Plasplus is an ongoing project looking into artisanal small-batch plastic recycling in
urban high-density areas. It is highly inspired by work done by Precious Plastic.

Plasplus aims to reimagine plastic as a precious and artisanal material that is reclaimed from urban waste streams. The name is a play on the suffix “++”, often used in computer science to denote a new version (as in C++). Plasplus is currently still in the research and development phase. We are hoping to launch a few products using 100% recycled plastic by the end of 2021.

In the process, we have built our own hydraulic press, PID-controlled oven, and several aluminium and steel molds.

Chrolo is a rumination on the nature of time materialized in the form of a curio.

Time is both linear and circular, continuous and discrete, and exists both subjectively and objectively. Chrolo is an attempt at reconciling the seemingly contradictory qualities of time. Impossible to manufacture through traditional processes, Chrolo is realized through stereolithography 3D printing.

Chrolo engages multiple senses of sight, touch, and hearing, creating an embodied experience of time that draws the user back to the present. The sixty steps of Chrolo descend like a spiral staircase, forming the helix shape of the timer.

Chrolo begins with the user picking up a steel ball from the base and dropping it into the top funnel. As it descends down the sixty steps, the ball creates a ticking sound reminiscent of analog clocks. The ball oscillates back-and-forth on the steps which evokes the mesmerizing quality of pendulums. At the end of sixty seconds, the ball rings the bell and signals the end of a minute.

Chrolo was successfully funded and fulfilled on Kickstarter. The project is archived on Kickstarter

Chrolo was exhibited in Venice Design and Dubai Design Week in 2018.

Tack is a product that I tried (unsuccessfully) to launch through Kickstarter during my senior year at RISD. An important objective of the project was to work with local manufacturers.

Tack is a task light designed for modern urbanites. As more people move into cities, living spaces will continue to shrink. The number of discrete spaces in typical rental housing is decreasing, as seen by the rise in one-room studio apartments. Nowadays, one space has to perform multiple functions. Millennials are also moving from one city to another more than previous generations, necessitating furniture that can be easily moved between homes.

Tack was featured as a Kickstarter “Project We Love”. It was also exhibited at RISD Senior Show 2016. The project is archived on Kickstarter

Bo is a concept social robot designed to serve the needs of independent senior adults aging in place. Bo serves three main functions, it offers companionship without maintenance, it is a communication tool between the user and their caretaker and loved ones, and it also provides peace of mind for the elderly and their family.

I designed Bo within a RISD design studio called “Aging in Place” in 2015. At that point in time, Sony discontinued Aibo and stopped support for it. I was inspired by an article about how former Aibo owners held funerals to mourn their broken robotic canine companions. In 2018, 3 years after I designed Bo, Sony launched a new Aibo.

Sink is an investigation of the relationship between hard and soft, surface and form, user and object. The result is a lounge chair whose seat surface becomes meaningful only when engaged by the user. Sink also allowed me to consider the concept of unfamiliarity in everyday objects; some test users expressed fear before they sank into the chair, which quickly turns into surprise through supportive comfort, followed by lingering fascination at departure.

Sink was a Behance Featured Project in 2015.

Find out more about the process behind the work on Behance

Solidarity is a pair of stools that utilizes glueless wood joinery. The stools are inspired by traditional Chinese woodworking, Newton’s third law, and human relationships, ideas gathered during my summer internship at Studio Dunn.

The stools are designed to be flat-packed and may be assembled by the end-user. The only tool that is required is a mallet. Unlike most ready-to-assemble furniture, however, it is designed to be permanent post-assembly. This permanence causes the user’s involvement in the making process to become more significant. 

The main target consumer is therefore young couples/families who are buying their first home, a commitment that signals a turning point in their lives.

The pair of stools were exhibited at “Freshly Made” at Studio Dunn in 2014.