The ideas generation process

After choosing the crafting professions of my interest, I began to generate ideas, that would demonstrate my design assumptions. Recalling to the learning agreement, I imagined products to be the celebration of craftsmen work, its reinterpretation and ‘new’ application into contemporary everyday use objects (reinventing the used materials and processes).
I have started to think about the types of objects that can reflect planned intentions and how they can evoke curiosity, increasing the demand and making the products desirable. Also, what is captivating in the selected craft professions and the objects which represents them.

The leather slippers or kierpce shoes have intriguing and unusual patterns, being the creation of stamping and punching holes techniques. The long process of making, with a great attention to details has a wide appeal to many people looking for true craftsmanship.

      
The initial idea was to treat the leather with this beautiful pattern as an upholstery for a stool or a chair. Making a decorative seating or backrest, where the cutouts would let the light to go through, creating a specific atmosphere, allowing light effects and dramatic shadows.

Although, after the consultation and feedback, this idea has evolved into a slightly different direction. I began to question leather as a material, and reviewing its existence in specific products.
One of the options that came across was to create a lamp shade, showcasing the leather patterning as a function. This would require investigation and testing, and would be part of the design process.

In terms of using the carving technique of wooden spoons, there was an intention to apply it into a bigger scale object and make a connection with contemporary material and its treatment process, referring back to the digital craft agenda.
In this case, the seating part meant to be made of plastic or other contemporary material and the back of it would it been covered in chiseled wooden shell, creating the combination of old and new, the handmade and machined. Forcing the users to reflect on which side would they prefer to sit on.
This concept was quickly rejected, in terms of short time for this project, and the complexity it had. I felt I was missing my main intention and what is important in this particular study.

At this stage, rather than designing the whole object using this technique, I decided to concentrate on detail, which would require me to design smaller scale parts. Spokeshaved chair legs with hand touched texture represent the carving technique, closely related to the wooden spoon inspiration.

The third idea was to combine these two techniques together in one object and create a lamp with wooden top merging with leather patterned bottom.

Having all these initial thoughts and ideas, my next step is to take a trip to Poland and hopefully meet the artisans that would introduce me to their world of craftsmanship . This will help me with a better understanding of the described techniques and will make the concepts become reality.