Xue Lun Yeong
Kyto, 2018
WINNER - Workshopped Mentorship Award for Production
Kyto, 2018
The Kyto stool was conceptualised and inspired by the human red blood cell. The word erythrocyte, the medical term for red blood cell, originated from Greek with "erythro" meaning red, "kyto" meaning hollow vessel, and "cyte" for cell.
The Kyto stool majestically highlights the notion of complexity in nature, and yet simplicity in form. Red blood cells play a vital role in transporting life-giving oxygen; yet the solution to this complex function is simply through its biconcave shape which confers greater surface area to optimise its oxygen-carrying capacity. Bridging the divide between form and purpose, the use of parametric plywood layers is a subtle reference to the belief that the axioms of art lie in nature, and that true artistic objectivity is a culmination of natural laws - just as the layers add up to produce its artistic form. By doing so, the Kyto stool uses its form to shape its meaning - a meaning that has no political or didactic messages, but rather, simple appreciation of the natural world.
Photo: Xue Lun Yeong, Kyto, 2018. Photo: Julia Charles
Biography
Xue Lun Yeong is a penultimate year medical student at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. Whilst her academic expertise lies in medicine, she has strong interests in design-making, and loves working with her hands. Born and raised in Singapore, Xue studied design and technology for a year in high school where she topped the cohort and was awarded the Design and Technology Award in 2009 for her innovative design of an acrylic lamp. Whilst undertaking her undergraduate medical degree at the UNSW Sydney, she reunited with design making through an object design course at the UNSW Art & Design.
Her background and passion in medicine and the human body strongly influences the concepts behind her designs. The great dexterity she possesses in her hands are fuelled by her other passion in life - music, where she is professionally trained in playing the piano, violin, harp and guzheng.
Image: Xue Lun Yeong. Image courtesy of the artist