Funktionären

As a designer, there are various methods like experimentation and questioning traditions for developing creative processes. My inspiration has been the design movement Memphis Group (1980-1988). Their products contributed to provocation and evoked emotions.

I’ve worked with provocation and my context became the dinner table: a place where we socialize, have meals and conversations – a very traditional function. I’ve combined porcelain and plastic where the porcelain base carries the plastic tabletop. The porcelain is placed in a new context; the material is exposed due to the fragility. The base has thorns attached to it which decreases the possible use. The tabletop is small in size where a dinner plate hardly fits due to the vase, which also increases the provocation.

I combined the aggressive surface with playful and kind colors, both to attract and create a distance to the user. The intense pink gives no pleasure for food and it’s also a tribute to The Memphis Group’s color scheme. The base has a natural color of porcelain and blue thorns connect to the historical and traditional porcelain.

The ambition to provoke has made the table barely usable. The end result shows that the table is probably better used as a sculptural floor vase. Thus, the table has changed status from a utility item to a viewer item.