Contain. Decontain is a series of experiments that aim to explore the relationship between man-made and nature through the metaphor of Penjing, a traditional Chinese art form. By placing plants in man-made containers, we aim to create a miniature universe that achieves the aesthetic of man-made nature, blurring the boundaries between container and nature to explore a new subconscious relationship between the two.

Penjing art possesses both concrete and abstract characteristics. It can be a tangible decoration, but also an abstract idea that inspires thoughts of garden, city or even the universe. This is the concept behind Contain. Decontain. Through our tangible art installations, we aim to inspire abstract contemplation of the relationship between human-made objects and nature. Our goal is to explore different scales from urban to landscape architecture, furniture, and materials, and to develop sustainable design strategies that promote harmony between humanity and nature.

As we face the challenge of achieving environmentally sustainable development in the 21st century, cities have become the largest containers of human activity and are being called upon to increase their greenery. However, conventional planning strategies and systematic greening guidelines often treat nature as artificial, contained objects. We believe that there is an opportunity to find a new way of harmonizing the man-made and natural elements in our cities.