● lecturer appointment at chelsea college of arts
ii founder liang-jung chen has been appointed as a visiting lecturer in ba product and furniture design department in chelsea college of arts, part of university of arts london.
● interview included in vitra design museum's exhibition catalogue
the exhibition plastic: remaking our world at the vitra design museum examines the history and future of this controversial material: from its meteoric rise in the twentieth century to its environmental impact and to cutting-edge solutions for a more sustainable use of plastic. exhibits include rarities from the dawn of the plastic age and objects of the pop era as well as numerous contemporary designs and projects ranging from efforts to clean up rivers and oceans to smart concepts for waste reduction and recycling through to bioplastics made from algae and mycelium.
● dezeen awards - homeware design of the year 2021
judges comments: "this project is executed in a fun, playful way. it engages and builds a platform for people getting involved in the community."
● local ware exhibition at france design week 2021
date｜24 september - 07 october 2021
gallery｜jogging epricerie
address｜103, rue paradi, 13006 marseille, France
founded by marseilled-based oros and london-based ii (initial initiatives), local ware is an experimental yet utilitarian project celebrating the diversity of natural resources and lifestyles in different parts of the world.
in each edition, the project collaborates with a group of international designers of various backgrounds to develop a collection of ‘local ware’ employing materials local to the creator. four designers: chialing chang, guillaume bloget, liang-jung chen and rio kobayashi, were invited to try their hand at creating exploratory cookware pieces.
● local ware cooking demonstration by ella afalo
date｜29 september 2021
venue｜jogging epricerie
address｜103, rue paradi, 13006 marseille, france
to put the local ware pieces in real use, a unique cooking demonstration took place during the exhibition in the restaurant of jogging.
ella aflalo, a french chef well known for her eastern mediterranean cuisine, was invited to use the cookware to create a special menu for local foodies, consisting of manti (turkish dumpling), cream made with smoked corn, accompanied by a slice of bleu d'auvergne and more.
● summer school exhibition at london design festival 2021
date｜18 - 26 september 2021
venue｜salvation army shop
address｜434 forest road, london e17 4py
william morris design line presents store store x ercol summer school guided by product designers stine keinicke and liang-jung chen. in this summer school students learned about traditional furniture making and upcycling. at the ercol factory in buckinghamshire, students collected rejects from the ercol furniture production. they then were given a brief of designing cleaning tools, such as brushes and brooms.
the final outcome is on display at the salvation army in walthamstow as part of william morris design line and in store store in kings cross during london design festival 2021.
● store x ercol summer school 2021
join us for a free store x ercol summer school guided by stine keinicke and liang-jung chen. collaborating with blackhorse workshop and furniture company ercol, where the crew will go on a factory visit to collect rejects from the ercol production to upcycle. students will learn about traditional wooden furniture making, sustainability and how to create new products from waste streams. the final outcomes will be exhibited during london design festival 2021.
this is a free opportunity for 10 state school students (aged 15-18) who live, study, or play in william morris + wood street wards of waltham forest.
● the index project awards 2020
the misused is nominated for the index project awards 2020. there are two main aims of the project. firstly, to advocate the understanding of everyday objects, as well as creative thinking in education. by holding workshops, talks, and exhibitions all over the world, the team demonstrates how creativity can turn ubiquitous hardware into valued items. secondly, to establish an online archive and to publish a misused guide that shares the ideas with everyone.
● the misused workshop at hong kong design festival 2020
workshop 1｜28 november 2020
workshop 2｜29 november 2020
workshop 3｜5 december 2020
venue｜pmq hong kong
address｜35 aberdeen street, central, hong kong
during the 2.5 hours workshop, liang-jung chen, co-founder of the misused, will introduce their worldwide hardware project, giving unique insights into the unfulfilled potential of everyday hardware. through brainstorms and creative discussions, we will explore how to repurpose hardware with creativity and twist.
the tutor will host the workshop remotely with the support of hong kong-based designer brian lee. participants will be able to design and create objects of their own, and rediscover the charm of everyday objects through liang-jung and brian’s sharing and playful experimentation.
● the misused talk at openground hong kong
date｜26 november 2020
venue｜198 tai nan street, sham shui po, kowloon, hong kong
● documtary film - london design fesitival 2020
date｜29 April 2020
venue｜old bank noma
address｜hanover street, manchester m60 0ab
● a misused talk with emile jones at coal drops yard
topic｜the overlooked charm of everyday hardware
date｜12 september 2020
venue｜coal drops yard
address｜stable street, london n1c 4dq
curator liang-jung chen invites industrial designer emile jones to select 15 pieces of hardware in his daily life. together they will be discussing hardware culture and exchanging thoughts on the overlooked charm of some of the designed objects that can become the background of everyday life; that they can speak of the culture from which they originate, and their potential for reinterpretation and misuse.
● the misused talk at old bank residency at noma manchester
date｜29 April 2020
venue｜old bank noma
address｜hanover street, manchester m60 0ab
● the misused talk at old bank residency at noma manchester
date｜29 April 2020
venue｜old bank noma
address｜hanover street, manchester m60 0ab
● the misused 3.0 exhibition at london design festival
date｜29 April 2020
venue｜old bank noma
address｜hanover street, manchester m60 0ab
● regent's canal hardware research workshop
date｜3 september 2020
venue｜kiosk n1c (coal drops yard)
address｜stable street, london n1c 4dq
starting with an introduction to the project, the curator of the misused ironmongery exhibition - liang-jung chen will share the process and outcomes of the research and design project on hardware culture. we then take a stroll along the local regent’s canal to attempt to perceive an urban space and its inhabitants with a fresh perspective and to see what can be gleaned from observations on the subtleties of the use and design of hardware in this environment, before returning to collate, share and discuss our thoughts and findings.
● the misused workshop at blackhorse workshop
date｜20 september 2020
venue｜blackhorse workshop
address｜1–2 sutherland path, walthamstow e17 6bx
join us for a special one-day workshop with tutor liang-jung chen from the misused, as part of london design festival, for a unique insight into creative potential of everyday household hardware objects.
you will create new objects by re-imagining, re-purposing and customising from a selection of hardware provided. using workshop equipment and with technical support, you will design and create your own piece to be photographed and featured in the study, before taking it home with you.
● the misused workshop at peer gallery
date｜5 august 2020
venue｜peer gallery
address｜97 - 99 hoxton street, london n1 6ql
during the two hour workshop, designer liang-jung chen will begin by giving unique insights to the unfulfilled potential of everyday hardware. together, we will think through how to repurpose hardware with creativity and maybe a twist of humour.
in advance of the workshop, we ask participants to: read through the misused workshop guide and to select 3 pieces of hardware in your surroundings. study them and bring them with you to the workshop.
● the misused archive open call
staying at home has allowed us time and space to once again pay closer attention to details around us. Instead of purchasing a new item, how can we utilise existing hardware and materials we already have at home to transform them into a valued object? after all, limitation is the key for creativity. we believe the exercise will be a great opportunity for us to reflect on our relationship and the use of artefacts around us.
the misused archive is launched in 2020 as an online archive of the misused workshop. it is home to ideas of cleverly repurposed objects made with daily hardware. the archive will serve as an idea bank and open-source platform for everyone.
● the misused talk at old bank residency at noma manchester
date｜29 April 2020
venue｜old bank noma
address｜hanover street, manchester m60 0ab
● one two one two exhibition at national gallery of victoria
date｜12 - 20 march 2020
gallery｜national gallery of victoria
address｜180 st kilda rd, melbourne vic 3006, australia
opening｜14 march 18.00 - 21.00
shifting occupancy responds to the theme of the city. the exhibition will have a particular focus on the geographical drift from rural to urban centres and invites participants to consider how this shift impacts communities, the constructed landscape and the environment.
the exhibition aims to showcase this theme in a broader context by engaging with designers from the international community, presenting the audience with a range of culturally diverse and personal responses. this event is a part of melbourne design week 2020, an initiative of the victorian government in collaboration with the national gallery of victoria.
● the misused exhibition at taiwan design research institute
date｜14 january - 9 february 2020
gallery｜taiwan design research institute
address｜133, guangfu s.rd., xinyi dist.,taipei, taiwan
talk｜14 january 19.00 - 21.00
workshop｜18 - 19 january 09.00 - 17.00
the misused is a study on global hardware culture initiated by two industrial designers. each year, the project observes hardwares in different country. the designers will first deconstruct the original functions of the hardware and to repurpose them. following the first study on taiwanese hardwares in 2018, the project went on to study dutch hardwares in 2019.
parts of the taiwanese and dutch hardware works will be presented in the exhibition this time. a talk with anthropologist shih-hsiang sung will explore the relations between design and anthropology in the industrial society. a two-day workshop will also held to invite the public to misuse the daily hardwares.
● the misused 2.0 exhibition at dutch design week 2019
date｜19 -27 september 2019
gallery｜piet hein eek
address｜halvemaanstraat 30, 5651 bp eindhoven, the netherlands
the misused is a research project that studies local metal hardwares around the world and how misusing them can make people’s life easier. with both anthropological and industrial approach, the project invites the public to brainstorm and repurpose metal hardwares in everyday life.
the project is a long-term collaboration between two taiwanese artists and designers - liang-jung chen and shuei-yuan yang. initially inspired by how older generation in the countryside of taiwan improvised daily necessities wisely. in 2018, the duo embarked on a series of field research on metal hardwares and a series of study on how to realise their unfulfilled potentials.
following the first edition in taiwan, in 2019, as the duo relocated to europe, the second edition is all about dutch hardwares. after a year of fruitful findings and observation of the culture, 9 pieces of hardwares are selected due to their unique contexts. the result is a homeware collection that demonstrates practical functions with a twist of humour.
● the misused 1.0 exhibition at caoji
date｜01 - 30 september 2018
gallery｜gallery caoji
address｜no.71, nanmen rd., tainan, taiwan
talk｜9 september 14.00 - 16.00