narrative and ritual project Wiktoria Kijowska
brief
As human beings we are creatures of habit; we all have our little idiosyncracies, our own way of
doing those everyday things, little solitary rituals that have developed over time; some handed down through family tradition, some discovered by chance, all rigidly adhered to in a familiar custom.
In a busy fast-changing world these little rituals offer momentary respite; a little reassurance
and maybe a chance to reinforce a sense of self and to impose your own rule on the chaos of life. Objects that respond to or seem to observe these very human behaviours provide an instant emotional connection. Their acknowledgement of humanity provokes empathy and appeals to consumers on a more emotional level.
This project concerns itself with the development of a family of at least two objects. The activity around which you must design this set of artifacts will be chosen by you, but it should be solitary and tailored to a particular individual client, preferably yourself. It must tell a personal story and must have a narrative; whether this be through the objects or even the materials that they are made out of. You will be designing and making your family of objects in order to enable your chosen activity to take place.
mind map
my own brief
My narrative and rituals project will be focused around the Polish Easter basket tradition, my favourite cakes and its transportation, Polish crocheting/ weaving/ embroidery as well as memories. These highlighted topics are meaningful to me and join together different generations of my family. To combine all of the main ideas together to create an outcome which successful tells my narrative about family, traditions, and the transportation of memories.
Clare Twomey - Exchange
“Clare Twomey has inscribed individual positive actions for society onto over 1,000 cups and saucers, encouraging visitors to undertake a positive action in exchange for a piece of this unique sitespecific installation commissioned for the Foundling Museum. Exchange, is inspired by the acts of exchange and philanthropy that lie at the heart of the Foundling Hospital – the UK’s first children’s charity and England’s first public art gallery.” The narrative of this project is a positive one as it encourages people to do something good either for themselves or for others. It encourages the public to slow down in this chaotic world as well as reflect about their lives and actions.
Droog - Construct Me!
“Our screws, hinges, nuts, nails, brackets and other hardware are super functional – in some cases we even extended their function – but they also add value, character and a richer narrative. In our created collection, you will find nails that reduce the risk of hitting your finger, two way tie wraps, fancy hinges and screws that smile at you. They give flavour to simple DIY work, revive existing furniture and challenge the designer.“ This collection forces the user to focus on the often overlooked parts of furniture design. By making them have smiley faces or other design aspects they catch the user’s attention and reinforce their importance within furniture design.
“Hardware pieces are beautifully engineered, but often hidden, we wanted to celebrate those pieces by giving them a new character through function and aesthetic.” - Droog’s Henry Roberts
Hella Jongerius - embroidered tablecloth
“Decoration is reintroduced as a meaningful component in design. The merging of plate and cloth, which results from the embroidery, distorts the functionality of both items and can be considered a comment on the link between functional objects and compulsory conventions (eating). The patterns of the flower and the dragon are inspired by 14th- and 15th-century Ming vases� This project created by Hella Jongerius links in with my initial ideas for this project. She combines embroidery with ceramics, showing an unexpected way in which these two materials could be joined together. The combination of embroidery or weaving with ceramics is aesthetically pleasing and creates an interesting contrast between the hard and soft materials. In my project the ceramics could act as a protection for the cakes, whereas the weaving/ embroidery could link in with the look of a traditional Polish Easter basket.
willow basket weaving - Chris Baxter Traditional Polish Easter baskets are made out of willow. To further my knowledge about the making process of them, I have contacted a Nottingham based basket weaver - Chris Baxter. I wanted to go and see the way they are made, however she was too busy with her work to meet with me but she sent me a video which explains the making process. This can be seen below.
From the video I have found out that willow grows really well and has very little impact where it grows. It grows around 3 meters a year and is readily available. Most important it is sustainable which means that once its been cut another one will grow in its place. Once cut, the colour of willow will fade to dark brown/ black. Making a basket starts off with sorting and soaking of suitable material. This process can take a very long time. The next step is the weaving. Smaller baskets tend to take longer than bigger ones because they are very fiddly.
https://www.chrisbaxtersbaskets.co.uk/ http://www.peterhatter.com/chris_baxter_the_basketmaker_documentary_nottingham_f.html
wabi - sabi
Wabi - sabi is the Japanese philosophy of accepting the imperfections and making the most of life. It encourages us to focus on the blessings hiding in our daily lives and celebrating the way things are rather than how they should be. In a book called Wabi Sabi Simple, Richard Powell writes that wabi - sabi is “a way of life that appreciates and accepts complexity while at the same time values simplicity... Nothing lasts, nothings is finished, and nothing is perfect�. It can be said that wabi-sabi is like minimalism with a conscious choice. The faults within the objects, such as cracks are not hidden but instead highlighted. An example of this is the art of kintsugi. This is where a cracked pottery is filled with gold dusted lacquer as a way to showcase the beauty of its age and damage rather than hiding it. A similar idea could potentially be used in my slip cast ceramics part, to show the wear of time, to symbolise that my narratives and rituals project is linked with memories from when I was a child.
Polish Easter basket bread the body of Christ egg sign of a resurrecting life horseradish a sign of physical strength and refreshing boxood their green colour refers to hope; the hope of Christians for the resurrection and the infinitude of their lives
lamb symbol of the victory of life over death
homemade cake (babka) a metaphor of skill and perfection
salt symbol of purification
sausage and meat symbolize abundance, health and fertility willow bases according to ancient beliefs provide a reward in Heaven
The custom of celebrating food was born in the 8th century, but it did not reach Poland until the Middle Ages. Initially, all that was eaten during the holidays was made holly. The people did not bring food to the church, only the priest was carolling around the houses and made the food holly. However, now it is the things that you’re going to eat for breakfast that are made holly. This also means that you’re not allowed to eat anything before making the basket holly. As the priests had to go to many houses in one day, the orders were transferred to churches, and the richly set tables turned into symbolic baskets. The priests make the food inside the baskets holy by spraying them with holy water. This always takes place on Holy Saturday.
cake memories Cakes and baking in general have always been a big part of my upbringing. My grandmas as well as my mum always used to bake something and now my mum continues this tradition by baking something almost every week. However there are two types of ‘cakes’ that have a particular importance to me and bring back positive memories.
. . drozdzówka This translated means a ‘yeast bun’ that is usually filled with fruit, cottage cheese or cocoa filling. Drozdzowki have a special place in my heart because they remind me of the time when I lived with my grandmas for a year when my parents first left to go work in England. Back then, almost every morning I would get a freshly baked one that was still warm from a bakery near my grandmas. They remind me of my childhood but also of the year that I spent with my grandmas. Now, every time I go back to Poland, I always bring some back to England for my family.
babeczka Babeczka translates to cupcake. They are filled with custard and topped with fruit, however the way they are made gives them a specific taste that no other place can create. Babeczki are my favourite, and they are the one thing I always have to eat when I go back to Poland. A trip to Poland without one of these is not a completed trip. They also come from the same local bakery that drozdzowki come near my grandma, which ties it all together and reminds me of home and the positive memories that come with it.
how to join these ideas together The main two ideas have been identified; Easter basket and cakes. From the Easter basket idea I am going to use the idea of a woven basket itself and the idea of it containing something precious, something important and worth taking care of. These objects will be the cakes that hold a lot of positive memories for me and in a way bring me back to my childhood.
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woven basket
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cakes
cloth
However, to fit in with the given brief I need to have at least one object that is either slip cast or moulded. This can be done from either ceramics or concrete or any other material that we might chose. Therefore, I am planning on combining the manufacturing method of slip cast ceramics with the idea of a woven basket. This way the basket could act as a protection for the delicate ceramic objects that will go into it. There is also the possibility of joining the ceramics with weaving to create one joint object (as it can be seen below in the photographs).
initial ideas two levels for the two types of cakes
weave it around the bowl to protect it from breaking closing the basket/ bag to cover the cakes for transport
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attach the embroidered cloth to the basket as decoration? But then there is no function. It could still act as a covering like in the Easter basket
mix the idea of traditional wicker? weaving with the slip cast ceramics
initial sketches
initial models - modelling clay without holes
with holes
I had a brief idea of what I wanted the cake containers to look like, therefore the easiest and quickest way to convey these ideas was through modelling. The base bowl is quite simple in its design however the top one needs to stack on top of it. This meant that it would need some kind of a ridge that would prevent it from sliding about. The top bowl could also be covered by a cloth. In this version, the top bowl does not have any holes, which would potentially mean that the cloth would easily slide off it and not serve the desired purpose.
In this model, the top bowl has holes which would be used to tie the cloth in place. There are a few options of how the cloth could be attached (weaving or tying). Further development would need to be made to find out which method is the best. The shape of the bowl would stay the same, however the position and the size of the holes would need to be developed.
top bowl - design development without ridge
with ridge
My first top bowl design did not include a ridge underneath it. During testing of this model, I have found out that there are some problems with it. The top bowl would not stay in the correct position within the bottom bowl as there was nothing limiting its movement. There was a higher risk of the top bowl sliding at an angle to the bottom bowl, which would result in the cakes falling out and being destroyed. A new component needed to be added to guide the position of the top bowl.
The addition of a ridge to the bottom of the top bowl would hugely influence its stability but also improve the user’s experience of using the product. The ridge found at the base would allow the top bowl to fit into the bottom bowl and would prevent it from falling out and sliding into the wrong position. The ridge does not have to be big; it should only act as a way to guide the top bowl to the place where it should stay within the bottom bowl.
bowls - sizing development overall size
what fits in it?
To figure out the overall sizing of both bowls, I have looked at already existing ones. The average hight for a bowl I found to be around 85mm. However, when creating samples I have made ones that were taller than that as I thought they would be of an appropriate height to store the drozdzowki which can be quite high. Seeing the height of these samples in real life made me realise that they are too big for the product I am trying to create, therefore I have picked the average 85mm hight for the base bowl. A similar process was carried out to figure out the height of the top bowl and the diameter of both bowls.
When designing the top bowl, I knew that I wanted at least 4 babeczki (one for each of the people I bring it back for) to fit into it. The best size for this task was the circle with a 200mm diameter. Within that can be put 4-5 babeczki. This size also means that the whole set (as the diameter of the bottom bowl is the same) isn’t too big and therefore will be easy to transport.
top bowl - design development modelling clay models
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Create an outline of the bottom bowl in the correct size (200mm diameter).
Ensure that the wall thickness is around 4mm as this is the thickness I want my bowls to have after they have been slip cast.
Attach a ridge to the cardboard model of the top bowl and see how it fits in with the size of the bottom bowl. From doing this I have found out that the distance between the ridge and the edge of the bowl needs to be quite accurate
The gap between the ridge and the edge of the bowl needs to be the size of the thickness of the bowl to ensure that the top bowl fits in nicely into it but also will not move out of its place easily.
top bowl - shapes option 1
option 2
best option
The angular bowl sides create a more ‘open’ and welcoming feel to the inside of it however it’s shape is too linear for the curvaceousness of the bottom bowl.
option 3
The angle of the sides has decreased however it still looks odd with the rounded base (bottom bowl). Even a slight curve would improve the aesthetics.
This bowl has curved sides and its shape links in with the shape of the bottom bowl. The top is still well open and inviting people to take the cupcakes.
option 4
A bowl with 90 degree sides looks appealing and follows the shape of the bowl upwards. However, creating a 90 degree angle with the process of slip casting is very difficult and might not create the desired results.
top bowl - covering development overall look
functionality
As mentioned in the previous part of this research report, a traditional Polish Easter basket is covered with a cloth to protect all the food inside of it. The cloth that can be seen in these photographs has been in my family for years and is always used to cover our Easter basket. It has been crochet by my great grandma (the one that I lived with for a year at the time when I was getting drozdzowki) and therefore also holds sentimental value. The cloth would fall around the bowl and would not be secured which could result in it slipping off. An attachment idea would need to be developed.
This cloth is supposed to cover and protect the cupcakes that will be placed in the top bowl. However, when slightly uncovered, the cloth dips down which means that it would touch the cupcakes . An ideal position for it would be secured at the level of the top edge of the top bowl. To do this it would possibly need to be tied to it with the use of e.g. a ribbon. This method of tying the cloth with the use of a ribbon is also used in Polish Easter baskets.
weaving - macramé knots Macramé is a form of textile produced using knotting (rather than weaving or knitting) techniques. I have tried out 3 different knots to see what effect they will result in. All of them were quite easy to learn and produced sturdy pieces of tied jute.
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This macramé knot has created a simple net that when put together can create an effective bag or possibly a basket. The hole size can be adjusted so if I were to use this method for my basket I would make the holes smaller to make the basket stronger and so that the cakes are more covered and therefore better protected.
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The outcome of this macramé knot was the most durable and ‘hardest’. The piece of knotted jute was stiff which could be very beneficial when creating a basket. It had very small holes in places which meant that the cakes would be fully protected. However, there is no real visual pattern to it as all the knots ‘blend together’.
Out of all of the attempted macramé knots, this one gave the most aesthetically pleasing effect. The knots created a clear pattern and the holes in between were the right size to show off the ceramic bowls but also keep them protected. The only disadvantage of it is that the knots don’t hold well together, which could risk in the basket breaking.
crotchet Crotchet is a process of creating fabric by interlocking loops of yarn, thread, or strands of other materials using a crochet hook. The name is derived from the French term crochet, meaning ‘small hook’. I have tried out 2 different ways of making a crotchet basket. To learn how to do each of them I’ve followed YouTube videos.
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The outcome of this crochet tutorial is visually appealing and durable. It creates small joints which create some kind of a ‘basket’ look weave. These joints are quite small, therefore it would be more time consuming to create a whole basket using this method.
This crochet method created joints which were bigger than the first method and therefore possibly more time efficient. It created little ‘stars’ which are then joined together one by one. The final outcome is very durable and has no big holes, which is beneficial as it would protect the bowls. It is also lightweight as it has been created out of jute. The hole sizes can be increased by making sure the weave isn’t tight.
joining weaving with crocheting two methods combined Traditional Polish Easter baskets usually incorporate two types of weaving; one for the base and one for the top part of the basket. For my basket, I have decided to join together the crochet part with the woven (macramĂŠ) part. The result of this can be seen in the photo. The crochet part will cover the bottom bowl and the woven part will cover the top one, exposing the aesthetics of the ceramic.
added handle In my basket design there will be continuity of the patterns or methods of weaving/ crocheting. The handle will link in with the weaving technique that will be used to make the part that will cover the top bowl. The weaving method that was used to create the handle was the same as the top part of the basket, however it was tightened more to create a more durable outcome.
handle development two rows
three rows
The handle of the basket is an important part of it as it has to support the weight of the bowls as well as their contents. I have tried to do macramĂŠ weaving for it as I think it would be the best way to create a durable handle. This one, has two rows of knots which creates a delicate and simple handle. Being thinner, there is a risk of it being weaker, however all the knots are strongly tied together, therefore the durability of it should not be a problem. When stretched, it becomes even thinner, therefore a thicker option might create a more desirable effect.
This sample has been completed using 3 rows of knots. The knots that have been used to create this are the same as the middle part of the basket. However these knots are more compact. This creates a nice link between the different parts of the basket and creates and overall flow. When this piece is stretched out it almost resembles the two row piece before it is stretched out. Therefore this piece could potentially suit my final basket better.
testing the basket pieces
1. The modelling clay model was very useful, as I could wrap around it the small samples of woven jute. Doing this has enabled me to possibly decide on the height of the basket and how bit I want the holes in the weave to be. Too big holes will expose the pieces, which could potentially damage them. However, I do not want to fully cover the bowl.
2. The crochet base without a hole, would fully cover the bottom bowl. This would protect it, however it would not expose its aesthetics. I think that at least a little bit of the bottom bowl should be exposed to show that there are two separate compartments for the cakes.
3. In this sample, I have made the hole of the crochet piece bigger. This meant that the base of the bottom bowl would be exposed while still being protected by the jute.
ceramic components - sizing We had a choice of what material we wanted to slip cast and among them were porcelain, fine bone china, terracotta and earthenware. For my project I have decided to go with the standard earthenware, as the material that the bowls will be made out of will not add any extra meaning to it but will rather just act as protection for the cakes. The bowl is meant to hold drozdzowki as they are bigger and the top bowl is meant to hold babeczki as they are smaller. When working with slip cast earthenware, the aspect of it shrinking needs to be taken into consideration. Earthenware will shrink around 10% during the process of drying and firing, therefore the master mould needs to be that much bigger. Doing this will ensure that once dry and fired, all of the earthenware pieces will be the desired size and not smaller. desired size 10% size increase
220 200
242 220
93.5 85
50.5 50
200 220
120 132
making of the plaster mould for slip casting
Create a line in the middle of the chemiwood master mould.
Make a clay wall on the line and soft soap one half of mould.
Apply soft soap to the Repeat the wall other side of the mould process and pour in and side of plaster. the plaster.
Place a wall around the mould and seal it with clay.
Make the plaster and pour it into one half.
Wait an hour and remove the external wall and the clay.
Scrape off the excess plaster to level out both pieces.
Remove the chemiwood master mould.
Place in a drying cabinet for few days.
slip casting process - earthenware
Sieve the slip to get rid of any clumps that might have been created.
Tie the two parts of the plaster mould and pour in the slip.
Leave it in the mould for around 25 mins and pour the slip out of the mould.
Place it at an angle to let the excess slip drip off until it becomes matt.
Once matt, lay the mould flat and get rid of any excess slip that might be around the mould.
Using a damp sponge, clean up any uneven parts of the object.
Before glazing, draw pencil lines on the bowl. They indicate whether the bowl has been covered in glaze.
In the spray booth, apply the glaze evenly around the bowl and clean up any excess.
final design
transporting memories “Transporting memories� is focused around cakes, Polish Easter basket, family and memories. The two bowls which are placed in the basket are for the two types of cakes (drozdzowki and babeczki) that have a particular importance to me and bring back positive memories. They remind me of home (Poland) as well as the time when I lived with my grandmas for a year when my parents first left to go work in England. Whenever I go back to Poland I always get them, and bring them back to England for my family here, therefore the basket acts as a form of transportation for them and the memories that come with them. The basket is similar to Polish Easter baskets, in which people place certain food and go to Church to make it holy. This reinforces the importance of the cakes that are placed inside of it, showing that they are important and meaningful to me. It has an open bottom, leaving the base of the wooden bowl exposed, to show the wear of time on it and that the transportation of memories is continuing to happen. The top bowl is covered with a crochet napkin that has been made by my great-grandma, with who I lived for that year which was previously mentioned. It acts as a protection for the cakes in the top bowl but also links back to the idea of a Polish Easter basket, as it is the same napkin that my family uses every year to cover the food in our Easter basket.
evaluation WHAT WENT WELL AND WHAT DID I LEARN? - This project enabled me to learn the process of slip casting and glazing. I was able to make my own plaster moulds which later have been used to create my earthenware bowls. Using a new material as well as a new process enabled me to meet people from the School of Art & Design, which could come in useful in my future projects. - Using a new material pushed me to experiment and try out new things that without completing this project I wouldn’t have done. - Wanting to create a woven basket, I was able to improve my crochet skills as well as weaving skills. Creating small samples gave me an idea of what the outcomes of different patterns and methods are and which ones would best suit my project. WHAT WERE THE PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND THE SOLUTIONS TO THEM? - The slip casting process was very time consuming and there was limited time that we were able to spend in the slip casting workshop. This meant that at times the mould making process or slip casting process were holding up the rest of the project, as without having my slip cast piece I wasn’t able to continue making other parts of my final outcome. - Due to the limited amount of plaster, I was unable to make both of my bowls out of earthenware, which was my initial idea. However, this problem was solved by making the top bowl out of earthenware and the bottom out of wood (elm). - The time management problem has been overcome by changing the initial order of making things; the wooden bowl was turned before my slip cast bowl was done so that they would be completed for the deadline. However this caused further problems, as my slip cast bowl ended up not fitting into my wooden bowl (due to the shrinking; it didn’t shrink as much as I was told it would). This problem was fixed by adjusting my designs and adding a cork base to the top bowl. FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS To further improve my outcomes, I would re-do my wooden bowl. I would ensure that the earthenware one nicely sits in it (with the use of the ridges which were designed for it). In addition, I would use a different material to create my basket; a material that doesn’t flake as much. This was an issue as the basket is made to hold food, therefore, having bits of jute fall off onto the bowls isn’t ideal. I would also try to add some colour to the design, whether this being through the cloth, the material that the basket is made out of or the colour of the ceramics. This is to make these objects seem more positive and lively, while still keeping the natural feel of the materials that the bowls and the basket are made out of.
2019