10 Questions with Forenext Design

Johnny Jiasheng Chen, born in Taichung, Taiwan, is a Chicago-based creative industrial/graphic/UX designer/artist. Trained as an industrial and graphic designer, Johnny is recognized for his innovative design skills and cross-disciplinary practices in design and art. He received a MDes in Designed Objects from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2022), research experience in Industrial design from Taiwan Tech (2018), and a BFA in Product Design from Ming Chuan University (2017).
He has been helping companies create new products and experiences across digital and physical platforms and received multiple design awards, including the LIT Light Design Awards (2022), ICFF/WANTED DESIGN exhibition (2022), iF Design Award (2021), SAIC Incentive Scholarship (2022), Red Dot Design Concept Award (2017), Golden Pin Design Award(2017), etc.

www.forenextdesign.com | @forenext.design

ARTIST STATEMENT

"Every designed object is a convex ideological mirror, amplifying its creators' minds and practices."

From my point of view, anyone who is able to make any form of creation is a "life planner," who reviews the past, understands the present, and foresees the future. A person who balances dreams and reality, enabling to find suitable methods for conditions, utilizing critical thinking, artistic training, and good communication skills to cooperate with people in different fields.​ My work constantly seeks new experiences and innovative alternatives via solid research and design process. I believe if we understand the whole picture of a thing, our creation could generate meaningful discourses and optimize humanity.

My practice includes digital fabrication, product design, graphic design, and crafts. Nowadays, the definition of "Art and design" is evolving rapidly. To keep up with the changing world, improving multiple skills, reflecting on the purpose of design, and seeking new perspectives are things that matter to me.

— Johnny Jiasheng Chen

INTERVIEW

Let's talk about yourself first. Why are you an artist, and how did you become one?

My artistic journey started when I was little, growing up with my family and surroundings. My father can draw and paint very well, which rendered a significant impact on my childhood. We always drew and practiced together, establishing my basic skill and knowledge of art. Furthermore, the nature-inspired environment influenced me remarkably; I am glad that I grew up in a rural area surrounded by mountains and trees. I was able to play in forests, rivers, and farms, exploring the creations, forms, and colors of nature. The experience of observing wildlife, plants, and how humans interact with nature formed my unique insight and ideology as an artist and designer. 

You work primarily with design and incorporate different practices, from graphic design to industrial and UX. How would you define yourself as an artist?

I believe there is no boundary between art and design. There are always elements of design in art, and so does art in design. For me, the most critical matter is that as a creator of your own work, what kinds of contents and ideologies were placed in the creation? Is it experimental, inspirational, or commercial, etc? Through my practice across different platforms and mediums, I realized the intersections between different categories that some people framed themselves. Therefore, the intention should be the definition of the work, and it is curial in every step of my creation. Creating a strong and solid narrative, which can lead to an inspiring artistic visualization. So, what would l define me? I would say I am more like an artist who utilizes designer approaches to create works that inspire people and generate new experiences.

Why did you choose design specifically over other mediums?

With my experience over the year, I am passionate about creating innovative experiences with objects that allow daily accessibility. Objects that can reflect social and cultural issues positively impact humans. However, I am not afraid of being experimental. There are a lot of conceptual elements in my works that project in the future, rendering more possibilities. My work has both art and design elements, but the design is closer and appears more components to the medium I used to express my way of thinking.

What messages are you trying to communicate with your art? And what do you think differentiates your approach from others?

Among all my art and design works, there is a mutual connection between humans and nature. I think there is a disconnection between modern people's interaction with nature. The missing gaps lead to many questions and discussions about sustainability and the longevity of a society. My works balance between solutions, concepts, and research to create discourses and visualizations for a possible vision. I conduct solid research across science/social science papers, human behavior, and cultural content in order to understand the whole picture of the subjects, which is the approach I differentiate myself as a designer and an artist. 

In your statement, you say that your work "Every designed object is a convex ideological mirror, amplifying its creators' minds and practices." How is this statement reflected in your work?

There is always an intention in the objects we create; nothing is truly neutral, based on our experience and perspective, which will influence us both mentally and physically. In most of my works, I tried to generate a new scenario for people to experience and promote environments, health, and materials, which I wish the audiences could obtain new ideas and aspects. I think as a creator/a, designer/and artists; we should know the importance of our impact in our works and try to bring more positive influences to the world. This is also why I formed "Forenext Design Studio" to reflect the design philosophy and let people know there are more art/design-inspired alternatives in our lives.  

Where do you draw your inspiration for your series?

Nature and humanity are the biggest inspirations for my series. Nature as the most primitive source of inspiration since the beginning of human history. I am always inspired by Nature and able to think of exciting ideas from it. Besides, by conducting human behavior research, I can understand more about a better way for humans to coexist with nature. 

How has your art evolved over the years? And what inspired you to experiment?

My artistic practice has been through multiple stages, from graphic, 3D painting, interactive devices, and material experiments, to bio-art. The more I develop my artistic practice, the more medium will be applied along the way. New knowledge and methods can always be applied to different works, and more experiments can ensure the final outcome is better presented. 

How important are new technologies for your work? And do you incorporate them into your practice?

Integrating new technologies is one of my goals when I create new projects. I think it is essential for both designers and artists to learn and apply new technics to work. My works such as S-BOX is a bio-design project that incorporates the living creature - slime mold; Quartz Era is a speculative project based on the properties of quartz and glass; Wooden Glass is a material innovation project that utilizes xylem removal process to turn wood into a translucent material, etc. Appling new approaches to my work is challenging and essential to creating an innovative and original result.

Is there any other medium or technique you would like to experiment with?

I am interested in sustainable materials and circular economics to create systematic solutions. It is a challenge to tell what approaches will be applied in the future, such as one of our latest projects, "Wooden Glass," It was not a material-driven experiment initially. We adjusted the directions multiple times to reach the final goal. There will be more variables during the development, but I am sure only conducting enough experiments can lead to extraordinary art.

And lastly, what are your plans for the future? Do you have any exhibition or collaboration you want to share with our readers?

Keep conducting more thoughtful projects is always my goal. Thus, I formed Forenext Design Studio with my studio partners, Safiya El Ghmari and Betania Locatti, aiming to explore new and speculative opportunities from multidisciplinary aspects, reflecting reality, rethinking humanity, and recreating longevity futures. We plan to have exhibitions to show some of our practices in the future. Welcome to follow us at forenextdesign.com.