Round & Square

2021

Birch, stained and soap treatment

In the journey of life, we round off corners and edges, squaring our beliefs to position selves on sweet spots; we dismantle biases and barriers, projecting values to find grounds linking self and another; we relatively circle over the Ying and Yang, casting labels or colours on and off in the dynamic of life. Some are concealed, some appear in glimpses, some unite only on occasions. This is the journey of life, we dance with others in moments, in manners, in tempers, and, in round and square.

The project is the respond to Snedkernes Efterårsudstilling / Cabinetmakers' Autumn Exhibition with the theme of “tid, takt, tone (time, tact and tone)“ in 2021. The theme is referred to the Danish writer Emma Gads’ work that had a strong influence to the Danish culture which three elements - time, tact, and tone can be understood as the social rules to the modern society. It is about finding right moment and respect time to interact with others; the sensitivity to context and showing consideration; and the manner in which one expresses oneself.

In Mandarin culture, the idiom 待人圓融—to treat others with roundness—draws from Confucian and Daoist thought, where sharp corners are softened by wisdom, and harmony is found in balancing the square (principle) with the round (flexibility). This resonates with Emma Gad’s Danish concept of tid, takt og tone (time, tact, and tone), from her 1923 work Takt og Tone. Though born worlds apart, both traditions guide us toward self-restraint, sensitivity, and respect—reminding us that life’s journey calls for being square in values, yet round in our dealings with others.

There are only several points for two objeThe objects meet at only a few points, suggesting the limited yet essential grounds on which connections are made. Each piece is stained with color and treated only with a soap solution, leaving the wood open to change. With use, the surfaces will fade, the polish will soften, and marks will gradually appear. This transformation is part of the work: through time and contact, the pieces grow gentler in form, just as we, through experience, learn to soften our edges and become more rounded in the ways we live with one another.cts to be connected and assembled. The meeting are intended as the metaphor of finding common grounds to connect as we do in our social lives. The pieces are stained with colour and only treated with soap solution. Through this treatment, the polish and colours will fade away from using, there will be drawn marks and damages to the surfaces and by do so, then the pieces complete the context - that we soften the corners, the surfaces, the edges by experiences.