Xubai Li on Fractal System and the Beauty of Infinite Possibilities

Experimentation is critical to my creative process, particularly through digital fabrication. I rely on 3D modeling and 3D printing to produce small-scale prototypes and testing samples.

This iterative approach allows me to evaluate visual elegance, proportion, spatial interplay, and the subtle balance of asymmetrical compositions before committing to full-scale production.

I draw inspiration from a wide range of disciplines, an approach that is not always common in industrial design. For example, my light switch, Turn On Light, shares a formal dialogue with the avant-garde fashion language of Maison Margiela.

I am also deeply influenced by ancient Chinese texts, which I use as a lens through which to examine Western design movements such as modernism and postmodernism. This cross-cultural perspective allows me to explore ideas of metamodernism and their expression within my work.

The core challenges in my physical design work are twofold. First, there is the inevitable gap between imagination and physical realization, which I view as an opportunity to learn and refine the work. Second, there is the reality of manufacturing timelines, which often depend on the reliability and collaboration of production partners.

I address conceptual challenges through extensive prototyping and testing during the stages of the process that are within my control.

When I encounter a creative block, I choose to rest and consciously step away from creating. The mind and body are deeply connected; if they are kept under constant tension, like a bow pulled too tightly for too long, their strength and flexibility eventually fade.

Letting go of the expectation that I must always be producing, and intentionally making space to simply wonder, is how I recharge and reconnect with creativity.

I draw inspiration from my cultural heritage, though not through direct visual symbols such as yin and yang. Instead, it is expressed through ideas, values, and ways of thinking that inform my design approach.

As I explored in my thesis, Out of Consumption, Out of Context, Into Recursion, I bring a multidisciplinary perspective that bridges my cultural background with contemporary structural design, creating work that connects tradition and innovation in subtle but meaningful ways.

Embrace a multidisciplinary approach and view art and design as interconnected practices. As AI and automation continue to master increasingly specialized tasks, the greatest value of human creativity will lie in the ability to form unexpected connections across disciplines.

The true strength of a designer is not specialization alone, but the capacity to draw abstract, conceptual, and creative links between seemingly unrelated fields. Cultivate a broad perspective, stay curious, and avoid limiting yourself to a single way of thinking.

When I encounter a creative block, I choose to rest and consciously step away from creating. The mind and body are deeply connected; if they remain under constant tension, like a bow drawn for too long, their strength and resilience begin to fade.

Letting go of the expectation that I must constantly produce, and intentionally making time simply to wonder, is how I recharge. Those moments of pause often create the space needed for new ideas to emerge naturally.