Lisa Lloyd on District 2901

I met Ming and his colleagues at the Biennale in Venice in 2022. I was exhibiting at the Homo Faber event and we got talking about our work and found that we had a lot in common. A shared interest in movement, form, detail and an affinity with curves and dynamic shaping.

Once I was back in the UK we started to discuss a collaboration and Ming asked if I would like to visually re-interpret a watch that they would be launching the following year; the MING 29.01 Worldtimer.

It was a very inspiring brief and I jumped at the opportunity. We discussed exploded diagrams and deconstructing the elements of the watch. Looking at all the individual elements that make Ming’s watches so beautiful: their iconic logo, markings, cog and hand designs; even the indices and graphics used on the dial.

We wanted to create a futuristic metropolis, an ecosystem within the dome that the viewer could travel around and view from any angle; seeing something new and unexpected at every turn. We introduced UV light into the model to add another level of depth - this was, again, inspired by the watch.

Every tiny detail is made from paper, using hundreds of individual elements from beautiful metallic paper in 5 different colours.

It was an incredible collaboration and definitely the most technically challenging creation I’ve produced. Working with Ming was a brilliant experience, his attention to detail, understanding of construction, materials, and his imagination created an exciting dynamic working relationship.

I am really proud of what we achieved together. It’s a statement piece that I think will stand the test of time.

-Lisa Lloyd/ www.lisalloyd.net‍

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Published: 30th May 2023