Two ceramic works submitted to last week’s design fair incorporated magnifying glasses to enhance their concepts. These would make the perfect gift for any biologist.
The first, Food for Thought Tray by Daphne Zuilhof, was included at Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design’s exhibition. A ceramic plate sits on wood to which a magnifying glass is attached, allowing you to study your food closely as you eat. Konstfack states the theme of the exhibition is the dinner table as an opportunity for contemplation, where norms connected to dining can be challenged by design. This work presents an excellent opportunity to re-evaluate what you put into your body and to make your dinner guests uncomfortable at the same time.
The second, The Phytophiler, by Dossofiorito, is for plant lovers who want to take their admiration a little deeper. The design is a hand-thrown terracotta pot to which magnifying glasses are attached. The purpose is to give plant owners ideas for daily care, allowing them new ways to interact with the world of plants. The designers state that making such gestures toward plants contributes to a new attitude toward nature and “of an established awareness of finding ourselves in front of sensitive beings that belong to an ‘other’ world that completes us.”
These designs ignore practicality, but that seems to be expected with concepts which draw users from their typical experience.
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Food for Thought Tray by Daphne Zuilhof.
The Phytophiler by Dossofiorito.
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