yi is working for a furniture company and Sung-jae Han is majoring in Woodworking and Furniture at Hongik Graduate School.

 It is not common for designers to work as a group. These three metal designers and one interior designer also have very different working processes and design concepts. However, they manage to work together under their common interest in “furniture”. To overcome their differences, they try to learn from each other and narrow the gap between themselves. The biggest advantage of working as a team is in the matter of scale. Even if they each have only ten works, when put together they become 40 pieces, which is enough for one exhibition.

They have a specific style of teamwork. Instead of making one big piece together, each of them makes individual works with the same concept, so each work can have a different meaning and also a unique form.

 

A Relaxed Ambience, ‘Shuim’

When you step into a furniture gallery, you feel a distance with the furniture because it is on the stage. But it feels different in Bao’s exhibition. It somehow has a homey atmosphere. Instead of showing just furniture, ‘Bao’ decided to make the furniture, walls, and floor work together in harmony. Like the title ‘Shuim’, Group Bao’s 40 pieces of work make us experience comfort and intimacy.

In Sung-jae Han’s work, which is targeting music fans, he combined furniture and music using a speaker. In this work, music became a method to communicate with customers. Jun-bum Park’s metal furniture also draws our eyes to it. He commented about his 100% metal furniture in that he doesn’t consider his work as a revolutionary piece that is intended to break the rules of making furniture. He said metal is actually used in furniture more than people might notice, and maximizing the use of metal was his concept.

When I asked them about their further plan, they said they are not sure yet. Although some people mistake them as a furniture company, they are just designers who gathered together with a similar taste. This exhibition is their first step as a group. They said they don’t even know whether Team Bao would be disbanded or would add more members. Let’s just say they are on the stage of uncertainty. But when I asked them if they have anything to say to their juniors, they said with one voice. “Have passion like us, rather than aiming at only success. We work at a company during the day, and make furniture at night. We do it because we like it. So we hope you also can find what you like and don’t be afraid to make a challenge for it.”

You can see their works at:
http://www.hyungwooyi.com
http://www.junbumpark.com
http://www.park-jongho.com
http://www.hansungjae.com

Design group ‘Bao’s’ furniture exhibition- Furniture by four designers

Date 2012-01-20 Hit 27129

The 1st Furniture Exhibition was held by four Kookmin University College of Design alumni at Kumsan Gallery in Myoung-dong. Goup ‘Bao’ was founded a year ago. They work in various fields of activity through exhibitions and art fairs. Last year in August they had special exhibition at the Asia Top Gallery Hotel Art Fair (AHAF 2011 Seoul) in the Hyatt Hotel. I joined their group meeting on the 29th of December to hear about their passion for making furniture.

Gumsan Gallery
(SSangyong Namsan Platinum B-103, Hoehyun-dong, Joong-ku, Seoul)
2011. 12. 14 ~ 2012. 1. 7

Design group ‘Bao’

The Seoul Design Festival shows various contents each year such as brand publicity, Korean contents, global design, and designer’s labs. In 2010, Hyung-woo Yi (Metalwork & Jewelry ‘01), Jun-bum Park (Metalwork & Jewelry ‘02), Sung-jae Han (Metalwork & Jewelry ‘06), and Jong-ho Park (Interior Design ‘03) participated in the festival individually and showed each of their works. Through this experience they founded the group ‘Bao’. ‘Bao’ means ‘looking good’ in Korean. All the members of the group are currently working as designers. Hyung-woo Yi is working for a furniture company and Sung-jae Han is majoring in Woodworking and Furniture at Hongik Graduate School.

 It is not common for designers to work as a group. These three metal designers and one interior designer also have very different working processes and design concepts. However, they manage to work together under their common interest in “furniture”. To overcome their differences, they try to learn from each other and narrow the gap between themselves. The biggest advantage of working as a team is in the matter of scale. Even if they each have only ten works, when put together they become 40 pieces, which is enough for one exhibition.

They have a specific style of teamwork. Instead of making one big piece together, each of them makes individual works with the same concept, so each work can have a different meaning and also a unique form.

 

A Relaxed Ambience, ‘Shuim’

When you step into a furniture gallery, you feel a distance with the furniture because it is on the stage. But it feels different in Bao’s exhibition. It somehow has a homey atmosphere. Instead of showing just furniture, ‘Bao’ decided to make the furniture, walls, and floor work together in harmony. Like the title ‘Shuim’, Group Bao’s 40 pieces of work make us experience comfort and intimacy.

In Sung-jae Han’s work, which is targeting music fans, he combined furniture and music using a speaker. In this work, music became a method to communicate with customers. Jun-bum Park’s metal furniture also draws our eyes to it. He commented about his 100% metal furniture in that he doesn’t consider his work as a revolutionary piece that is intended to break the rules of making furniture. He said metal is actually used in furniture more than people might notice, and maximizing the use of metal was his concept.

When I asked them about their further plan, they said they are not sure yet. Although some people mistake them as a furniture company, they are just designers who gathered together with a similar taste. This exhibition is their first step as a group. They said they don’t even know whether Team Bao would be disbanded or would add more members. Let’s just say they are on the stage of uncertainty. But when I asked them if they have anything to say to their juniors, they said with one voice. “Have passion like us, rather than aiming at only success. We work at a company during the day, and make furniture at night. We do it because we like it. So we hope you also can find what you like and don’t be afraid to make a challenge for it.”

You can see their works at:
http://www.hyungwooyi.com
http://www.junbumpark.com
http://www.park-jongho.com
http://www.hansungjae.com

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