Yi Hsuan Sung
Textile Florist
Yi Hsuan is a textile artist who uses agar as the main medium to create decorative floral arts. Her goal is to bring nature’s beauty into interior spaces through a more sustainable material and fabrication process. She focuses on making floral pendant lamps with agar, which is a natural gel extracted from red seaweed. Her most recent research is producing natural inks to color agar flowers. She has experimented with cultivated indigo and various wild plants found in the forest during her residency at Oak Spring Garden Foundation, 2021.
Yi Hsuan’s inspiration derives from a respect for natural materials and her love of organic colors and textures. Her work has been featured by American Craft Council, Metropolis, NYCxDesign, Arts Thread, New York Textile Month, and others. Her pieces have been displayed in several renowned venues such as Mana Contemporary, The Met, and Governors Island. Yi Hsuan has an MFA in Textiles from Parsons School of Design and a BA in Fashion from Taipei Shih Chien University
Bio
Design
I research into applications for agar-based bioplastic. I developed ways of making agar yarn, agar textiles and agar flowers.
#Material Innovation
#Fabrication Innovation
#BioMaterial
#Biomimicry
#Modular Textiles
#Flower Simulation
#Sustainable System
Creative
UPcycling
I am always inspired by found materials, the joy of taking the best use of every thing is irreplaceable by any surprise of modern technology.
#Fabrication Innovation
#Patchworks #Embroidery
#Weaving #Spinning
#Natural Dye
#Sustainable System
Artist Statement
As a textile maker who consciously integrates science and technology into art and design, and a material creative who dedicates to healthy and sustainable solutions, I earnestly explore the relationship between digital, bio and recycling fabrication. Through my work, I want to transform textile making into a system that is harm-free, slow and mindful. By taking advantage of modern technology and global collaborations, I believe that the primary task of our generation is to care for the well-being of our planet. I resolve to reconnect and commune with nature, share love and caring among all species, and find the perfect balance that underlies nature’s creations.
As a craft maker who reflects on the ways of producing faux flowers for interior and fashion decoration nowadays, I question why the desire to bring nature into our life ended up with bringing more petrochemicals to our surroundings. The domination of plastics as the main materials for artificial plants has been an unwanted and ironic truth for a true nature pursuer. I wish to provide a more natural alternative for friends who need a touch of long-lasting and easy-to-care joyful plants. I delved deeply into material research involving agar and the up-cycling of waste materials, I innovated an efficient faux flower making system with agar for interior and fashion embellishing. With 3D printed molds, and with the assistance of air and water, vivid silhouettes, structures and textures informed by nature are created at ease in my practice.
I am forever studying Art Nouveau style: the intricate linear designs and flowing curves based on natural forms. The traditional craft form of stained glass and the perfection of Tiffany lamps in art history has shaped my inspiration in craft making. I am deeply attracted to how light, shine and translucency of materials interact with solid forms. My craft practice continuously explores in designing lamps, floras and organic patterns. I study the history of flower making and ponder upon the eternity and ephemeral of both mother nature’s and human beings’ creations. I am building a world of flowers in a way that gently communicates and smartly co-create with nature and the communities within.
Instagram posts
Yi Hsuan Sung 