Based in Chicago but originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Alissa Touranachun approaches her creative practice with curiosity and interest in ubiquitous narratives. Mundane encounters like the shape of fruits, the shifting shadow. Or the texture of something in her palm inspired her designs.
Informed by her human-centered design background, her work observes the interactions between materiality, user, and their context. With an emphasis on objects’ sensorial engagement, she believes entrancing connections between an object and its user can be formed by balancing utility and emotional expression. This includes humor, nostalgia, and sometimes childlike narratives in her work.
With 5+ years of professional experience as an industrial designer at multiple design studios, her responsibilities range from user and market research to concept development, design, sourcing and material specification, prototype, and fabrication.
In her own practice -- natural materials (wood, ceramic, paper, etc.) are often combined with industrial-made fixtures and found objects. Leveraging material manipulation to create nuaced objects that lead to emotional engagement. By incorporating mass-production techniques into hand-driven process, her work appears machine-like yet exudes warmth.
CV
2024-Present
* Design assistant at Norman Teague Design Studios (NTDS)
* Fabricator at AllKinds Studio
2023
* Teaching Assistant at UIC School of Design (Design Drawing)
* Graduate Design Researcher at UIC Innovation Center
* Design Internship at Norman Teague Design Studios (NTDS)
2022
* Student coordinator for UIC Public Design Seminar Series
* Student coordinator for UIC Public Design Seminar Series
2019-2022
* Designer at Glo Design International
2019
Education
2024
* MDES in Industrial Design at University of Illinios Chicago
2019
* BFA in Industrial Design at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi
Awards / Exhibitions / Events
2024
* MDES in Industrial Design at University of Illinios Chicago
2019
* BFA in Industrial Design at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi
Awards / Exhibitions / Events
2025
* Showcase Glass Onions at Enid “Dream” group exhibition
* Solo showcase at Chicago Rebuilding Exchange’s featured maker program
* Exhibit an donated The Disposable to Art is Action Chicago fundraiser
2024
* UIC Board of Trustees for Academic Performance
* Thesis project exhibition at UIC Year End Show
2023
* UIC Board of Trustees Fellowship
* Bangkok’s Strange Tools exhibition at Bangkok Design Week (Bangkok, Thailand)
* Plastic Ooooh! at Good Chaos (Chicago, USA)
* TXATXA’s Shelf Life, curated by Studio Herron under NTDS (Chicago, USA)
* Bangkok’s Strange Tools exhibition at Bangkok Design Week (Bangkok, Thailand)
* Plastic Ooooh! at Good Chaos (Chicago, USA)
* TXATXA’s Shelf Life, curated by Studio Herron under NTDS (Chicago, USA)
2019 (BFA)
2015-2019 (BFA)
* Petch Prajom Klao Academic Excellency Scholarship