Flow, an enhanced spatuala exploring flowforms and essential functions.
Tools:
Duration:
Duration:
Woodshop: bandsaw, spindle sandle, hand sanding
3 weeks
3 weeks
Considerations:
The spatula is a utilitarian tool assisting the function of cooking to perform a variety of tasks. Its form may vary from spatula to spautla but rarely explored or pushes aesthetic and functional bounds. How can I design a spatula which is beautiful, trustworthy, and speaks its usefulness while challenging the perscriptive form of a traditional spatula.
Constraints:
Limited materials (12x5x2” purple foam(2), grey foam (1), and European Beech (1)) allowed only calculated and deliberate prototyping. This meant having to trust observed differences and changes guided by intuition before sktching to adjust and moving onto the next prototype.
Thoughts & Process
What are the motions and uses for a spatula? How might it conform to the hand and become an extension of the body?
Fabrication & Experimentation
initial pink foam model
After interacting with the full scale grey foam model, it was apparent that the handle needed some work. Secondary shaping, attention to direction of curves, how they led the eye, and provided support to the hand were at the front of the next iteration. Rummaging through scraps yeilded a chunk of foam large enough to prototype the updated idea (below).
Key Takeaways:
- form distorts as it’s translated from mind to sketch to material and finally attempted replication
- sensititivty of touch often exposes flaws that the eye can’t see
- leading the eye with curves that flow into one another
- insinuations through form (speed, directionality, softness, how to interact )