PT6 Poem

There is so much I've learned over the last decade designing and making each Design Series that goes beyond clay and glaze or form and function. Each piece in this Present Ten collection represents a different Design Series and I painted a poem onto each piece expressing what I learned from that year. The poems are written in an old style in traditional Chinese characters. My friend, a creative director in Hong Kong, helped me translate each poem into English. Each piece has its own wooden box made from paulownia wood which is light and strong. These boxes are inspired by Japanese tomobako, which are custom made boxes that accompany a piece of art for storage and protection. The boxes also serve as a pedestal for the pieces allowing them to be displayed together. Two of the shortest boxes are stacked in the center, and the others arranged around them. The lamp representing Design Series 3 hangs above the whole collection like a reading lamp illuminating the poem. —Tung Chiang, Clay Studio Director