Ocrum

Ocrum was started by Sean Zhang out of his love for blown glass. Earning his Master’s Degree in Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design, Zhang previously studied at the Polytechnic University of Milan. Unfortunately, as he explains, he ignored his inner passion for craftsmanship. However at RISD, he took an entirely hands-on approach to  ceramics, wood, textiles, and blown glass.

During this time, Zhang began to gain appreciation for his own creativity and his personal design aesthetic. He developed founding principles and a medium through which he successfully connected with others. During this time, the designer advanced upon the idea that would eventually become Ocrum.

The New York-based design studio has become known for creating furniture, lighting, mirrors, and decorative accessories that encompass a timeless and contemporary aesthetic. For Ocrum, Zhang draws inspiration from memories; he seamlessly merges classical sensibilities with strong innovation and stunning craftsmanship.

Zhang himself is known for having  a sharp attention to detail, minimalistic style, and an intuitive design sensibility. All of these play into the design pieces that come out of the studio!

Ocrum experiments with both classic and traditional materials and he combines those with influences of Italian craftsmanship. Along with Luca Zeffiro, the pair has become adept at designing with empathy and intuition.

Intuition is one of the essential factors in the design process… once something does not feel as though it could be interesting, the idea is scratched or altered. Zhang says, “I believe that as a designer, intuitive and analytical thinking go hand in hand, and later in the creative process, when more rooted in the details of the design, analytical thinking becomes more critical.”

Perhaps Ocrum’s most interesting piece is the Orizon Mirror; this is a balance between Chinese culture and expert Italian craftsmanship. The mirror embodies both dynamic and static realms from Chinese Taoist culture called “Long Jing Jie He.”  The mirror shows the fluctuation of the water surface and the sunlight exposure with a functional subject. Even though the concept expresses a Chinese “persona”, it comes alive through Italian craftsmanship. Zhang lived in Italy for five years and loves Italian artisanship and the local craftsmanship.

When he was studying at RISD, Zhang was able to work with ceramic which quickly became one of his favorite materials. As described by Zhang, “ceramic, is fragile yet can be crafted and transformed in many different shapes, textures, and processed through various finishes and glazes.”

Part functional art, part wall art… the inspiration behind this mirror was the horizon view of Lake Como in Italy and Lake Michigan in Chicago, both cities where Zhang has previously resided.

Viewing the horizon, Zhang wanted to transform the memories into a mirror. Orizon is a mirror with a view that hangs from your wall. An ocean-like ripple blends seamlessly into the colored sky while reflections ebb and flow. The ceramic piece is hand-glazed and then baked at varying firing temperatures to create the undulating features.