A conscious exploration of material, form and function with Studio Karyn Lim
Industrial designer and former Young Designers Showcase Grant recipient Karyn Lim gives us a peek into her design practice and upcoming design showcase at The Spring Summer 2024 Edition. Photography by Sayher Heffernan.
For accomplished multidisciplinary industrial designer, design lecturer, and co-founder of a furniture brand, Karyn Lim, Boutiques was yet another unexpected venture when she first made an appearance at The Gifting Edition in 2022. Prior to receiving the Young Designers Showcase Grant (YDSG) that November, Karyn had only been showing at design exhibitions or trade shows. Boutiques presented a different opportunity — one that allowed her to connect directly with shoppers in a retail environment, and offer them a more intimate understanding of her work before committing to a purchase.
Having presented her work at venues such as DESIGNART TOKYO, EMERGE @ FIND Design Fair Asia in Singapore, and the prestigious SaloneSatellite at Milan Design Week, Karyn has also been invited to speak about been in how design and her design practice can offer us different ways of imagining the spaces we inhabit. Photography courtesy of Studio Karyn Lim.
As a designer, Karyn experiments with a broad range of materials and outcomes. Embracing a “conscious and collaborative approach” to design, her work includes objects and furniture — like the “Cloud” stools pictured here — as well as clothing and accessories, often created in collaboration with other brands and craftspeople. Photography courtesy of Studio Karyn Lim.
Her Boutiques debut prompted the creation of “Lightness”, a line of accessories inspired by and developed for the community at Boutiques. The “Lightness” line is more accessible compared to other pieces in Karyn’s portfolio, most of which are one-of-a-kind. At the same time, Karyn stays firm to her design ethos — often making each piece by intuition and playing around with new shapes, colours and proportions, resulting in limited collections of certain designs. Over subsequent editions of Boutiques, “Lightness” has evolved through Karyn’s own experimentation and conversations with shoppers she encounters at the event.
The “Lightness” bags and jewellery are an extension of the “Lightness of Being” series of sculptural vessels. With this collection, Karyn sought to challenge the perception of metal and metal-like materials, transforming a seemingly rigid and hefty material into lightweight, fluid structures. Photography courtesy of Studio Karyn Lim.
Despite being a visually coherent line of pieces, each “Lightness” product features a unique combination of materials and techniques — high quality stainless steel and traditional basket-making methods in the bags, fine copper wire in the vessels, and crocheted metallic yarn in the jewellery. Photography courtesy of Studio Karyn Lim.
Now, Karyn is preparing for another milestone in her journey with Boutiques. Besides unveiling the “Lightness” Totes at The Spring Summer 2024 Edition, Karyn will present her work as part of a completely new exhibition concept at Boutiques. This dedicated solo exhibition will represent the breadth of her practice beyond the “Lightness” accessories. Ahead of the upcoming edition, we caught up with Karyn to learn more about her design ethos and inspirations.
What drives your interest in working with such a wide range of materials and forms?
Karyn: Curiosity! There are so many interesting materials and techniques available in this world. I try not to limit myself to one particular material. It’s more about encountering the most suitable material to convey the message of my work. The form of each work tends to be influenced by material properties and characteristics produced by the technique used to transform the material into a final product.
For the “So Plast!c” series, Karyn’s choice of material and design were done with circularity and eco-consciousness in mind. Each table in the collection series is made from approximately 6 kg of plastic waste — the equivalent of 2,000 bottle caps — derived from food and drink packaging, and has the potential to be recycled again at the end of its lifespan as a table. Photography by Ricky Safarullah, courtesy of Studio Karyn Lim.
“So Plast!c” tables are also designed to take up minimal space during transportation. Tables can be flat-packed, and pay homage to neoplastic art and design principles of geometry, asymmetry, and the use of positive and negative elements by featuring horizontal and vertical lines positioned in layers or planes that do not intersect. Photography by Ricky Safarullah, courtesy of Studio Karyn Lim.
I usually start with the concept before doing some research to select the suitable material to use. The process can get quite experimental and iterative. Most materials I work with are not necessarily new or innovative. They might be considered common. It is these common materials that are easily accessible to experiment with.
The “So Plast!c” series of vessels ponders on perception and behaviour through the use of such common materials. Should these vessels be considered disposable since they were made from disposable bags that were given out for free? Or are they precious since they have been manually made by a human hand into a sculpture, a supposed object of value? Some stores have started charging an extra few cents for a plastic bag to discourage the excessive use of it. It made me wonder why education about the urgency of reducing waste could not change user behaviour, but adding a perceivable value on the product could.
Also part of the “So Plast!c” series, the “So Plast!c” vessels turn plastic grocery bags in hand-woven frames cast in resin. In contrast to the ephemeral lifespan of the average plastic bag, the vessels appear to freeze the plastic in a geometric, grid-like state. Photography courtesy of Studio Karyn Lim.
Karyn was inspired by the changing perceptions around plastic — first celebrated for its versatility in the early 1900s, then associated with cheap or fake productions in the 60s, and today a major pollutant — to harness its potential to exist as permanent pieces of design art. Photography courtesy of Studio Karyn Lim.
What does a “conscious” approach to materials and design mean to you?
Karyn: Being “conscious” is about understanding why we do what we do. Each concept has its own purpose for existence. Some, like “So Plast!c”, are produced using material easily perceived as conscious or sustainable as they are recycled or upcycled, while others, like “Lightness” are made from fresh material because it is what is necessary to produce it. It is my hope that none of my pieces go to waste, and that people who own them will treasure them for years. Most of my pieces are produced in small batches or by pre-order so as to minimise waste in the production process.
Karyn launched “So Plast!c” at SaloneSatellite during Milan Design Week 2023, then in Singapore at Designers & Crafters Edition 01 co-curated by Industry+ and Sol Luminaire at Galerie 5. At both events, her heart was warmed by the surprise that people have after learning of the pieces’ origins in plastic waste. She tells us, “I think that, in some way, these products have changed their perception of the potential of plastic waste, and its possibility to exist as a permanent, perhaps statement, piece in their space.” Photography by Ludovica Mangini, courtesy of Salone del Mobile.Milano.
What are you most excited for at the upcoming edition?
Karyn: I’m looking forward to meeting both new and familiar faces. I enjoy connecting with the Boutiques community, exchanging tips and ideas, and sharing about my work with people who might be interested. At each edition, I have been able to chat with the lovely people who support the studio by appreciating my work and wanting to own a piece or two. People would ask where else they can see my work, and that led me to create a dedicated Instagram account for the pieces that I retail at Boutiques. Regardless, Instagram does not replace the in-person experience, since each piece that I make by hand is unique.
This upcoming edition, I will be showing a wider range of pieces including larger works such as the “So Plast!c” tables. I am excited for the conversations around these pieces and hearing the thoughts that people have when they encounter my work.
Discover Karyn’s work at the Studio Karyn Lim Solo Exhibition at The Circle in Blue, L2, at The Spring Summer 2024 Edition, which will exhibit pieces from the “Lightness”, “So Plast!c”, “Sun and Moon”, and “Cloud” series. Selected designs of her functional sculptures will be available for purchase.
By Public Culture, an editorial experience studio that believes in connection over communication.