Weijia Sheng
SHUANG
“together, yet never the same”
Shuang is a thesis collection that explores twin relationships as symbolic connections rather than purely biological conditions. Inspired by the Chinese concept of “双生” (being born as a pair) and my childhood experience as an only child longing for a twin companion, the project examines how two individuals born at the same time can share an intimate connection while developing distinctly different identities, personalities, and ways of being. This also reflects my interview research, which revealed that twins may share a deep emotional bond, but they are not copies of one another; rather, they exist as independent and different individuals.
Through circular structures, organic silhouettes, black-and-white gradients, and connected forms with asymmetrical ends, the collection translates the emotional logic of twinhood into sculptural jewelry and accessory objects.
Through these interviews, I began to understand twinhood not as sameness, but as a relationship shaped by closeness, difference, memory, and long familiarity.
This visual experimentation began with ideas of mirroring and reflection within twin relationships. I deconstructed the collected images and recombined them through collage experiments on the mannequin. This process allowed me to move beyond flat image references and observe how these image elements could form new lines, layers, overlaps, and shifting silhouettes across the surface of an object or the body.
This visual experimentation began with Chinese character structures and cultural elements related to the meaning of “Shuang.” I focused on characters and visual symbols that contain repetition, symmetry, or paired structures, such as “囍” (double happiness) and “从” (to follow). Through collage experiments on the mannequin, I attempted to translate flat and abstract cultural signs from written meaning into more physical and spatial forms. Ultimately, these collage experiments helped me define the initial silhouette direction of the project.
