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Interview with Khajornsak Nakpan |
Home > Designer Interviews > Khajornsak Nakpan |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Khajornsak Nakpan (KN) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Khajornsak Nakpan by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
KN: I was born in an average income family. I grew up with a name given to me by the late King Bhumibol, the highest blessing of my life. My family is small. They give me the freedom to do whatever I want which is the best tool I could be given. That and my own talent enables me to achieve awards at different levels since I was in primary school. It inspires me to pursue my passion for art. I started being a designer when I was 25 years old in 2000, and it has been more than 20 years in progress. My ability and experience in art as a designer led me to a balanced and harmonious living path, which teaches me that design is aesthetics.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
KN: INDIN Studio launched after the success of my PhD. Degree. It presents an "Innovative substitute material from soil-synthesised melanin" that combines empirical science, the essence of creative design and aesthetics to build a new body of knowledge.
FS: What is "design" for you?
KN: Design is philosophical aesthetics. It is life and nourishes life.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
KN: The integration of sciences will be proven by research and constructing a concept.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
KN: Body adornment is the most favourite of mine. It is scrutinising a bridge of transcending the relationship between the outer and the internal context through the body, with the attention that humans would notice, perceive, and communicate what one's can feel or see by observing its meaning through the senses and interpreting the philosophy to the mind.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
KN: Innovative Synthesized Melanin from Soil as Textile Substitute to Create Garments for the Future.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
KN: Bio-Melanin Fibre Synthesised from Soil Bacteria.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
KN: I use every challenge and obstacle as a drive, trying to find a positive aspect in the struggle and create the turning point of its essence.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
KN: The language of aesthetics conveys deeper meaning than what the eyes can see to translate the meaning to the philosophy of sustainable living.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
KN: Motivation.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
KN: Honoured.
FS: What makes a design successful?
KN: Research, hard work and enhancing aesthetics.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
KN: Design concept which unfolds research methodology and process.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
KN: Using soil is a clean production technology which is friendly to the human body and based on the concept of harmonious living with nature. The design process considered the full production cycle, ensuring that it left no waste.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
KN: It can be said that the success of this textile substitute may be the reflection of the integration between aesthetic philosophy and scientific innovation. The research highlights an effort to seek knowledge and creating clothing materials that resemble different human skin tones can be a future trend, especially since melanin synthesis blends well with the skin tones of people.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
KN: Thailand's Creative Economy Agency arranged the 2022 Circular Design Exhibition, coordinated with Taiwan Design Research Institute at Taiwan Design Museum, Taipei, Taiwan. The next exhibition expects at Charon Kransen Art Gallery, New York, USA.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
KN: The use of soil innovation to synthesize textile substitutes and create garments for the future has been inspired by the study of the cycle of ‘soil’ and the changes in ‘soil’ properties. The experimental process synthesizes bio-fibre and melanin from Streptomyces, bacteria naturally present in the soil, into bio-melanin textile.
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
KN: The design style focuses on the aesthetics of postmodern art, especially philosophy. Hence, it needs attention to research methodology and process. Design works, therefore, demonstrate different aesthetic dimensions through the lens of adaptive science.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
KN: Bangkok, Thailand. I wanted to create something which generates happiness from within my root. So I began to study a material that seems simple and can be found anywhere, like soil, compared to myself. The pro persuades to achieve a philosophy that lives harmoniously with nature. The con is a big gap in the aesthetic experience skills of Thai people.
FS: How do you work with companies?
KN: I work at Silpakorn University, Faculty of Decorative Arts.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
KN: Based on rational thinking, the fundamental of design thinking should demonstrate the concrete and the abstract in the scientific design process.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
KN: The concrete dimension of the development process considers the source material (which is soil) and the resulting bio-fibre. I felt two soil components: its physical qualities (mass, friability, and colour) and characteristics (elasticity and water solubility). Soil is rich in minerals, and it is the foundation of life. Therefore, the abstract frame of this creative process is direct to the physical qualities of the precursors used and the production process. Accordingly, the development process highlights various concepts that underlie this creativity: rootedness, foundation, birth, growth, strength, and life.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
KN: 1. Watch 2. Car 3. Motorcycle 4. Furniture 5. Bag and Shoes
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
KN: Donate time for working and try to balance with exercise.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
KN: Concentrate on the research.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
KN: A good designer needs the spirit of consciousness and responsibility to society.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
KN: Reconsider the past, Analyse the present and Extrapolate the future.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
KN: Hand, Heart and Head skills.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
KN: The usual tool is the Illustrator, Photoshop and 3D software.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
KN: I was practising the arrangement skill within time limits.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
KN: Basically, taking time during 10-12 months
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
KN: What is your signature piece of work?
FS: What was your most important job experience?
KN: Study the PhD Degree.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
KN: The new generation is open-minded with the eyes of responsibility.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
KN: Enjoy the challenge of using the theory of aesthetics to design by changing the thing properties as normal simple and abundant raw material and adding value to be realised.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
KN: Creating and developing the innovative material represents a philosophy that lives harmoniously to be safe from every changing future.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
KN: Mainly, I develop it myself but hire the expertise to support some technical production.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
KN: I’m interested in “mould”. I like the idea that it grows from something which is dead. It can be used to demonstrate the life cycle – a circle of living, pain, survival, and disintegration.
FS: How can people contact you?
KN: 1. Page https://www.facebook.com/khajornsak.n/ 2. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/khajornsak_nakpan/ 3. YouTube https://youtu.be/J0EuW031TiA 4. Email khajornsaknakpan@gmail.com
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
KN: The bio melanin fibre fashion seen in this collection is a result of the innovative synthesising of melanin from soil to produce a substitute biomaterial. It highlights the uniqueness of soil which has a similar colour to human skin (and can be demonstrated by a scientific method.) It reflects the concepts of “self-esteem,” respecting others and nature. Everything in this world is interdependent. It is important that we are able to live together with balance and in harmony.
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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