Designer Teo Yang stresses necessity of crafts in the 21st century

There’s nothing like seeing a craft and admiring its aesthetics. The curves of flower pots, or maybe the quirky shapes of a chair are enough reason to respect craftspeople’s dedication and creativity. The uniqueness of crafts is that they go a...

Teo Yang, interior designer and CEO of Teo Yang Studio [TEO YANG STUDIO]

There’s nothing like seeing a craft and admiring its aesthetics. The curves of flower pots, or maybe the quirky shapes of a chair are enough reason to respect craftspeople’s dedication and creativity.

The uniqueness of crafts is that they go a step further than simply boasting artistic significance — they aim to be practical for whoever uses them.

This is exactly what Teo Yang, interior designer and CEO of Teo Yang Studio, stresses as the fundamental task in conveying the necessity of crafts in the 21st century.

A view of Blue Bottle Coffee's Myeongdong branch, which Teo Yang Studio had taken the helm of designing. [TEO YANG STUDIO]

In December, Blue Bottle Coffee opened its ninth Korean store in Myeongdong, central Seoul, which Teo Yang Studio took the helm of designing. The store consists of only blue and white hues with a restrained minimal look, achieving a “blue house,” or a “house for Blue Bottle.”

The same month, Yang was the director of Craft Trend Fair 2022, which took place at Coex in southern Seoul’s Gangnam District. Under the theme “Today’s Questions, Craft Answers,” Yang categorized issues that he said crafts are capable of solving, including sustainability and cultural diversity.

“We can’t say that crafts can completely solve every little issue, but even just the fact that they create social discourse is extremely important,” Yang told the Korea JoongAng Daily in a recent telephone interview. Yang may be the busiest and most sought-after designer and curator at the moment.

“As a designer myself, I try to define design as something that perceives society in a critical light, and I ceaselessly try to provide reasonable and artistic answers. I always think of societal problems and question if the world really is sustainable. The tools and window to solve this is crafts.”

A view of the main exhibition of Craft Trend Fair 2022, which Teo Yang directed under the theme, ″Today's Questions, Craft Answers.″ [TEO YANG STUDIO]

Yang's ultimate focus is revisiting tradition. He said that a recent trip to Kyoto helped him realize the importance of historical narratives. That city is based on “connecting its history to the present,” so whenever Kyoto builds or creates something new “the timeline is correlated well” and “has reasonable logic.”

“I try not to just look forward; I tend to continuously pause and look back,” he said. “There are things that society has forgotten about, or that have been unable to keep up with the present. I want to bring them back, even if that means I go slowly. There is a certain beauty to them that brings good influences. Studying our history and making sure we preserve traditional aspects in our lives also inspires us for a better future.

“That’s also the thing about crafts; it passes the baton onto the next generation,” Yang said. “So can crafts solve problems? Yes, they can, but the answer lies in whether the general public actually chooses to use them.”

A view of the main exhibition of Craft Trend Fair 2022, which Teo Yang directed under the theme, ″Today's Questions, Craft Answers.″ [TEO YANG STUDIO]

The role of crafts in contemporary society is how they open up the cycle of their creation to the general public and heighten awareness of sustainability.

“People are usually not fully aware of how the products they use in their everyday lives are made, like what they are made of, who made them and how they ended up using them,” Yang said. “They simply throw away the product after using it, not knowing how it gets recycled or disposed of. Though we can’t say that crafts completely solve every little issue, even just the fact that they create social discourse is extremely important.”

Views of the main exhibition of Craft Trend Fair 2022, which Teo Yang directed under the theme, ″Today's Questions, Craft Answers.″ [TEO YANG STUDIO]

Such contemplation was expressed through the Craft Trend Fair 2022. The main exhibition, separate from the booths of some 330 craftspeople or businesses that sold their products, was curated by Yang.

His exhibition pointed out the problems in contemporary society — a standardized lifestyle, loss of humanity and environmental issues — and attempted to present crafts as a solution. For example, the environmental issue section was constructed from a minimum number of materials that were recyclable to emphasize sustainability.

“I was happy to see a lot of people during the fair, but I really hoped that it wouldn’t stop at merely shopping,” Yang said. “I’m not saying that shopping isn’t important, it’s just that there’s a major quality difference when shopping for manufactured products and crafts.

“That’s why I focused on the necessity of crafts in the fair, because when our crafts win awards like the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, it should never end as a fad. It should be a priority to inform people and help them understand that crafts are required in our daily lives, before knowing that Korean crafts are gaining global recognition.”

A view of Blue Bottle Coffee's Myeongdong branch, which Teo Yang Studio had taken the helm of designing. [TEO YANG STUDIO]

Such endeavor was reflected in the Blue Bottle Coffee Myeongdong chain, as he worked on the new store with two craftspeople who participated in the crafts fair: Kim Deok-ho and Lee In-hwa. They designed the doorplate and logo using ceramics.

“I plan to continue collaborating with craftspeople, and we have merchandise that’s going to drop soon. As a designer I really think it’s important that I introduce more of these other craftspeople and help widen their horizons by collaborating with them, which is why I really enjoyed working on the Blue Bottle project.”

A view of Blue Bottle Coffee's Myeongdong branch, which Teo Yang Studio had taken the helm of designing. [TEO YANG STUDIO]

Yang admits that the general public may perceive crafts as a bit distant, like works of art. He says that the approach can be changed with simply asking the price.

“Actually, there are many crafts that aren’t that expensive — they’re similar to the price of regular manufactured products,” Yang said. “People don’t know because they’re too scared to ask about the price. Please ask how much they cost and try comparing them to industrial goods. You’ll be surprised to see how crafts are much better value for money because the longer you use them, the more aesthetically pleasing they get.”

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]