Zg24 - Blog Posts
+ wify-cat
+ bowl of rice
+ 300 social credit points!
I thought I was having a bad day but at least my sacking didn’t get announced in a two-for-one insta post with a replacement announced while my body was still warm
why does sauber still try. normalise giving up in the middle of the F1 season.
If he doesn't get a seat after his contract ends I don't know what I'll do ngl. It's insane to be able to understand a driver when he speaks his native tongue, to see him racing at his home race and see him be so supported. Lots of love to Zhou for the rest of his racing career.
Zhou in tears infront of his crowd at the Chinese GP 2024
Super excited for the Chinese GP since it’s been gone for so long… hoping Sauber gets their shit together bc I really want Zhou to score points ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
But also, they’re giving the drivers ONE HOUR to get used to the track before sprint shootout starts, which is insane for a circuit that hasn’t been on the calendar since 2019. Hell, some of the grid haven’t even been on the circuit before. What a decision.
Did any of your teammate ships put each other on their special edition helmet? No? Well, they must not love each other as much as Zhou loves Valtteri
it goes without explanation with zhou's new helmet is dope as hell. i will provide explanation anyways.
(above, zhou's helmet design as posted to the KV design twitter)
the central design on zhou's helmet is almost certainly inspired by the traditional craft of mother-of-pearl inlay in lacquerware, a practice which originated in China over 6 thousand years ago, and which has been developed and practiced in discrete forms historically in Korea and Japan alike. (continued under the cut!)
(on the left, a korean (goryeo dynasty) lacquerware stationery box; on the right, a chinese (song dynasty) lacquerware lidded bowl for cosmetics or incense. both photos via the met museum website)
traditionally, lacquerware is created through the refinement of a toxic plant sap into a naturally deep and glossy adhesive coat that is built up and polished often on top of wooden furniture and decorative items, such as chests and jewelry boxes. in the above examples, you can see two types of lacquerware practice.
on the left is mother-of-pearl inlay, which is created through the careful grinding down of tortoise or abalone shell into thin iridescent sheets which are then carefully cut into shape and imbedded into the coats of dark lacquer, being repeatedly covered and then polished down in the lacquer until the shiny shell surface is level with its surroundings. it's both visually stunning and incredibly labor-intensive: for a case like this, there would have been separate artisans making the wooden base box, making the metalware (hinges and clasps) for the box, applying the base layers of lacquer, and then completing the inlay itself.
on the right is (what i understand to be) a predominantly chinese lacquer practice, which is carving into the layers of lacquer to form images in relief. while this practice is not replicated on zhou's helmet, the image selected does display the pattern of the peony flower, which i believe to be the flower depicted in the inlay! the striations of the central petals seem to match zhou's. of course, this is speculative and only based off an amateur's eye, especially considering the motif of scrolling foliage is fairly ubiquitous and somewhat generic in east asian decorative art.
(on the left, zhou's 2024 helmet (detail). on the right, a detail image of a korean chest decorated with mother-of-pearl. zhou's helmet via twitter, right image via the met museum website)
the 'metallic' or 'holographic' effect a lot of people have recognized is a natural property of polished mother-of-pearl: look at the iridescence of the design! while it has been exaggerated to some extent on zhou's helmet (for good effect, i must say), you can clearly see the inspiration when compared side-by-side with a more predominantly mother-of-pearl composition: the variegation between blues, greens, and warmer peachy-reds is mesmerizing.
i really want to drive home how brilliant of a design this is and give the due appreciation to KV Design, who made this helmet for zhou. clearly a lot of thought and creativity went into it, and I can't wait to see it in action. >:D