THE ART OF SCRAPS WITH SONIC LAM
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THE ART OF SCRAPS WITH SONIC LAM
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With his work bridging design and craftsmanship, it’s no wonder Sonic Lam envisions a studio inspired by the artisans of Japan, where creative work and life blend seamlessly together.
When he’s not admiring and acquiring vintage finds — and reinventing discarded ones into something spectacular — the Hong Kong-raised designer is busy creating works from the heart that buck trends and hold deeper meaning.
Parts of this interview have been translated from Cantonese and summarised.
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“Trendy designs might have a bigger audience, but I think it's more meaningful to discover things that no one notices.”
Q: DESCRIBE YOURSELVES AND WHAT YOU DO
A: What I'm doing now is somewhere between design and craft. Sometimes it's design, sometimes it's pure craft.
Q: WHAT DRIVES YOU?
A: I think I must have known early on that I liked to draw and wanted to do this kind of thing, but exploring this specific direction came through learning and working. My motivation comes from many new projects and different challenges. I like to make crazy designs and hope to continue making more crazy designs.
Q: IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR FIELD YOU DON’T LIKE?
It's not that I dislike them (my competitors), but I dislike trends. Trends drive those who don't think independently to produce work that isn’t from the heart. Trends are what everyone likes, so other designers will make what everyone likes, which leads to a world without innovation, without breakthrough.
Q: THE BIGGEST TURNING POINT IN YOUR CAREER
The biggest turning point was after completing my design course, I got a scholarship to study in the UK. Before that, I had never thought that I would have the opportunity and money to study abroad.
Although my time abroad was not long — only a year and a half — this period of time made me think about what I really wanted to do. I had a lot of time alone, and the atmosphere there didn’t really highlight what design was, as it exists in life.
