Kai Ming Yang, IDSA is a multidisciplinary designer based in New York and founder of his own studio, Studio Yang. He recently launched a new collection of lighting, Circular, which was scheduled to be presented during New York Design Week 2020. The exhibition was organized by Wanted Design, aiming for manufacturers to meet new designers, discover fresh ideas and identify potential products to develop. However, due to the pandemic, Kai will show the work in the 2021 Wanted Design Launch Pad event.
Circular series, a collection of lightings, takes inspiration from a light fixture we often see in modern society: the traffic light. The continuous circular mesh, combined with the frame structure, provides a sense of dignity. With its different sizes of opal glass diffusers, the series also translates the progress of civilization into contemporary design.
Currently based in Brooklyn, Kai is a designer who holds a master’s degree in design from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and a bachelor’s in industrial design from Tatung University in Taipei, Taiwan. During his time at Tatung University, he learned about the relationship between humans and design through a wide range of products, from furniture to cars and other vehicles. At SAIC, his interest in furniture design was elevated through the efforts he put into hands-on processes with different materials, including porcelain, wood, and metal. With his thesis work, Reforming, he took a deeper approach to find a different relationship between space and furniture.
Kai has been awarded by IF in their “Top 100” of 2012 and by Red Dot Design Awards in 2013. His work has been shown in major design events, such as New York Design Week and Taiwanese Design Week, and featured by media platforms worldwide, including Elle Decor, Core77, Design Milk, Domus and designboom. Learn more about Kai at kaimingyangdesign.com.
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