2-D Design Class Project #4 "Cultural Values: Take out

For this assignment, we were asked to find 3 different food objects from 3 different cultures that are used to move food from either store to home or hand to mouth. We were to make an observational sketch of each and write our own critique using design vocabulary.

research

I took a look around the browser to get an idea of what I might be interested in. I also looked around my own home. Here are a few things that caught my interest.

Sketches

I didn't do many sketches this time around because I spent my time doing the observational drawings, but I did start with this ice cream. I also included a few other observational sketches that I did at the time.

Critique Notes

Finished product

This project was a little bit different in that we had to write about the objects and do research about the cultures that they came from. I will include 3 photos and 3 observational sketches.

Indian copper teapot

The first subject that we are analyzing is a copper teapot that is photographed with a white background. The subject has a gold-like color that is chromatic, with a few small black cast shadows in between the grooves that give it value. The subject has an organic form that almost symbolizes the shape of an elephant head if it were to be turned sideways. The artist uses crosshatching to make tiny leaves edge into the middle section of the teapot. The artist also uses contour lines with repetition to draw attention to hatching designs that are etched into the copper by hand. The subject is large enough to carry about 4 ten-ounce cups of water.

These copper teapots are designed with this type of material because of the Ayurvedic beliefs and customs in parts of India. The copper is meant should be absorbed into your body and balance your three “Doshas” (Vata, Kapha, and Pitta), which is a spiritual practice in some eastern cultures. Especially India. I believe that drinking tea out of these pots is meant to be more about balance and cleansing rather than consuming.

Aboriginal "Coolamon" Carrying Vessel

The second subject that we are analyzing is an eating utensil that is carved from dark brown wood and is representational of a canoe. The form has an asymmetrical balance, in that one side of the carving has a smoothed-out flat shape with a tactile texture that represents a handle. This handle has hatching carved or burned into it which tends to be the focal point in this piece of art. This eating utensil is an aboriginal carrying vessel with carved sides called a “Coolamon”. Their curved shape suggests the journey of life because they can be used to carry tools food and even babies. This particular “Coolamon” is carrying two “Witchitty grubs”. Grubs are a delicacy in that part of the world. Because the subject is carrying the grubs, they draw away the focal point because of the contrast between the dark brown wood and the bright white color of the food.

“Coolamon “is also a city in Australia. Traditionally, the Aboriginal men carved them and gave them to the women in their tribe. The wood is tempered to withstand heat and stress so that it can last a long time and be used for many important purposes. This subject content is significant in their culture, and not just a serving vessel it's a way of life.

Plastic container with fruit

The third subject we are analyzing is a clear achromatic take-out container. The vessel is a man-made synthetic version of natural resins. The form is about one inch vertically, by three inches horizontally, and has a circular geometric shape. The subject has a content of various geometric shapes like triangles, rectangles, and circles. The focus point of this subject is the content in the vessel because of its various bright hues and chromatic colors. This vessel is non-objective because everything about it is factory-made. The content is grouped in close proximity to each other, packed tight in the vessel. Because the vessel is photographed, there are no cast shadows.

It would be nearly impossible to tell where this subject comes from or what it contains if I hadn’t purchased it in the past. This type of plastic container is commonly used to carry home food from a grocery store or restaurant and is typically used by people in the western world.