Designworks 2009
Designworks is a new design competition presented by the Museum of Glass in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC). Students from AIC’s Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture + Designed Objects were invited to submit designs for a “functional object, unique to the Museum of Glass, that is smaller than a bread box, made in clear and/or colored glass, solid or hollow, sculpted, blown or cast and that can be produced in a limited edition.”
The three finalists were selected by a panel of Museum staff and local designers. Each will have one day to work with the Hot Shop Team to fabricate a prototype of their unique design. These residencies will occur January 29 – 31. The finalists will also speak about their designs at a public lecture on January 28 at 1 pm in the Museum Theater.
A limited quantity of the winning design will be produced in the Hot Shop April 8 – 12, 2009 and will be available for purchase in the Museum Store beginning in late April.
The Finalists
This glass design concept comes from my memories of milk can lanterns in my childhood. There are two layers of glass in the main body. The inner layer is transparent and the same for all designs. It is the outer layer that differentiates the three glass effects. Using a candle in a lantern is the traditional way of Chinese lantern lighting. The concept of this competition is an experiment for me to use real culture in a product design process and let people in different cultures have the same and more resonances.
Chin-Yu graduated from the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, majoring in Industrial Design. Her passion for industrial design grew after working at Chenming Mold Industrial Corporation in Taiwan, where she had the opportunity to experience product designs ranging from household electronics to digital communication products.
Together Glasses are a celebration of a relationship. Their interaction mimics the love, trust and camaraderie of the users. The two glasses represent two roles: one leans on the other while its counterpart supports. Together Glasses are to be used when the user is sharing a drink with the person they love.
Erin and Evan are in their fourth year at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Both were introduced to design through an interest in furniture. Evan comes from a line of furniture makers heavily influenced by early American furniture and has worked in various woodshops throughout Chicago. Erin started building furniture after realizing that her work in fine arts would not satisfy her need for function. Erin and Evan share a love for food and wine and believe that objects in the home should be simple yet meaningful.
For the Birds is designed with three brightly colored seed compartments that hang in an outdoor space. The shape of the seed compartments are influenced by abstracted bird profiles that create vessels which represent three birds with their heads together as if they hare having a quiet conversation.
Greta Stepp graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design in 2005. Currently she attends the Master of Architecture program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She was selected to take an intensive glassblowing class in January 2007 that resulted in a gallery show at the end of the course. In 2008, she participated in a design studio that produced a lighting exhibit at Fabbrica del Vapore during the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, Italy.
