Filip Smigiel, Box of Transformation (FURNITURE 2025)

Photos:

Filip Smigiel

Country

Poland

Box of Transformation: Meditation on Chinese Philosophy Through Craft Chinese cosmology is probably not where most people search for ideas when designing their first piece of furniture. But for me, it was great fun to see how even very abstract ideas can be used to create something physical and tangible. Inspiration for this chest on stand comes directly from my experience living in Asia for nearly 15 years. This piece embodies traditional Chinese philosophical principles through its design elements: Structure reflects yin-yang harmony with dark oak exterior and light maple interior, illustrating the Dao De Jing idea that "being and non-being create each other." The four-legged stand has been made using traditional Chinese joinery 粽角榫 (zong jiao sun). With three miters and three interlocking tenons, the joint embodies the Daoist principle of wu wei (effortless action)—achieving strength through working with the natural properties of the materials rather than forced rigidity. Eight pins at each corner of the carcass correspond to the I Ching's eight trigrams representing fundamental universal energies. Three drawers connect to the trigrams and the generative process: "The Dao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced All things." A circular recessed finger pull reflects a core teaching from chapter 11 of the Dao De Jing: "Thirty spokes meet in the hub. Where the wheel isn’t is where it’s useful. Hollowed out, clay makes a pot. Where the pot’s not is where it’s useful." The recess represents the concept of emptiness (wu) as the source of utility. The central, uneven surface contrasts with the remaining areas of the piece, referencing the Daoist concept of pu (朴, uncarved block), representing natural simplicity from which complexity emerges. Its organic lines converge at the center, symbolizing how multiplicity returns to unity—a central theme in both the Dao De Jing and I Ching systems.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.