From Forming to Forward: The Creative Journey of “Flow Island – Slowpace”

MoziDozen’s creations never fail to move me.

As one of Taiwan’s pioneers in wooden creation, MoziDozen has spent years blending poetry and warmth into their work. Dozen, the maker behind the brand, has continually refined both his technique and expression, setting a benchmark for craftsmanship that balances aesthetics and practical ingenuity.

Over the years, every conversation with this couple feels like a gentle breeze—quietly bringing inspiration drawn from life and creation.

Since relocating from Tainan to Taitung, their works have become even more deeply intertwined with their surroundings.

Whether it’s earlier pieces like “Ripple Light,” “Morning Sunrise,” or “Morning Breeze,” or the later “Flow Island” series, each draws from fragments of daily life and echoes of nature—like fleeting flashes of beauty that appear in the quiet of living.

The birth of “Flow Island” began with their love for yoga—a desire to sense time without being bound by the rigidity of a traditional clock.And so they designed installations inspired by kites and forests, where time gently unfolds a landscape, inviting the viewer’s spirit to expand along with it.

This year, the HOUSE OF SMALL WOODCRAFTS welcomes a new work in the “Flow Island” series—Flow Island – Slow Pace. While continuing the mechanical logic of its predecessors, this piece expresses a distinctly new ambiance and rhythm.A deer walks gently through the woods—its motion appears regular, yet each step reveals subtle variations. For the viewer, every moment of observation offers a new discovery.

Such fluidity and refinement arise from Yida’s years of dedicated exploration in mechanical design. To conceal intricate mechanics beneath an effortless rhythm—leaving only the poetry behind—is perhaps the finest embodiment of “true skill appearing simple.”

—— @woood.tw Jack

Some creations grow out of a feeling. Some discoveries reveal themselves only when we walk slowly enough.

The making of “Flow Island – Slow Pace” is also a quiet chronicle of those moments when we slowed down during creation.

A work often begins where inspiration meets form—shaped gradually in wood, on paper, or across a digital screen, born from a feeling that surfaced in daily life.Through mechanical design, concepts take on motion and form—allowing the feelings we wish to share to be expressed in a way closer to how they’re truly felt.

When a piece’s rhythm and shape become clear, it transforms into something that can be understood, collected, and shared—a vessel for feeling, given a price, placed on a shelf or a product page, quietly waiting for the person it will resonate with.

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Once the concept begins to take shape, the next step in our process is always to ask: “Does something like this already exist in the world?”If the answer is yes, we usually stop there—or we explore another form entirely. It’s not about being different for the sake of it, but about ensuring each new piece carries the original desire to create, and the pure intention to express something genuine.That’s why the journey from nothing to something always involves exploration and challenges—and to us, this is where the true magic of creation lies.

While “Flow Island – Slow Pace” continues the spirit of the two earlier pieces in the Flow Island series—“Mountain Forest” and “Deep Ocean”—we also used the creation process as a path to explore new possibilities.This time, we stepped away from the conventional gear-driven motion seen in “Mountain Forest” and “Deep Sea.” Instead, we reimagined the mechanism: using the clock core and a specially designed ball-driven structure to move the deer in “Slowpace.” It reflects a different kind of rhythm—one that touches the earth, follows the rotation of the planet, and mirrors the calm and flow felt when walking gently across the land.

During prototyping, we discovered that letting the ball-driven deer complete a full circle in 60 minutes not only corresponded with the passing of time, but also preserved the unhurried pace of a true slow walk.However, keeping the ball stable within the deer’s body while still allowing it to walk naturally became the first major challenge.

All of the structure had to be housed within a piece of wood no larger than a thumb, with the thinnest area measuring less than 1 mm. Even with CNC precision cutting, the flexibility and grain of the wood had to be carefully considered to ensure both smooth motion and long-term durability.After many attempts, the moment when the ball could roll smoothly and align perfectly with the forest base was one of the most delicate—and celebratory—moments in the entire creation process.

Timelapse of the Deer’s Making Process

Part of what makes this kind of exploration so enjoyable is that new, unexpected challenges always emerge—often just when you think you're nearing the finish line.During early testing, the deer frequently “led with its rear,” walking backward rather than forward as intended.Without altering the form we loved, we embarked on a series of weight distribution adjustments and balance tests to find the most stable center of gravity—an essential puzzle to solve along the way. As a result, we found ourselves surrounded by a growing collection of prototype deer—like a team of little companions in training. At first glance they all looked alike, but upon closer inspection, each one was subtly unique (and brought a few laughs).

The little trees in the forest became another opportunity to face inner doubts and shift our creative mindset.We’ve always been drawn to rounded lines to express the warmth and softness of wood, conveying a sense of comfort. But this time, we took the opposite route—using sharp angles to capture the dramatic interplay of light and shadow in the forest. At first, we couldn’t help but doubt ourselves: “Will this look unfinished or awkward?”Yet after rounds of revisions, ongoing conversations, and a shift in perspective, we began to let go of old habits in form. In doing so, we found the most fitting way to depict those quiet, almost magical moments when sunlight filters through the forest canopy.

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The creation of “Flow Island – Slow Pace” felt like embarking on a new journey—one filled with discovery and quiet adventure.Along the way came unexpected rewards—like the moment the deer suddenly turned, as if genuinely drawn by something hidden in the forest.

The video is shown at 8× speed.

Or those moments that made us slow down and listen more carefully, as if life itself were whispering: “Walk slower, and you’ll see more.”To preserve these fleeting moments of flow, we sought ways to navigate each challenge. Every adjustment and experiment became like an unexpected view along the journey, enriching our experience of making.Each detail, each intention, was gradually poured into every “Flow Island – Slowpace” piece we created.

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In slow steps, we connect with the earth;

in slow steps, we journey inward.

This is the gift left behind by this creation—

and through sharing it, we hope others will also find a rhythm of their own.