Photograph by JX Qiu
Photo by Meizhu
I’m Yichen Li—born in Canada, and in the Boston area since age 13. I graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA, major in Industrial Design) and I’m now a graduate student in Lacquer Craft at the China Academy of Art, splitting my time between Hangzhou, Boston, and New York. I work across instruments, furniture, and images—classical guitars, an electric guqin, adjustable practice chairs—and a set of experiments that link structure and surface. My core question is how materials behave as sound rather than as mere appearance or mass: plate thicknessing and bracing layouts; how lacquer hardness and damping influence resonance and stability; wood–metal joints; and mitigation of low-frequency feedback under amplification. I pair European luthiery with East Asian lacquer methods, combine hand tools with TIG welding and CNC machining, and build jigs and gauges when repeatable results matter. I also source local plants and recycled resources for dyes and finishes. “Clarity” and “liveliness” are both aims and methods—objects should be transparent in structure, reliable in use, and alive in response. I document builds with photographs, process logs, and technical notes, and I’m open to critique and collaboration.My Skills:
•Product/Furniture Design and Model Making: Creating detailed design plans and models for various projects.
•Woodworking: Proficient with hand tools, large power tools, and portable tools.
•CNC Operation: Skilled in operating 3-axis CNC machines and managing tool paths.
•Metalworking: Experienced in TIG welding, using power tools, Bridgeport milling machine, working with tube, rod & sheet metal.
•Photography: Proficient in both analog and digital photography, extensive experience with special films such as x-ray, infarred & reversal films, skilled on black-and-white darkroom techniques, large format, and lighting.
•Book Layout and Production: Creating layouts and bind books.
•Drawing and Painting: Skilled in oil painting, sketching, coloured pencils, watercolour, and charcoal.
Software Proficiency:
•Adobe Suite: Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, InDesign
•Photography Software: Capture One, Silverfast
•Design and Modelling Software: Solidworks, Keyshot, Rhino
•Music and Video Editing Software: Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, Sibelius
•CAM: VCarve Pro.