Final presentation for this class's body of work.

Spork

To me, a spoon is a multi-use eating utensil. I seldom use any other utensil for eating, and if I do need another utensil it would be a fork (but the spoon stays close at hand for a clean switch-over).

I find that using only one or two utensils is quite enough. Therefore, for me a spork would be highly efficient. A spork is a hybrid form of cutlery that marries both a spoon and a fork. Spork-like utensils have been manufactured since the late 19th century; patents for spork-like designs date back to at least 1874. Because it became well known in the 19^th century (time of the Industrial Revolution) the spork design we see today are often clunky and in my opinion, quite ugly-looking. Because of this, sporks are often considered the black sheep of the cutlery family.

I wanted to give the spork the respect it deserves by making it an elegant utensil. The twist and the leaf-like flare at the end are characteristics of traditional forged items, and the size pertains to its function as a personal use-object.

Raised by parents with a South Indian and African upbringing, we were taught that having pieces of food on your plate bigger than your mouth was bad manners. Since moving to Canada, this rule has become somewhat more relaxed – we now cut up our food (if necessary) on a separate plate before transferring the food to the plate that we eat off of.

Most of the spoons we have in our house are a little too big for me. Not only is this piece a respectable spork, it is a respectable spork for me. The end of the spoon rests exactly where it needs to on my hand, the area where my fingers grip is rounded with a slight twist, and therefore it’s not a flat plane like most spoons I’ve owned (which hurt a little bit to hold).

Although referring back to it, I chose not to incorporate any elements of my own culture, mostly because I wanted my spork to be perceived by the general audience as something classically elegant (most classy spoons come from Europe). Since it is a use-object and not a display or a non-functional piece, a satin finish was chosen so that fingerprints and scratches from daily wear would not stand out.

Container

Artist Statement

Thought Container: Done in a graphic style, this container seems like a simple piece but closer inspection (and opening the lid) reveals a mish-mash of text on the inside. The text represents the rambling thoughts of the unorganized and semi-frustrated mind – something I’m sure we have all experienced.

This container is made from brass using a variety of techniques included forging and stamping. Brass was used for a contextual reason: this piece is more personal than public, just like thoughts. It’s for keeping somewhere private, like a bedroom. In my case, my bedroom has similar décor and materials, so this piece co-ordinates well with everything else.

The text inside consists of different phrases I often think but do not say aloud. By keeping this on the inside of the container, under a bunch of random things, these thoughts become materialized but are still secret. The phrases overlap each other; with some being in higher contrast and others fading away. This represents my thought process – thoughts overlapping thoughts over lapping thoughts – some in the forefront and some in the back of my mind.

Its functional purpose is to hold miscellaneous items like notes, buttons, change and anything that can fit inside - once more fitting with the appearance of my bedroom, but also to stand for uncollected thoughts and a flurry of notions.

TUBES

What started out as flat copper sheet has magically transformed into "tuuuuuubes"

Soldering Review

What started out as a review of techniques from the previous semester...



...spawned a cult within our studio group:

Okay, so...

Now that I have pictures of half of this semester's body of work I can update this. I also now have the time.