Hourglass Prototype

I used mdf as a mock replacement of mahogany to test my idea and 18mm diameter oak to replace the brass. This allowed me to experiment with the construction and make mistakes before working with the precious materials of mahogany and brass. In the process of testing the construction I was also able to think about the construction of the frame and its shape and concept changed through this.

I was able to reach a solution first time round that I am able to reproduce in my materials of choice.

Demijohns

I bought these two demijohns because I was attracted to the scale and proportion of them as objects. I could imagine my next step involving less manipulation to the objects themselves and more of a focus on the immediate physical context of them and what could be made of them with this approach. I did my research about the demijohns and found that they are used for fermentation of wine and beer. I felt it was interesting that the use of the demijohns as a container of liquid in this time based process should inform my re-appropriation of them. The key to this being a different transformation from the previous ones was that I would not change the physical properties of the demijohns, I wanted to use them in their existing state.

I thought about the idea of time and was inspired by their shape and this brought to my mind the idea of an hourglass. The fact that I had purchased two of them made this a plausible transformation and by inverting one on top of the other I could image them set within a beautifully made mahogany frame with brass detailing that makes reference to the construction and accuracy of naval measuring instruments and sundials. I sketched this preliminary design to show the concept.

Design Copyright © 2010 Youssef Daoud
Sketch Youssef Daoud

The name hourglass I took in combination with the size of the demijohns to inform the 1 hour time which I hope to achieve by variation of the hole size and aggregate used (salt or sand). Traditionally these hourglasses would measure a maximum of about 15 minutes but my choice of 1 hour meant that I needed to reconsider how this giant hourglass will be inverted and the users' interaction with it. I felt that instead of setting them in a frame where the whole frame needed to be turned on its head to restart the timing (considering its mass) it would be interesting to come up with a solution where the frame stands still and the hourglass pivots around its central point which is what I attempted to express above and what I decided to prototype.

Pallet meets Can (PMC)

These tables we a very useful in the context of my other pieces and their placement in my overall body of works. Some critisism of these pieces is that the raw materials were so extremely transformed that their original existence is forgotten. Arguably, this was the product of my intention to take basic mundane materials and transform them to the realm of the valuable and precious. In this case it envolved much more processing than I orginally intended. Here are the finished photographs

Design Copyright © 2010 Youssef Daoud
Photograph Youssef Daoud

Tin Can & Pallet re-united

The idea behind these table was outlined in 'Re-Use of materials' (11 March 2010)

Ingredients (2 tables)
2 x 1200 x 800 x 144 mm pine pallet
8 x 300 h x 200 d mm commercial baked beans tin can

1 x 0.25l black egshell paint
2 x found metal net drawers
2 x 2000 x 35 x 35 mm aluminium angle
4 x 1000 x 30 mm aluminium flat
40 x stainless steel rivet
1 x 4000 x 2 d black steel core wire rope
8 x M6 stainless steel eye nut
16 x 2.5 mm aluminium ferrule
16 x 2 mm stainless steel thimble
16 x 19 mm nickel split ring
24 x M6 20 mm black counter sunk socket screws
16 x M6 nuts
120 hours Labour

Recipe

Pallet
Cut wood according to sketch drawing
Miter angles accordingly
Check assembly and glue in stages
Machine sand all over
Paint black detail on inside edge

Tin Cans
Wash and dry cans
Remove top and bottom and retain, cut open sides and stretch out.
Tops and bottoms form one surface, sides form another surface.
Sides
Cut into 25 mm strips along the ripple of the can
Weave and spot weld at edges to hold
Tops
Cut circular discs into squares and spot weld together using offcuts beneath

Sandblast to remove coatings and residue
Pollish with abrasive wheel
Spray 3 thin coats of metal protector
Drill alluminium for fixing
Polish alluminium on polishing wheel
Fix surfaces between aluminium angle and aluminium flat using rivets

Hanging metal drawer
Make up wire loops using ferrules and thimbles
Use nickel split rings at all connections

Bring it all together
Fix surfaces within aluminium frame into wooden frame using counter sunk socket screws and nuts
Fix eyenuts to underside of wooden frame using counter sunk socket screws
Hang metal drawer using wire loops and nickel split rings

Finished!

Sebastian Herkner

'Sebastian Herkner has his own studio, where he designs lamps and furniture, among other things. His product designs combine current trends and familiar forms, challenge these forms, and reveal his own creative and playful approaches to materials, craft and technology. His work is shown at a variety of fairs and exhibitions.'

Piece Bell-Light
Date 2009
Source www.sebastianherkner.com

I like the honest combination of new and old. The use of the light fittings themselves shifted only slightly out of context is refreshing.

Katachi: The Subtle Form from Japan

This exquisitely curated exhibition which I saw at the Bauhaus Archiv in Berlin made me really think about the unity of aesthetics and function in everyday usable objects.

'Lacquered dishes, bamboo lamps, paper fans, wooden bowls and iron teapots: The exhibition “Katachi – The Subtle Form from Japan”, which runs from 3 March to 2 May 2010, will be presenting over 100 examples of contemporary product design from Japan. The exhibits combine design and craftsmanship, the traditional and the contemporary. Whereas some have been manufactured in almost the same manner for centuries, others interpret traditional products in entirely new ways. Masterly craftsmanship and the sensitive treatment of materials, forms reduced to their bare essentials, and absolute functionality lend these objects their timeless aesthetic appeal.'

Text www.bauhaus.de

Reinhard Dienes (furniture designer) Last great exhibition you saw: KATACHI, at the Museum of Applied Arts in Frankfurt, about the relationship between Japanese craft and industrial design. (Katachi is the Japanese word for form.) There were objects from the 1300s until 2007, my favorite being the chasens, bamboo whisks used for making tea. It’s amazing how they’re made, by twisting the same material in different directions. You can use one of these whisks often, and it won’t lose its form — all these properties from a very simple item made from bamboo. Incredible.

Source www.sightunseen.com

Restless

Ron Arad's retrospective at the Barbican.

'Ron Arad: Restless explores three decades of Arad’s designs from his early post-punk approach of assembling products from readymade parts to his exclusive and highly polished sculptural furnishings. Featuring a dramatic exhibition design by Ron Arad Associates using the latest LED display technology, Ron Arad: Restless also includes architectural designs and immediately recognisable mass produced pieces. Highlighting the significance of experimentation, process and materials in Arad’s work, the exhibition offers a timely insight into the development of objects from initial idea and fabrication to finished design.'

Text www.barbican.org.uk



Designer Ron Arad
Date 2010
Source www.youtube.com

Here the degree of experimentation and combination of materials and processes really excited me. I was really fascinated by the juxtaposition of well crafted precise pieces against the more intuitive haphazard aesthetic of others. Knowing when to excerise control and restraint or when to be more fluid is something I aim to consider more within my own work.