Monkey

Designer-mentee: Julie Progin & Jesse Mc Lin
Collective Master-mentors: Anthony Lo, Tianlong Jiao
Lead Curator: Marisa Yiu

L 33 x W 33 x H 28 cm
Clear glass mirror, beech wood, pine wood, leather, rubber band, string, brick, horsehair, porcelain, sea shell, aluminum, stone

We is a collection of grooming tools that alludes togetherness, hints at our affinity with monkeys, and draws from the belief that Chinese zodiac animals act as reminders of our connection to nature.

The paraphernalia of the kit is an invitation to participate in a bonding activity, relying on the power of physical contact to strengthen relationships.

The hand-held mirror, in which we see ourselves echoed as monkey, establishes a space for contemplation on our relationship to zodiac animals. Appropriately, the mirror image creates a visual parallel on how we reflect one another coupled with a cheeky hint at a kinship between human and monkey.

The set of brushes, the comb, and the scrubbing stone explore allogrooming, a collective behaviour of monkeys akin to humans. Grooming is a ritual that nurtures ties and triggers feelings of relaxation through social touch.

The duo handcrafted the pieces from found objects from their studios.

Xiang Hou by Anthony Lo (2016)

Anthony Lo’s Xiang Hou captures the instantaneous beauty and grace of a monkey in flight. The light, hand-polished body made from an epoxy resin cast was electroplated twice in copper and nickel respectively to give a mirror-finish that boldly reflects a monkey’s self-assurance.