The Sustainable American Hardwood Contemporary Design Exhibition, “Echoes of the Woods”, was unveiled at the Former Residence of Hotung Robert in Shanghai, September 2024. Ten young Chinese designers and artists used American hardwood as their primary material to interpret the resonance between nature, humanity, society, and everything in between.
Running from 7–30 September 2024, the exhibition attracted both industry professionals and design and home enthusiasts to closely appreciate and interact with the works, which made it a must-visit hotspot of City Walk in Shanghai.
The exhibition was fully supported by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), curated by “Cooollect”, and co-organised by “Spring of Design” and the Shanghai Furniture Industry Association Design Professional Committee. The objective was to empower sustainable American hardwood with infinite creativity and design artistry.
By creating a series of unique contemporary art and design works, the exhibition allowed the public to experience more application possibilities of natural wood materials in the design and art fields and further promote sustainable development.
“AHEC is truly honoured to fully support and witness this spectacular design feast. We have long endeavoured to help more people understand American hardwood and influence their views of this material—that as a sustainable and aesthetically valuable natural material, it possesses tremendous design extendibility and broad application prospects,” said Mr. John Chan, Regional Director of AHEC Southeast Asia and Greater China.
“Globally, we have presented numerous design projects, including ‘Connected’ at the Design Museum in London in 2020 and ‘Discovered’ in 2021, as well as ‘SLOW’ at the Madrid Design Festival 2023. This thematic exhibition held in Shanghai marks an innovative attempt by us to bring original designs featuring American hardwood to China.”
Below are just five of the ten projects that were featured in “Echoes of the Woods”.
「Infinity」 Leisure Nook
Creator: Chris Tang / Product Designer, Founder of “Artempo”
Material: American red oak, lacquer, metal
The works of Chris Tang draw inspiration from the traditional Chinese concept of “Heaven is round and Earth is square”, which serves as one of the simplest yet most profound expressions of natural order, with all developments of the world coherently condensed within it. He aimed to construct an independent and static microcosmic realm of Heaven and Earth, where one can attain calm and enlightenment through tea drinking, meditation, cultivation and comprehension of Dao. In the sustainable flow of time, thought, spirit, and substance come together in harmony, tending towards simplicity and stillness.
The work used American red oak. With its straight grains, reddish hue within its whiteness, it made the permeability of natural texture immediately apparent by looking at the surface. In terms of craftsmanship, Chris chose to combine lacquering with the wood, whereby American red oak served as the wooden substrate that echoed and complemented traditional lacquering techniques in a mutually reinforcing way, producing visual effects of supreme natural harmony and beauty.
「Blanc」Table / 「Blanc」Floor Lamp
Creator: Linda Lee / Interior Designer, Founder of Li Man Space Design and Linda Lee Design
Material: American maple, American cherry, metal
The inspiration for Linda Lee’s collection was the Medicago orbicularis—its vibrant organic morphology spoke to her inner self, spurring exploration into how to transmute those qualities into a homewares line seamlessly fusing form with function. She favoured American maple as the primary expressive material from nature. Combining with American cherry, copper and maple burl, it presented the visual energy through the collaboration of these crafts.
「Treasure House」 Interactive Installation
Creator: Min Zhang / Artist
Material: American maple, American cherry, American red oak
Min Zhang’s interactive installation 「Treasure House」 drew inspiration from observations of urban humanity’s living states. Referencing Escher’s endless staircase and Monument Valley’s play structures, the lit spheres at the top symbolise souls brimming with energy, reminding people that amid eternal checkpoint living, the sole genuine choice is awakening to discover one’s inner radiance.
The piece utilised American maple, cherry and red oak. The grain of maple is straight and clear with evident waves, while also stiff; cherry feels moist and smooth with delicate grain; oak endures wear with straighter grain, heftier feel and natural beauty. Each wood was handcrafted through cutting and sanding to retain the wood’s intrinsic textures and surfaces. An eco-friendly water-based lacquer was finally uniformly brushed onto the blocks. The three woods exhibit distinct tonal and grain hierarchies, enhancing expressivity.
「Breaking」Console Table / Coffee Table / Cabinet
Creator: Yun Zhao / Curator, Independent Designer, Founder of “TIWUWORKS”
Material: American red oak
Zhao’s work collection「Breaking」contains a console table, a coffee table and a cabinet, which aimed to explore the processes and connections between different state changes of life. Through this piece, he hopes people can constantly pursue the meaning of life in the cycle.
The work used American red oak, which has a slightly shallower texture, fewer scars, and higher hardness, making it more suitable for surface treatments such as polishing and fibre drawing. In this work, the designer applied two surface crafts simultaneously to showcase the multifaceted qualities of red oak.
「Migration」Installation Art
Creator: Zizi Wang / Floral Artist
Material: American red oak, mirror, metal, mixed materials, etc.
China’s traditional chronicle of flowers, the “Twelve Flower Months”, inspired Zizi Wang’s creative work for this exhibition. In her piece 「Migration」, she explored the relationships between materiality, time, and space from a contemporary art perspective. By presenting endless possibilities through distorted mirrors that magnify and distort the surrounding area, Wang reflected scenic views and faces from different dimensions, redefining the world around us.
The scale markers and back textures are testaments to the passage of time—the twelve flowers, twelve months, twelve solar terms interweaving temporal trajectories and life’s cycles. Through time, Wang reexamined her past, present and future, exploring time, self and life.
In terms of materials, the artist chose American red oak for its clear grain and natural beauty. In the production process, red oak’s hardy texture, excellent workability, and strong plasticity better embodied the design concept and detailed work. Additionally, the piece leveraged five-axis technology to intricately carve and cut the wood within 3D space, realising various complex curved and structural designs while retaining the wood’s original grain and tactility.
