The exhibition “Zeya Paper Reborn” opened at Longxi Art Museum from October 15 to 23, 2022.
The “Zeya Paper Reborn” project was jointly planned and participated by Professors and students from Industrial Design and Graphic Design of Wenzhou-Kean University Michael Graves College. In the past year, five different lamps were designed by combining traditional Zeya paper with various materials.
Curatorship:
Maurizio Vrenna, Cui Mengxi
Exhibition Design:
Wenning Shi, Yuxuan Du, Zhenze Yao
Product Design:
Yixuan Chen, Jialei Wu, Xinyuan Xu, Chenyou Zhao, Yizheng Zhu
Graphic Design:
Xinyue Chen, Sihan Fang, Yeshuhan Wu, Junyan Yao
Site:
Longxi Art Museum
(Zeya Scenic Spots, Ou hai, Wenzhou, Zhe Jiang )
In Chinese, the name Zeya denotes a place with beautiful waters. The mountain area of Zeya, on the outskirt of Wenzhou, is famous for its ancient bamboo papermaking technique. This technique is known as the “living fossil” of traditional Chinese papermaking.
Zeya paper has a history of thousands of years. It is a traditional papermaking process listed as a national intangible cultural heritage, and in the past, paper production was the mainstay of the local economy. There were nearly 100,000 Zeya paper workers, accounting for 80% of the local population. The papermaking process and the production facilities deeply affected the life of the inhabitants. Nowadays, however, due to large-scale mechanized production, low yields, poor quality, and high final product costs, the possibilities for Zeya paper to compete in the market are meager. With rapidly changing production and consumption patterns, traditional crafts are losing their appeal and market competitiveness and may be lost forever unless otherwise protected.
The Zeya Paper Reborn project builds up on the interpretation of the value transformation of Zeya traditional paper in the context of intangible cultural heritage protection while arousing people’s consciousness on this topic. The project invites the audience to reflect on the importance of innovation and research in design through the lens of younger generations. This project has been developed by industrial and graphic design teachers and students of the Michael Graves College of Architecture and Design, Wenzhou-Kean University. Focusing on paper production’s past, present, and future possibilities, the project is committed to showing the appeal of Zeya traditional paper by designing innovative modern products. Traditional paper combines with various materials to take advantage of past and present aesthetics. A series of five lamps and this exhibition result from one year of hard work. These lamps with modern and fresh aesthetics are meaningful because they respect the regional culture and tradition by embedding them. These are important cultural and creative products that continue a long inheritance process.
It is an honor to have had the chance to exhibit the Zeya Paper Reborn lamps series at the Longxi Art Museum in Longtan Wetland Park, Yuankou Village, because the architects were inspired by a local paper workshop for its design. The architectural forms of the museum and the exhibition echo each other, showing the beauty of Zeya paper and letting the public feel the unique appeal of this traditional and culturally-rich material.