Imprint
Glasgow School of Art / 2019 / Individual project
Every year, fourth year Product Design Engineering students at the Glasgow School of Art design and make a batch of 10 products, to be sold at the Contemporary Centre for Arts (CCA) in Glasgow.
This project led me to create Imprint, a sculptural product consisting of two parts - a concrete pot atop a plinth made from plaster.
This project led me to create Imprint, a sculptural product consisting of two parts - a concrete pot atop a plinth made from plaster.
Both used in construction, plaster and concrete have interesting reputations within culture - concrete particularly linked to the Brutalist architectural era in the 1950s - but the two materials both provide a blank canvas for personality and expression. Pairing these two materials together brings out their differences, the plaster’s smooth and somewhat soft surface highlighting the imperfect roughness of the raw concrete’s texture.
The design brings these two materials together to create a pared back, understated product designed as a platform to showcase other items that express the owner’s personality. The contrast in textures is further complemented through purity in form - the circular concrete pot sits heavily against a brutalist-style plaster plinth, leaving an imprint in it’s wake.
The project has taught me a lot about time constraints and the quality expected within the retail world, and it was very enjoyable to have a hands-on experience working with raw materials to create a product from scratch.
The project has taught me a lot about time constraints and the quality expected within the retail world, and it was very enjoyable to have a hands-on experience working with raw materials to create a product from scratch.
