Yuya Zhou's Bioplastic Lamps Challenge Permanence at Milan Design Week 2026

During Milan Design Week 2026, Yuya Zhou unveiled his Genesis series at the Isola Design District, featuring seven light fixtures: four table lamps, two pendant lamps, and one floor lamp. These objects are crafted from a unique bioplastic composite made of starch, gelatin, glycerin, water, and edible pigments. The resulting material, reminiscent of latex, possesses transparency and viscosity, with air bubbles deliberately trapped to create a warm, complex light similar to amber or honey. Grounded in Taoist cosmology, Zhou views existence as a dynamic process, designing for "controlled instability" by manipulating component ratios. The pieces evolve post-production, leading to unique deformations and color shifts. Organized to reflect a lifecycle, the earlier items are softer, while the later ones exhibit greater optical depth. Genesis was featured in the exhibition "No space for waste," which highlighted circular materials and waste transformation, aligning Zhou’s work with a movement towards sustainable material practices.