Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Gyungju Chyon’s work focuses on relationships between designed things, environments, and people through engaging natural phenomena and exploring materialities. She is interested in delving beyond technological performance, seeking deeper and meaningful connections between things, environment and people for our health, well-being, and ecological living. Through her design studio Little Wonder, partnered with Dr. John Sadar, she interpolates between installations and product design. Little Wonder has collaborated with international companies such as Rosenthal (DEU), Interface (USA), Duravit (DEU), Emotis (FRA), and Lucifer Lighting (USA). Her work has been globally exhibited in venues in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, and has been published both in design magazines such as I.D, Metropolis and Domus, and academic publications through conferences, journals and books.
Prior to joining Spatial Design at Monash, she was an assistant Professor of MFA Industrial Design and BFA Product Design at Parsons School of Design in New York. She earned her PhD at RMIT University in Melbourne, an MA in furniture and interior architecture at Aalto University in Helsinki, and a BA in industrial design at Hongik University in Seoul.
She previously served on the board of directors for Craft, promoting craft and design culture within Victoria, Australia, and was the director of Melbourne Movement, fostering young Melbourne designers by annually exhibiting their work at Salone Del Mobile in Milan. She has lived and worked in New York, Seoul, Helsinki, Toronto, Philadelphia, and Melbourne.
Education/Academic qualification
Design, PhD, The Attentive Maker: foregrounding interrelationality of thing, material, environment and maker
Award Date: 1 Sept 2019
Interior Architecture and Furniture Design, MFA, Aalto University
Award Date: 1 Dec 1998
Industrial Design, BFA, Hongik University
Award Date: 1 Mar 1993
design, PhD, RMIT University
Research area keywords
- materiality
- agency
- sensorial experience
- experimental design
- product design
- spatial design
- installation design
- industrial design
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Designing conditions for coexistence
Cotsaftis, O., Williams, N., Chyon, G., Sadar, J., Mohajer Va Pesaran, D., Wines, S. & Naarden, S., Jul 2023, In: Design Studies. 87, 19 p., 101199.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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'Elle & Lui' - SM - 'IM-PERMANENT'
Desai, D. (Designer), Hutchinson, J. (Designer), Primerano, E. (Architect), Macpherson, I. (Designer) & Chyon, G. (Architect), 2023Research output: Non-textual form › Design / Architecture › Other
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'Fill + Flourish' - SM - 'IM-PERMANENT'
Nel, R. (Designer), McGuire, Y. (Designer) & Chyon, G. (Designer), 2023Research output: Non-textual form › Design / Architecture › Other
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Round Rhizome Rings
Chyon, G. (Designer), Sadar, J. (Architect) & Lloyd, S. (Designer), 2023Research output: Non-textual form › Design / Architecture › Research
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'Torch' - SM - 'IM-PERMANENT'
Kouch, K. (Designer), Onratn, P. (Designer), Bunche, S. (Designer) & Chyon, G. (Designer), 2023Research output: Non-textual form › Design / Architecture › Other
Prizes
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2022 Victorian Premier's Design Awards, Student Design, Finalist: 'Phenomenal Fungi'
Chyon, Gyungju (Recipient), Yek, Sze (Recipient), Miyake, Rina (Recipient), Chee, Rachel (Recipient), Desai, Dharav (Recipient), Hutchinson, Jo (Recipient), Primerano, Ella (Recipient), Macpherson, India (Recipient), Nel, Rebecca (Recipient), McGuire, Yurika (Recipient), Meckiff, Lachlan (Recipient), Kontev, Margarita Ivo (Recipient), Purtell, Amelia (Recipient), Canno, Jessica (Recipient), Kouch, Kenny (Recipient), Onratn, Ploy (Recipient), Bunche, Suvannleejimmy (Recipient), Zhou, Zihan (Recipient) & Gu, Lang (Recipient), 2022
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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2023 Designers Australia Awards, Use Category - Award of Merit: 'Round Rhizome Rings'
Chyon, Gyungju (Recipient), Sadar, John (Recipient) & Lloyd, Simon (Recipient), 31 Aug 2023
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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2023 Dezeen Award - Sustainability, Sustainable design (consumer), Longlist: Phenomenal Fungi
Chyon, Gyungju (Recipient), Yek, Sze (Recipient), Miyake, Rina (Recipient), Chee, Rachel (Recipient), Desai, Dharav (Recipient), Hutchinson, Jo (Recipient), Primerano, Ella (Recipient), Macpherson, India (Recipient), Nel, Rebecca (Recipient), McGuire, Yurika (Recipient), Meckiff, Lachlan (Recipient), Kontev, Margarita Ivo (Recipient), Purtell, Amelia (Recipient), Canno, Jessica (Recipient), Kouch, Kenny (Recipient), Onratn, Ploy (Recipient), Bunche, Suvannleejimmy (Recipient), Zhou, Zihan (Recipient) & Gu, Lang (Recipient), 2023
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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The Arts in Society
Gyungju Chyon (Organiser) & Yu Nong Kew (Speaker)
24 May 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Circular Matters: A Panel Discussion Of Designers, Entrepreneurs And Academics Working With Mycelium
Gyungju Chyon (Contributor)
20 May 2023Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Evolving Extractive Practices: Craft, Design & Architecture
Gyungju Chyon (Contributor)
18 Oct 2023Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
Press/Media
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FORBES: 'This Furniture Is Made Of Fungus'
Gyungju Chyon, Sze Yek, Rina Miyake, Rachel Chee, Dharav Desai, Jo Hutchinson, Ella Primerano, India Macpherson, Rebecca Nel, Yurika McGuire, Lachlan Meckiff, Margarita Ivo Kontev, Amelia Purtell, Jessica Canno, Kenny Kouch, Suvannleejimmy Bunche, Zihan Zhou & Lang Gu
10/10/23
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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MATTERS JOURNAL: 'From Tripping to Treading Lightly: The Rise of Mycelium-Based Design'
Gyungju Chyon, John Sadar & Simon Lloyd
19/05/23
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Review
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Mycelium Matters
Gyungju Chyon, Judith Glover, Emma Luke, Joshua Riesel & Tien Huynh
18/05/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Profile/Interview
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ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN: 'Mushroom magic on show at Melbourne Design Week'
23/03/23
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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INDESIGNLIVE: 'Growth industry: Students leading the way in biodesign'
Gyungju Chyon, Sze Yek, Rina Miyake, Rachel Chee, Dharav Desai, Jo Hutchinson, Ella Primerano, India Macpherson, Rebecca Nel, Yurika McGuire, Margarita Ivo Kontev, Amelia Purtell, Jessica Canno, Kenny Kouch, Ploy Onratn, Suvannleejimmy Bunche, Zihan Zhou & Lang Gu
30/11/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Article/Feature