‘MOSAIC’ exhibition in Shanghai merges design, technology, and culture

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s Design School displayed works from its MOSAIC design hub at the East Design Show, held 9–12 September at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai.

XJTLU pavilion “MOSAIC” at the 2025 East Design Show

The East Design Show, founded in 2015, is one of the largest product design exhibitions in the China International Furniture Fair (CIFF Shanghai).

MOSAIC (Multidisciplinary Objects, Systems, Art, Innovation, and Creativity) is a hub for design exploration and innovation. It showcases early-stage concepts, experimental designs, and visionary ideas.

“As a fusion of academic research and creative exploration, MOSAIC highlights innovative design thinking, sustainable approaches, and the intersection of technology and culture,” says exhibition curator Ivan Parati, Associate Professor at XJTLU’s Department of Industrial Design.

The XJTLU staff and student projects in the exhibition merged design, technology, and culture across multiple disciplines. The works’ varied forms included furniture, lighting, ceramics, jewellery, illustration, and soft robotics.

Leyuan Jiang, Assistant Professor in XJTLU’s Department of Architecture, had three projects on display: “Poly Frame”, “ParaVase”, and “The Art of Interpretation”.

“Poly Frame” is a silver jewellery collection created through 3D-printed wax moulds and metal casting. Jiang says the pieces, composed of interconnected rings with deliberate gaps, reflect natural cycles and symbolise vitality and freedom. The design highlights the structural beauty of space, while the metallic texture amplifies the power and presence of the forms, he explains.

“Poly Frame”

“ParaVase” draws inspiration from natural textures such as bark and ripples. Using parametric tools, Jiang transformed these organic patterns into vase surfaces. The designs combine geometric precision with natural fluidity. Jiang says the designs produce striking objects that invite touch and evoke harmony, warmth, and a sense of closeness to nature.

“ParaVase”

“The Art of Interpretation” is a series of wall paintings exploring the interplay between digital and analogue media. It uses AI to generate configurations of Taihu Stone, which are then translated into robotic tool paths. Robots paint the designs with layered colours, creating three-dimensional effects that blend technological processes with artistic expression and evoke Suzhou’s deep cultural connection with Tai Lake, says Jiang.

“The Art of Interpretation”

XJTLU pavilion curator Parati also presented two projects, “Orivasi” and “Parajoy”.

“Orivasi” explores a special technique that merges the art of origami with ceramic design. Parati says the technique uses paper folding to inspire ways to fold clay, which takes the project beyond the limits of traditional slip casting. The resulting forms demonstrate a complexity and delicacy rarely seen in ceramics, opening new possibilities for shaping and manufacturing, he explains.

“Parajoy” focuses on a series of clay pendants generated through digital software and produced via 3D printing. Parati says each pendant carries its own narrative, drawing inspiration from nature, emotions, or cultural symbols. The wearable pieces not only advance fabrication methods but also the potential of design to embody personal and cultural storytelling, he says.

“Orivasi” and “Parajoy”

Jacob de Baan, Senior Associate Professor in XJTLU’s Department of Industrial Design, also displayed two projects, “Mirage of the Sun” and “HALO”.

“Mirage of the Sun”, a ceramic series inspired by solar halos and mirages, transforms light distortions into physical forms. De Baan says the series reflects innovation and interdisciplinary practice and explores the relationship between natural phenomena and design.

De Baan says the “HALO” lamp series was inspired by the idea that white holes – theoretical regions of space – might expel matter, unlike black holes that consume matter.

“Halo”

“Fragments of Memory: Torrão” by Jiashi Yu, Yibin Yu, Liwen Zhang, and Guangyao Cao is a four-part illustration series about the history and transformation of Torrão, a Portuguese village.

Featuring landmarks of the village, the works combine 3D modelling, animation, and collage to deconstruct architecture into fragments, representing both documentation and reinterpretation of Torrão’s fading heritage.

“Fragments of Memory: Torrão”

The pavilion also displayed three projects co-designed by Associate Professor Emanuela Corti and Parati: “Sandpaper”, a recyclable cardboard modular structure inspired by desert dunes; “Tile Table”, a modular coffee table using magnets to reconfigure Islamic mosaic grids, symbolising interconnectedness; and “Tactilia”, a textile-based soft robotics project that mimics different types of touch to study their effects.

Other works included “Atrium Floor Lamp” by Hongchao Wang, Assistant Professor, an innovative aluminium-profile lighting system derived from large-scale illumination research; a furniture series by Vicente Esteban, Associate Professor, that explores cultural perspectives of everyday life through three projects: “Light at the End of the Tunnel”, “The Industry and the Beauty”, and “The Scholar’s Table”; two projects designed by Industrial Design master’s students, “Decoding Organics”, a series of 3D-printed ceramic vases inspired by natural phenomena, and “FlexCube”, a modular dormitory wardrobe system balancing function, flexibility, and sustainable materials; and a series of lamps designed by nine Industrial Design undergraduate students in their final year.

“Decoding Organics”

Industrial Design students’ lamp designs

Industrial Design students’ lamp designs

The concept of “MOSAIC” was founded by Dr Cheng-Hung Lo, Head of the Department of Industrial Design at XJTLU. The East Design Show display is MOSAIC’s second exhibition, following its debut at the “Design Dimsum” exhibition at CIFF Guangzhou earlier in 2025.

According to Parati, MOSAIC embodies the XJTLU Design School’s mission to connect education and research with industry, society, and international communities. MOSAIC seeks more co-developers.

He says: “Through speculative prototypes, collaborative projects, and conceptual artefacts, MOSAIC invites industries, researchers, and creative minds to co-develop future projects and transform pioneering ideas into reality.”

By Yi Qian

Edited by Tamara Kaup and Xinmin Han

Photos by Yi Qian