I saw Utopia & Utility‘s Stacking Vessels for the first time in Milan last year, and have since seen them at Clerkenwell Design Week and most recently at Maison et Objet in January. I decided it was high time I found out more about how these captivating objects are made.
Pia Wustenberg, the creative force behind Utopia and Utility says, “The Vessels began in my mind, and I made watercolours and sketches of the shapes. After this I put together a collection, decided on the materials and craftsmen that would make them. With this in mind, I made a full size drawing and sent it by post to the various makers so we can begin making the pieces. The wood and the metal/ceramic/stone/Raku is made first. For the ceramic, I work with craftsmen in Germany and the UK, the metal is made in London and the stone in Finland. The Raku is made in North Germany. The wood is made in Finland, Germany, UK, France and Austria.
“Once the top and bottom parts are made, these get shipped to the Czech Republic or the UK, depending on the collection and the size of the order – Czech is good for large scale, the UK for one-offs. Here the glass is made and fitted to the two parts. After this it all gets packed and shipped to Germany, where we clean, check, photograph and pack each piece.”
She makes it sound so simple, doesn’t she?!
Further reading for the especially geeky:
- here’s one I made earlier :: woven oak
- here’s one I made earlier :: wood tailoring
- here’s one I made earlier :: shed test
- here’s one I made earlier :: janet stahelin edmondson
Three beautiful mesmeric processes brought together to create beautiful objects. Stunning!