Design Team ChilliChilly

HK Magazine: The name ChilliChilly?
Arthur Yung: Hey, it’s catchy. It expresses the yin and yang. That’s why one of the “chillis” is always upside-down. It’s about a kind of balance. “Chilli” refers to hot, spicy food whereas “chilly” implies coolness. We used the alternate spelling of chili with two ll’s to create a kind of symmetry. We do like chili in our food, especially in Thai food.

HK: What about the crazy project you’ve designed for this exhibition?
AY: To explain a bit about a cup and saucer set in the exhibition: we were in a café in Germany having a casual drink by the canal. While there, we saw buildings reflected on the canal. We wanted to replicate that scene, that atmosphere and communicate that idea when you’re having a tea or coffee. We transformed the buildings into a forest then transferred it onto the cup. The saucer is made with a platinum finish, like a mirror, so everything on the cup reflects on the saucer.

HK: What other crazy stuff have you made?
AY: We have a mouse pad with cats inside it. So the cat is running from the mouse as you’re rolling it. The roles are reversed; the mouse is catching the cat.

HK: Do you distinguish between art and design?
AY: There’s a very fine line between design and art. I feel that design speaks to a wider audience because it’s more practiced and reaches into everyday activities. There are many commercial products – and we do try to incorporate art into that work as well. For example, we have a drinking glass covered with raw canvas so you can design your own glass.

HK: Are your designs in your own kitchen and bathroom?
AY: No. I only have basic Ikea stuff. Honestly, I feel like that’s really my lifestyle - nothing fancy or glamorous. I go to secondhand markets and buy used items or cameras that don’t work. Just because.