Shutong Fan is an spatial designer and artist, whose projects explore wider range of media, including ceramic, photography, animation, and film making, . As a designer, much of his work is closely related to the culture and traditions of his homeland. His work is often inspired by vernacular architecture as well as natural landscape. The process of physical making are often used to make design decision.
He holds a Part I BSc architecture degree from University of Bath, and a Part II MA architecture degree at the Royal collage of Art. Meanwhile he took placements and summer job at some of the most renowned architectural offices in the world, includes: Atelier Jean Nouvel (2018), EXiT architetii associat(2019), and Shigeru Ban Architects(2020).
In 2022, Shutong co-founded na:ta Design Collective with Vincent Tam and Cindy Liu—a research-based design collective focused on making and innovative materials. In 2024, alongside curator Dan (Estelle) Huang, he co-founded a curatorial team and online platform, umum, dedicated to crafts and making-centered art, based in Kensal Green, London. To date, they have introduced the work of 15 artists to the UK.
University of Bath
Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, BSc (Hons) in General Architectural Studies (RIBA/ARB Part 1)
Royal Collage of Art
School of Architecture, MA Architecture (RIBA/ARB Part 2)
Handdrawing
Physical model making: Handmade, laser cutter, 3D printing Basic carpentry and metal work
Ceramic making
Glass casting
Analogue and digital photograpy Stop Motion Animation
Auto CAD 2D/3D Sketch UP
Rhino
Vray Rendering
Adobe Suite: (Ps/Ai/Id/Pr)
&
2021 ‘Shortlisted’ University of Bath + TED HAPPOLD Competition: BABEL, Bath, UK.
2025. 1.24-2.2 OUTBOUND, group exhibition at Galleria Objets, London, UK.
English PTE 81/ IELTS 7.5 equivalent Chinese Mandarin (native)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Fan Interior Design Studio
-SHANXI-CHINA
Freelance Spatial Designer
Atelier Jean Nouvel
-SHANGHAI OfficeInternship
EXiT architetti associat
-TREVISO-ITALY Placement
Shigeru Ban Architects
-TOKYO-JAPANPlacement IAxRA
-BEIJING-CHINA
PART I Assistant Architect
UMUM
-LONDON Art direction and Exhibition
CONTACT DETAIL
TEL (CHN): TEL (UK): EMAIL:
+86 136 1199 7727
+44 7456 414188
shutongf9@outlook.com
CONCEPTUAL WORK VISUAL PRACTICE
A photo book consists of 143, 931 images
Nobuyoshi ARAKI, the iconic Japanese photographer, revealed his intimate exploration of life in the seminal photo book Sentimental Journey. 1971-2017. Through 402 carefully chosen images, he shared his emotional journey with his wife, Yoko, captured on analogue film cameras like the Nikon F and Olympus Pen FV. His intention was to deliberately expose his personal life to the public.
I have created my own photo book inspired by Araki’s bold approach. Growing up in the digital age, I found myself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of photographs in my personal archive: 143,931 images on my iPhone alone.
Breaking from the norm of selective curation, my photo book offers a raw andunfiltered glimpse into my digital repository. Each of the 143,931 images, spanning 2016 to 2024, is presented unedited. Will this collection convey the intimacy ofAraki’s? In a time when technology allows us to capture and preserve countless memories, do we truly remember?
The name card for Atelier Fan (樊), a Chinabased interior design studio, embodies simplicity while emphasizing materiality. At first glance, it appears as a plain white sheet, but upon closer inspection, an embossed line reveals an abstract interpretation of the studio’s identity. This subtle yet deliberate detail enhances the sense of tactility and nuances.
art direction for umum objects
Microscope photography reveals the unseen landscapes of pâte de verre, capturing the intimate tactility of trapped air bubbles—evoking a sense of fluidity, fragility, and submersion.
CONCEPTUAL WORK MATERIAL PRACTICE
The project is inspired by a personal memory of my grandma repurposing flyers into envelopes. It explores how to transform the purpose of one thing into another, as an accidental act of design.
The envolopes were sent back to the Yellow River from UK. They are expected to catch the trace through postage, tracing the journey of displacement.
envelopes, 2024
It all begin with my grandmother’s everyday objects— specifically, a small blue-and-white soy sauce dish. These patterned porcelain dishes, produced in Jingdezhen in the 1980s, are ubiquitous rather than rare, found in humble restaurants and ordinary homes alike.
At the same time, my research explores the urban and regional transformations of my hometown in the Yellow River basin. Over the past two decades, the built environment has undergone dramatic shifts—ornate, traditionally styled architecture has been steadily replaced by modernist structures that erase local characteristics. Glass, metal, and plastic have supplanted traditional materials, while buildings are endlessly copied and pasted, devoid of individuality.
In response, I began replicating my grandmother’s soy sauce dish, using it as a lens to reflect on this sweeping transformation from a deeply personal perspective. Through imitation, de-ornamentation, and material substitution, I allow the dish to narrate a new story—one that neither celebrates nor resists change but simply observes its unfolding.
Variations of Soy Sauce Dish, 2024
clay, 3D printed plaster powder, plaster, 3D printed resin
Exhibited at Galleria Objets, London in 2025 as an open call winning entry.
Conversation and Decision, 2024
3D printed plaster powder, 3D printed resin, FDM plastic
Exhibited at Galleria Objets, London in 2025 as an open call winning entry.
