Thursday, November 19, 2009

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Hand in Hand is:



Hand in Hand is a design partnership comprised of the (soon to be wed!) Michael Riha and Natalie Pfister. Their design is influenced by the everyday occurrence of objects, how we utilize our resources and the inherent beauty of materials. They love to work, particularly together, although they have mostly shown independently.
Michael has shown work internationally at Salone del Mobile as well as within the United States, most recently with Deceptive Design at The Chicago Cultural Center. His work primarily focuses on furniture and objects within a domestic setting, how we live and how that is influenced by object use.
Natalie is currently producing work with "micro manufacture" methods in mind, bringing ideas of local into conversation with ceramic production. Her work focuses on tableware and food systems and how social comment can lead to practical movement within the context of design.

Frank & Edmund



Frank & Edmund is a series of objects that transform an iconic mason jar into modern tableware. The series is named after Frank and Edmund Ball the original producers of the Ball Jar, which became so superfluous that mason jars became known as Ball jars. The containers commonly used for preservation and storage are re-purposed as drinking vessels, pitchers, mugs, shakers and even juicers creating an addendum to this American icon. Each object or addendum is handmade from porcelain and attached via the threaded mouth of the jar. The elegance of porcelain paired with the inherent beauty of cast glass compliment and draw attention to the tactility of the materials and the feeling that is related to the use. Moving from juicer to storage container the user is able to utilize the adaptability of the porcelain objects and re-use a common household vessel in a sustainable way.