Pao-Hui Kao

Department: Contextual Design
Website: paohuikao.com

Paper & Water

“One of the most painful things I know,” says Pao-Hui Kao,
“is having to doubt what you’ve always deeply believed in.”
Questioning your beliefs is difficult, but Kao has found it
necessary and ultimately fruitful. Choosing paper as a
metaphor to illustrate her conviction, Kao investigated what
happens when you take a different approach to things you
take for granted.
Water is considered a danger to paper. However, when it
absorbs water, the paper’s inner structure is reinforced. The
water interferes with, and rearranges the flat net of paper
fibres. It turns an ordinary piece of paper into a material with
extraordinary capabilities and a unique aesthetic. Pao-Hui
Kao wants us to reflect on the transformative power of this
approach. If an old enemy – water – can transform a weak
sheet of paper into a strong material, fit for construction, just
think what could happen to us and our preconceived ideas…