Excerpt: Chǐ (foot), an installation by Jumgo Creative, integrates ancient Eastern wisdom into contemporary design and presents unique possibilities. The structure serves as a small tea room that extends from two to three dimensions, providing a space for people to rest and display various objects. The space combines warmth of wood with rigidity of metal, creating an artistic appeal and ensuring functionality and adaptability.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] Purpose-Driven: BEN MOO, a local brand specializing in traditional custom woodworking in Chengdu, has been dedicated to customizing wood production for over thirty years. From its humble beginnings, it has evolved into a company with a comprehensive wood product line, never compromising on quality or respect for users.
The creation of the “Chǐ (foot)” installation originated from a chance conversation between Holy He, founder of JUMGO Creative Design, and the director of BEN MOO. The director mentioned an unused outdoor space next to her current exhibition hall and envisioned a unique place for experience in the hope of creating a window display effect.
Honoring Tradition: Ten cùn (inches) equals one chǐ (foot), and ten chǐ makes one zhàng (ten feet). The development of measurement units began at around the end of primitive society. Legend has it that Huangdi established five measurements, and Shaohao standardized them while also tuned music and rhythms. These units were initially based on the human body: “a hand span is one chǐ, a finger span is one cùn”; “the amount held in one hand is called yì, and when both hands are full, it’s called jǔ.” These expressions of length, once common in daily life, are rarely used today.
The designers aim to explore and attempt to better integrate ancient Eastern wisdom into contemporary design. Using a square with a side length of one chǐ (33.3cm) as the core idea, they opened up a new world full of possibilities.
Functionality Creation: Then emerged the idea of constructing a small tea room, which extends infinitely from two dimensions to three dimensions, providing a place for people to pause and rest. This place not only serves as a tea room for displaying and using various objects, but also offers greater flexibility and versatility by reassembling the layout of cabinets, tables, seating, screens, and other furnishings according to different needs, making it easy to integrate into various future scenarios.
Combining the warmth of wood with the rigidity of metal and embedding a specially developed lighting system, the space maintains an artistic appeal while ensuring practicality, adapting seamlessly to different functional demands.
Practice Possibility: The designers hope that this place becomes more than just an infinitely expandable “building,” but also an experiment in “publicity.” It embodies BEN MOO’s professional attitude toward products, as well as the courage and determination to continuously embrace new technologies and trends. They have infused their intentions into every inch, crafting a unique space. Within limited dimensions, they aim to create infinite spatial possibilities, and with sincere intentions, they strive to offer users unprecedented experiences.
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