Title A New Layer
Category Commissioned work
Client NTCRI www.ntcri.gov.tw
Material Various
Year 2013-14

A New Layer is a project initiated by the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute in 2012, bringing together five Swedish designers, Matti Klenell, Gabriella Lenke, Stina Löfgren, Carina Seth Andersson and Mattias Ståhlbom, to explore traditional Taiwanese lacquer techniques. Working alongside local artisans on several visits to the island, each designer studied the possibilities of the craft and developed works that reflect their own formal language. The project deepened the studio's knowledge of Taiwan and its rich traditions of craft and design.

The project sits at the intersection of traditional heritage and contemporary design, combining centuries old lacquering techniques with a Scandinavian sensibility. It resulted in a publication and an exhibition shown at the Far Eastern Antiquities Museum in Stockholm and at Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg. A bamboo project developed as part of the same collaboration is represented in the permanent collection at Röhsska.