Monday 6 December 2010

Object Vs Functionality


Exploring the connections between the object and its functionality, I wanted to make a non-functional replica of the tea cup using tea bags. The tea bags have all been used, dried out and emptied so that like every cup of tea, they are unique.  I initially thought that I would be able to use the tea bags like mod rock, and so I attempted to dip them into plaster and form a cast around the original cup.  Although this method was successful in capturing the form, the delicacy and weight of the tea bags was begging for a large amount of plaster to solidify the form enough to be self containing.  With the symbolism of the model relying upon the tea bags as a material, the progressively increasing amount of plaster being used was detracting from my intentions.  To overcome these issues I have used the base layer of plaster covered tea bags to form the structure, then opted for an alternative approach using PVA glue to control  the tea bags as the dominant construction material.


The object now exists with room for new projections of meaning to add to its existing coding.  The functionality as we know it has been replaced with a question mark and a label of 'art'. 




  I am pleased with the outcome of this piece because I feel that it visualises the ideas of the objects existence without the interaction of an owner in both projection of meaning and functional use.

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