09/01/2012

Objects of Empathy by Miya Kondo

A little while back I consciously decided to take my foot off the gas on the ceramics front, in view of keeping our content diverse. However the craft element of pottery has continued to inspire me daily, especially some particular pieces which embody the design ethos often found in Scandinavia and Japan, this being less design evoking more substance.

Many of you will know that German designer Dieter Rams has been a big inspiration to us here on the site, conincidently Mark is actually sharing a post on his work today. So it’s no surprise to see creations from other designers who look to embody a similar philosophy like Miya Kondo for example who has produced some breathtaking vessels which you can see above and below.

However on further inspection I think you can find quite distinct differences in their approach, Dieter if you listen to him speak about his work is very driven by function and constructing the form around this. Where as Miya believes that through the form each individual can find their own personal function, I guess you could say Miya’s works are a little more open ended. I’m a big admirer of both and I guess that everybody will have their own personal preference of what they believe is the best way to approach design.

I think Mr Ram’s work is always as beautiful aesthetically as it is functional so it’s hard for me to look beyond his process. However I found Miya’s work immensely inspiring and she’s an individual I will continually look to for inspiration and I’d encourage you to do so as well. I’ll leave you all with a quote which Miya actually uses on her webpage to summarise this project as I felt it rounds off this post nicely:

“Functioning is not merely the function of things, but also their mystery.” – Jean Baudrillard

www.miyakondo.com