test設計與人長久相伴的器物 — 與設計師李慧倫談好好生活，和那些還想試試看的事 (Copy)
[ZH]
相較於建築空間的尺度，日常物件以更貼身的方式參與生活。一盞燈如何被點亮，一件家具如何與身體相處，乃至一本書翻閱的手感，這些看似尋常的操作體驗，都蘊含著設計者對人的洞察與體貼。
設計師李慧倫（小白）的創作橫跨燈具、家具與平面視覺。不論媒材與尺度如何轉換，她皆細膩關照著物件的觸感、使用情境，以及人在其中感受到的微妙差異。
因為共同製作《HCS Journal》，有機會近距離參與她的工作過程。幾個月來，我們一起閱讀、編排了許多來自不同領域的創作者故事。而在梳理別人經歷的同時，也常不經意地在字裡行間，照見彼此當下的心境。這回我們再次坐下，桌上少了成堆等待校對的書稿，談論的主題，也從他人的故事，轉向小白自己。
[EN]
While architecture shapes the spaces we inhabit, everyday objects become part of our lives in a more intimate way. How a lamp is switched on, how a piece of furniture feels against the body, even the sensation of turning the pages of a book. These seemingly ordinary interactions reveal how closely a designer has considered the people who will use them. Designer Huilun Lee works across lighting, furniture and graphic design. Whatever the medium or scale, she pays close attention to the tactile qualities of objects, the circumstances in which they are used and the subtle differences they make to everyday experience.
Working together on HCS Journal gave us the opportunity to see her creative process up close. Over several months, we read, discussed and arranged the stories of creatives from different disciplines. As we worked through their experiences, we sometimes found reflections of our own circumstances in their words. This time, we sat down together again, without the stacks of manuscripts waiting to be proofread. Our conversation, too, had shifted from other people's stories to Huilun's own.
Kite In-Flight 01 © Andrew Bui
[ZH]
我的設計都跟生活有關。假如我自己都沒有去好好生活，我怎麼讓我的東西、讓使用者，真的也可以好好生活？
[EN]
Everything I design is connected to life. If I'm not living well myself, how can I create things that genuinely help the people who use them live well?
[ZH]
以身體為度量的日常採集
問起設計的養分從何而來，小白沒有搬出厚重的理論。她細數了自己日復一日的作息，半開玩笑地自嘲幾句後，語氣一轉，把一切歸結為最簡單的事：「就是好好吃飯，好好睡覺，好好生活。」
在她眼裡，所謂的生活，是由無數細微的知覺組建而成。她慣於用身體去記憶這一切，像是睡前撫過床單的織紋、夜裡亮起的那盞燈，或是空氣中浮動的氣味。近乎本能的好奇心，讓小白把日子過成一場饒富趣味的田野調查。遇到感興趣的商品，她總想買回家用用看，看看它是否真如想像中理想。如果好用，好在哪裡？假設不夠順手，那退一步想，還可以怎麼改進？抑或是，有些物件其實這樣就已經夠好了，不需要為了功能而多加設計。
[EN]
The Body as a Measure of Everyday Life
Asked where she finds inspiration for her work, Huilun doesn't turn to elaborate theories. Instead, she talks us through her daily routines, makes a few jokes at her own expense, then brings it all back to something remarkably simple: "Eat well, sleep well and live well."
For Huilun, life is made up of countless small sensory experiences. She has a habit of remembering them through the body: the texture of bedsheets beneath her fingers before going to sleep, the lamp she switches on at night or the scents drifting through the air. An almost instinctive curiosity has turned everyday life into something of an ongoing field study. When a product catches her interest, she wants to bring it home and see whether it lives up to her expectations. If it works well, what makes it so good? If something feels awkward to use, how might it be improved? Then again, perhaps some objects are already perfectly good as they are, without the need for additional features or design interventions.
[ZH]
她笑著分享自己曾有一陣子極度迷戀收集各種材質的杯子。從琺瑯杯、陶杯，一路買到一只價格高昂的玻璃薄口杯。「那時候很好奇為什麼它可以賣這麼貴，結果買回來一喝，因為玻璃燒得極薄，液體滑進嘴裡的質地真的很細緻。」不過，令人驚豔的唇齒觸感背後，也伴隨著易碎與不易清潔的代價。那只薄口杯沒有成為標準答案，反倒讓她在心裡琢磨起，設計在追求極致與實用性之間的取捨。
甚至連看電影時，小白也常不自覺分心。明明鏡頭正聚焦在主角身上，她的目光卻是越過演員，停留在背景那張好看的沙發上。「我會去觀察那個場域，想像住在裡面的人有什麼樣的作息習慣？那張沙發旁邊，應該要配一盞什麼樣的燈才合適？」物件無法抽離生活而單獨存在。總得先有了人、伴隨空間的氣息與輪廓，物品才找得到安身的位置。
[EN]
She laughs as she recalls a period when she became particularly obsessed with collecting drinking vessels made from different materials. Her purchases ranged from enamel mugs and ceramic cups to an extraordinarily expensive glass with an exceptionally thin rim. "I was so curious about why it cost that much. But when I finally bought one and tried it, I understood. The glass was so thin that even the way the drink felt against my lips was different. It was incredibly delicate." Yet that remarkable sensation came at a price. The glass was fragile and difficult to clean. Rather than becoming her definitive example of good design, it prompted her to think about the compromises between pursuing an exceptional sensory experience and making something practical for everyday use.
Even watching a film can become an exercise in observation. While the camera is focused on the protagonist, Huilun often finds her attention drifting past the actors to an attractive sofa in the background. "I start looking at the space and imagining the routines of the people who might live there. What kind of lives would they lead? And what sort of lamp would work beside that sofa?" An object cannot be considered entirely apart from the life around it. There must first be people, along with the atmosphere and character of a space, before an object can truly find its place.
© Andrew Bui
[ZH]
談論美感之前，先成為使用的人
正因明白設計終究要回歸被使用、被觸摸，小白在面對每個新專案時，都會先將自己還原成「使用它的人」。
「我希望我的設計不只是擺著好看，在視覺和體感使用上都要是舒服的。」她曾為了設計一支工程用的麥克筆，泡在文具店研究各式各樣的筆，向客戶索取大量樣品，在手裡反覆拿起、放下，甚至只是對著筆發呆。
如果純粹追求線條的俐落美感，筆身大可不必多做任何摺痕或機構；但一想到使用者在工地或案場需要隨手收納、夾在衣領口袋，她便知道自己必須挖凹槽、設計筆扣。同樣的講究也發生在提袋上，握把的寬度與粗細，都得考慮負重時是否會勒痛掌心。而這份對使用細節的在意，也延續到她為《HCS Journal》所做的裝幀與編排。
[EN]
Becoming the User
Knowing that design ultimately comes down to how something is used and touched, Huilun begins every new project by imagining herself as the person who will use it. "I don't want my designs to just look good. I want them to feel comfortable, both visually and physically, when people use them."
When developing an industrial marker pen, she spent hours in stationery shops examining different models, requested numerous samples from the client and repeatedly picked them up and put them down. Sometimes, she would simply sit there, staring at the pens. If visual simplicity were the only consideration, there would be little reason to interrupt the clean lines of the pen's body with grooves or additional components. But once she pictured someone working on a construction site, needing to put the pen away quickly or clip it onto a shirt pocket, she realised that those details were essential. The same considerations informed her approach to designing a tote bag. The width and thickness of its handles needed to be carefully judged so they wouldn't dig into the palm when the bag was carrying weight. This attention to the physical experience of using an object also carried through to her work on the binding and layout of HCS Journal.
© Andrew Bui
[ZH]
閱讀本身即是設計的一部分
籌備前期，我們抱著好幾本雜誌反覆比對，從紙本攤開在掌心的翻閱舒適度，一路討論到它立放在書架上的視覺份量，以及內頁的編排。小白回想起自己借書的經驗：「有時候我去借書，有些書頁被折了一角，上面的油墨或文字剛好被吃掉、疊在一起，我會覺得好可惜。」
本著惜書與體貼讀者的心，加上年刊開本較大、各篇訪談字數不一，若一律由頁面上方往下排列，容易使版面顯得過度密集或零散。所以她改以頁面下緣為基準線，讓文字由下往上編排。這麼一來，頁面上方自然形成舒展的留白，文字在視覺上也更靠近閱讀者的身體。即使讀者在書頁上方夾入書籤，或是隨手折頁標記，也不容易因此遮蔽字句，影響閱讀。
[EN]
Reading Is Part of the Design
Early in the process, we spent considerable time comparing magazines, examining everything from how comfortably a book opened in our hands to its visual presence on a shelf and the arrangement of its pages. Huilun recalled her experiences of borrowing books from libraries. "Sometimes I'd borrow a book and find that someone had folded down the corner of a page. Part of the printing or the text would disappear into the fold, with the words overlapping. I always thought that was such a shame."
Her respect for books and consideration for readers became part of the design approach. Given the journal's relatively large format and the varying lengths of its interviews, arranging every article from the top of the page down would have created layouts that felt either overly crowded or too sparse. Instead, she used the bottom edge of each page as a consistent baseline, building the typography upwards. This allowed generous areas of white space to emerge naturally at the top, while placing the text closer to the reader's hands as they held the book. Even when someone slipped a bookmark into the upper part of a page or folded down a corner to mark their place, the words were less likely to be obscured.
© Andrew Bui
[ZH]
除了閱讀時的細節，設計師的判斷，有時也體現在知道自己該介入多少。共同打磨這本書的期間，小白總會仔細讀完每一篇人物訪談，與我聊起受訪者帶給她的感受，討論哪些影像更貼近人物的氣質，以及版面該怎麼呈現文字語句間的停頓與情緒。
「由於訪問的人物內容已經很豐富了，我要做的反而像編輯一樣，把外在的表現收斂回來，讓排版維持在同一個框架內，把文字跟影像強調到最大。」她選擇搭建出一個乾淨、舒適的空間，讓不同的故事在同一本書裡各得其所。
[EN]
Beyond these practical details, a designer's judgement can also be found in knowing how much to intervene. Throughout our work on the journal, Huilun read every interview carefully. We would talk about the impressions each person left on her, consider which photographs best captured their character and discuss how the layout might convey the pauses and emotional shifts within the writing.
"The people we interviewed already had such rich stories to tell. My role was almost like that of an editor. I needed to pull back on the visual expression, keep the layouts within a consistent framework and give the words and images as much presence as possible." She created a clear, comfortable framework that allowed each story to have its own presence within the same book.
© Jonathan Fratti
[ZH]
「只要時間還沒到最後一刻，都可以試試看」
和小白共事，常會感受到一股安定的力量。那份從容，來自她面對各種想法時的開放：「只要有機會，我都會想試試看。」
設計產業有許多約定俗成的做法。一個新想法拋出，經常會聽見前輩和工廠善意地提醒：「以前不是這樣做的」、「這在產線上不可能實現」，也可能是客戶面露難色地表示成本代價太高。遇上這類阻力，小白很少直接妥協，但也不正面衝撞。「我理解對方是為我好，但我同時也會想，會不會是他把自己的觀念框住了呢？如果成本高，那代價具體是多少？知道了報價，也許我稍微修改一下結構，便能降低成本，而設計就可以被繼續推進。」
曾經在一個合作案中，她的構想再次被告知「沒有人這樣做」。為了不讓自己留下遺憾，她一口氣畫了三個不同的方案供客戶選擇。「就算最後客戶還是選擇安全牌，提出來，我至少過了自己心裡那一關。」結果，最後被採用、並拿下 Good Design 大獎的，正是當初那個差點被放棄、最突破常規的第三案。
[EN]
"As Long as There's Still Time, We Can Always Give It a Try"
Working alongside Huilun, one often senses a reassuring steadiness in her approach. Much of that composure comes from her openness to different ideas. "Whenever there's an opportunity, I want to give it a try."
Design is an industry with many established conventions. A new idea might be met with well intentioned advice from an experienced colleague or a manufacturer: "That's not how it's usually done," or "That wouldn't be possible on a production line." A client, meanwhile, might express concern about the potential cost. When confronted with such resistance, Huilun rarely gives in immediately, but neither does she turn the disagreement into a confrontation.
"I understand that they're trying to help me. But I also wonder whether they're limiting themselves with their own assumptions. If something is expensive, how much would it actually cost? Once I have a quotation, perhaps I can adjust the structure slightly to bring the cost down, and then the design can move forward."
Rễ Cây Lighting Collection, 2024 © Andrew Bui
[ZH]
不過，試試看也不意味著總是要不斷往前衝。遇到思緒膠著，或是畫出來的結果不如預期時，小白反而會讓自己暫時抽離。當時完成年刊內頁編排、準備進入封面設計前，她便刻意停下一整週，先淨空思緒，看看其他東西，讓自己沉澱一下再繼續。
[EN]
During one collaboration, an idea she proposed was again dismissed with the familiar response that nobody had done it that way before. Not wanting to leave herself with regrets, she developed three different proposals for the client to consider. "Even if the client went with the safer option, at least I'd know I'd given my idea a chance." As it turned out, the third proposal, the most unconventional of the three and the one that had nearly been abandoned, was ultimately selected and went on to win a Good Design Award.
Yet being willing to try doesn't mean constantly pushing ahead. When her thoughts become tangled or a design isn't developing as she had hoped, Huilun is equally willing to step away. After completing the interior layouts for HCS Journal, and before beginning work on the cover, she deliberately took an entire week away from the project. She wanted to clear her mind, look at other things and give herself some space before returning to the work.
© Andrew Bui
[ZH]
設計永遠不會有真正完結、完美的一天
有趣的是，這樣一個在設計過程中不輕易放棄任何可能的人，到了作品即將完成的時刻，也會適時放手。
她坦言，這份對時間與完成度的體悟，一部分來自先生的影響，另一部分則是在學校帶領學生做專題時的觀察。「學生常會覺得作品還沒做完。但你給他一個月，他說沒做完；給他一年，一年到了還是覺得沒做完。所以不要過度糾結，如果在約定的時間內，成果已經過了我心裡那一關，達到了八、九十分，我就該學會放手。剩下的十分，就交由後續製作過程中材質、機構的協力，慢慢為成品加分。」
產品上市後，小白最期待的，是聽見使用者真實的回饋。笑稱自己容錯率極高的她，即使是負評，也願意認真聽進去。「有些人看到你的缺點並不會特別告訴你。如果有人願意講，哪怕是站在反方，我也覺得他很有勇氣，是希望為我好。也許那個負評正好是我沒看見的盲點，那下一次，我就知道可以怎麼做得更好。」
[EN]
Design Is Never Truly Finished
Interestingly, someone so reluctant to dismiss possibilities during the creative process also knows when it is time to let go. Huilun attributes part of this understanding of time and completion to her husband, and part to her experiences supervising students' projects at school.
"Students often feel that their work isn't finished. Give them a month and they'll say it's not done. Give them a year, and when the year is up, they'll still feel the same way. So I've learned not to get too caught up in it. If I've reached the agreed deadline and the result meets my own expectations, if I'd give it an eighty or ninety out of a hundred, then I should learn to let go. The remaining ten points can come from the materials, the technical details and the collaboration involved in bringing the design into production."
Once a product reaches the market, what Huilun looks forward to most is hearing from the people who actually use it. She jokes that she has an unusually high tolerance for mistakes, and is willing to listen carefully even when the feedback is negative. "Sometimes people notice a flaw in your work but won't bother telling you. If someone is willing to speak up, even if they disagree with me, I think that takes courage. I see it as them wanting to help. Maybe their criticism points to a blind spot I hadn't noticed. Then next time, I'll know how I can do better."
[ZH]
惜物之人，把盼想畫成陪伴
回顧這些年來的作品，佔據小白設計生涯超過三分之一時間、也最讓她畫起來樂此不疲的，一直都是燈具。在大眾眼裡，燈可能就是照明的工具；但就她而言，桌燈、立燈、吊燈、壁燈，每一種高度與姿態，都對應著空間不同的情緒。從電腦螢幕上的 3D 建模、賦予材質、渲染場景，到打樣、量產，最後真正走入某個人的家裡被點亮 —— 那份身為設計者的滿足感，是一層一層堆疊起來的。
我做的事情滿足到使用者，我自己同時也被滿足了。
[EN]
Making Things to Keep, and to Keep Us Company
Looking back over her career, lighting has occupied more than a third of Huilun's years as a designer, and remains the category she never tires of exploring. To many people, a lamp is simply a means of illumination. For Huilun, however, table lamps, floor lamps, pendant lights and wall sconces each bring a different feeling to a space through their height, position and form. From developing a 3D model on screen, applying materials and rendering it in a setting to prototyping, manufacturing and finally seeing the finished lamp illuminate someone's home, her sense of fulfilment grows with every stage.
"When something I've designed makes the person using it happy, I feel fulfilled too."
© Vy Voi
[ZH]
那些人與物長久相伴的故事，特別容易打動小白。她分享在燈具品牌 SEEDDESIGN 工作時，有些客人從最初的小坪數房子搬進更寬敞的新家，淘汰了許多舊家具，卻特地請師傅將牆上的壁燈拆下、跟著搬往新居；甚至燈壞了也捨不得丟，總想方設法送修或尋找備品。「因為他們覺得那盞燈已經是家的一部分，回家沒看到它亮著，就少了一點家的感覺。」
「我是個惜物的人，如果東西很快就被丟掉會很捨不得。所以我很喜歡做燈或家具，期盼作品能扮演『陪伴』的角色，陪著人們很久很久。」而這份心念，也安放在她至今仍在使用、最鍾愛的兩盞燈具裡。
[EN]
Stories of people forming lasting attachments to objects have always moved her. She recalls her time working with lighting brand SEEDDESIGN, when some customers moved from small apartments into more spacious homes. They might replace much of their old furniture, yet make a point of having a wall lamp carefully removed so that it could accompany them to their new home. Even when a lamp stopped working, they were reluctant to throw it away, searching instead for ways to repair it or find replacement parts. "To them, that lamp had already become part of their home. If they came back and didn't see it lit up, something about the feeling of being home would be missing."
"I'm someone who gets attached to things. It makes me sad when something is thrown away after only a short time. That's why I love designing lamps and furniture. I hope the things I create can become companions to people, staying with them for a very, very long time."
That sentiment is particularly evident in two lamps she designed, both of which remain among her most treasured possessions and are still part of her daily life.
Banana Leaf Sconces, 2026 © Jingyu Lin
[ZH]
第一盞是外型圓潤、帶著一頂小帽兜的無線充電燈《Hoodie 無敵》。那是在她剛有孩子、起居日夜顛倒的時期所誕生的作品。無數個摸黑起身餵母奶的深夜，那抹微光陪伴著初為人母的疲憊與期盼。直到現在，她偶爾還是會指著《Hoodie》跟兒子吉寶說起這個故事：
這個亮亮的、圓圓的部分，就是你的臉，外面的帽子就是你的包巾。這是一盞可以帶著走的小燈，就像媽媽一樣，不管你想去哪裡，我都可以陪著你去。等你長大了，你把燈罩轉向哪裡，光照亮的地方，就是你想要看、想要去追求的遠方。
[EN]
The first is Hoodie, a rechargeable cordless lamp with a rounded body and a little hood. It was conceived during the early days of motherhood, when her routine had been turned upside down by the arrival of her son. Through countless nights of waking in the dark to breastfeed, its gentle glow accompanied both the exhaustion and the hopes of becoming a mother for the first time. Even now, she occasionally points to Hoodie and tells her son, Jibao, the story behind it.
"See this bright, round part? That's your face. And the little hood around it is your swaddling blanket. It's a small lamp you can take wherever you go. Just like Mum, no matter where you want to go, I can be there with you. And when you're older, wherever you turn the lampshade, wherever the light falls, that's the place you want to see, the place you want to reach."
Củ Cải (Daikon) Light, 2024 © Andrew Bui
[ZH]
另一盞燈《PAOPAO 泡泡》，則封存一個晴朗午後的記憶。
那時兒子再長大了一些，母子倆在華山大草原上吹了一整個下午的泡泡。看著陽光下七彩的泡泡在半空中飄浮，兒子開心地追逐、伸手將它們一一戳破。小白站在草地上，目光被泡泡表面折射出的光影牢牢吸引。
「我在想，為什麼小孩這麼喜歡泡泡，卻又喜歡把它戳破？在泡泡底下，它映照出來的其實是我們的笑臉。那一刻我心裡突然有一個好強烈的念頭—— 我好想要那個笑臉不要破。我希望那道光影，還有我跟孩子的笑臉，可以一直印在上面。」
[EN]
Her other favourite lamp, PAOPAO, holds the memory of a sunny afternoon.
Her son was a little older by then, and the two had spent an entire afternoon blowing bubbles on the lawn at Huashan. Iridescent bubbles floated through the sunlight as Jibao ran after them gleefully, reaching out to burst them one by one. Standing on the grass, Huilun found herself transfixed by the reflections and shifting colours on their surfaces.
"I started wondering why children love bubbles so much, yet also love popping them. When you look at a bubble from underneath, what you actually see reflected in it is our smiling faces. At that moment, I had this incredibly strong feeling. I didn't want those smiles to disappear. I wanted the light, the reflections and the smiles on my son's face and mine to stay there forever."
Rễ Cây Lighting Collection, 2024 © Daniel Wang
[ZH]
為了留住那個瞬間，她畫出了《PAOPAO》。然而，要把記憶裡那層既能反射周遭景象、開燈時又能透出溫潤光線的薄膜變成現實，卻是一道難題。為了實現沒有做過的「漸層電鍍」工藝，她與工廠反覆測試不同的玻璃與電鍍製法，最終才讓那顆不會破的泡泡誕生，兼顧如夢似幻的美感與照明的實用性。
後來燈上市了，我帶著吉寶去門市看實體。我們兩個人就站在那盞燈底下，看著玻璃上映照出的彼此，一起傻笑。
[EN]
Wanting to preserve that moment, she began designing PAOPAO. Translating the delicate membrane she remembered into a physical object, however, presented a considerable challenge. It needed to reflect the surrounding environment while allowing a warm glow to pass through when illuminated. To achieve a gradient electroplated finish that the factory had never attempted before, Huilun worked closely with the manufacturer, testing different types of glass and coating techniques. Only after numerous experiments did the unbreakable bubble finally take shape, combining its dreamlike appearance with the practical function of a lamp.
"After it was launched, I took Jibao to the shop to see the finished piece. We stood together beneath the lamp, looking at our reflections in the glass, just grinning at each other."
[ZH]
在陶裡，多一點自己的樣子
如果說過去十多年的燈具設計，盛裝著小白大大小小的記憶；那麼近期剛完成的《HCS Journal》，則意外在她心底掀起另一波漣漪。「裡面的創作者，對於自己生活的堅持或創作動機，都有一種毅然決然投身所愛的專注。有些人的心境剛好跟我當下遇到的狀態很雷同，也因此觸動到我。我想，既然別人都可以跨出那一步，我會對別人試試看，我也會對自己試試看！」做了多年以使用者和品牌為出發點的設計，她開始期待，能留一點空間給自己，單純順著內心的喜好和構想去創作。
於是，原本就著迷於雙手掰開、揉捏泥土觸感的小白，決定一頭栽進陶藝的世界。
[EN]
Finding More of Herself in Clay
If the lamps Huilun has designed over the past decade and more hold memories of different moments in her life, the recently completed HCS Journal has unexpectedly stirred something new within her.
"The creators featured in the book all have such strong convictions about how they want to live or why they make things. There's this determination to devote themselves to what they love. Some of their experiences and states of mind were surprisingly close to what I was going through at the time, and that really affected me. I thought, if other people can take that step, why can't I? I'm always encouraging other people to give things a try. I should be willing to give myself that same chance!"
After years of designing primarily around the needs of users and brands, she began wanting to make room for something of her own, creating simply in response to her personal interests and ideas. And so Huilun, who had long been fascinated by the tactile experience of pulling apart and kneading clay with her hands, decided to immerse herself in ceramics.
Kite In-Flight 01, 2025 © Vy Voi
[ZH]
她利用假日，從陶藝的基礎一步步學起。每次上課從早上十點一路捏到下午五點，有時太過投入，連午飯都忘了吃。就算結束後才察覺雙肩與手指痠痛不已，心裡卻仍滿是幹勁，還想繼續做下去。
走在鶯歌街上，小白逐漸體會到，陶藝在這裡是件再平常不過的事。街角巷弄擺滿各式器皿，擦肩而過的當地人彷彿個個都懂捏陶；教室裡當義工的退休阿公阿媽，明明有著足以授課的手藝，也不以老師自居，只是單純地捏陶。
陶，是碗盤、是水缸，是自然而然的存在。
[EN]
She began spending her weekends learning the fundamentals, gradually developing her skills. Each class would run from ten in the morning until five in the afternoon, and she sometimes became so absorbed in the work that she forgot to eat lunch. It was often only afterwards that she noticed the soreness in her shoulders and fingers. Even then, she was full of energy, eager to keep going.
Walking through the streets of Yingge, Huilun began to understand just how ordinary a part of life ceramics could be. Vessels of all kinds filled the shops and alleyways, and it seemed as though everyone she passed knew how to work with clay. In the studio, retired volunteers possessed skills that could easily have qualified them to teach, yet none seemed particularly interested in calling themselves teachers. They were simply there to make pottery.
Here, clay takes the form of bowls, plates and water jars. It is simply part of everyday life.
© Andrew Bui
[ZH]
我最近的狀態，好像是想要去一個『彼岸』。雖然我還不知道那個彼岸具體在哪裡，也沒有捷徑，可能繞了一圈才明白自己不喜歡，也可能很喜歡，但我知道我現在就是要去走它。
在這段尚未看清終點的旅程中，她最想做的，是把身上的標籤通通卸除。什麼公司的設計師、什麼學校的老師、拿過什麼獎項的得主......「以前我也曾經很渴望拿到某個獎項或肯定，但真正拿到之後，發覺我還是原來的我。我只是在體驗這份工作、體驗這段人生。完成一個案子，我就關機，再重新開機；不斷歸零，接著重新開始。」
[EN]
"Lately, I feel as though I'm trying to reach another shore. I don't know exactly where that shore is yet, and there are no shortcuts. I might go all the way around only to discover that I don't like what's there, or I might end up loving it. But I know that right now, this is a path I need to take."
As she follows a path whose destination is still uncertain, what Huilun wants most is to shed the labels attached to her name. Designer at a particular company, teacher at a particular school, recipient of this award or that one. None of these is how she wishes to define herself.
There was a time when I really wanted to win a particular award or receive a certain kind of recognition. But when I finally got it, I realised I was still the same person. I'm simply experiencing this work and this life. When I finish a project, I switch off, then reboot. I keep resetting myself and starting again.
[ZH]
她的歸零，是讓自己在心態上回到最初的好奇與求知，帶著一路走來的累積，輕裝走向下一個起點。也許有一天驀然回望，才意識到自己早已站在五年前最渴望抵達的那個彼岸；至於五年後的風景，儘管還不知道究竟在哪裡，她也不急著替那時的自己，安上一個確切的身分。
我希望這些身份都拿掉之後，我還是我。
她是李慧倫。當年說給兒子吉寶聽的那句話，如今也像是說給自己 —— 光照的地方，就是你想去的地方。
[EN]
For Huilun, starting from zero is a way of returning to her original curiosity and desire to learn. She carries everything she has experienced with her, yet approaches each new beginning without the weight of needing to define herself. Perhaps one day, looking back, she will realise that she has already reached the very shore she longed for five years earlier. As for where she might find herself five years from now, she doesn't yet know. Nor does she feel any urgency to assign that future version of herself a particular identity.
I hope that when all those labels are taken away, I'm still me.
She is Huilun Lee. And the words she once spoke to her son Jibao now seem equally meant for herself. Wherever the light falls is where you want to go.
© Andrew Bui