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Form Follows Culture
Drinking Objects Designed to..
Abstract
We all use everyday objects as part of our daily routines, but the way we use them varies from one culture to another. Using George Herbert Mead’s study of human conduct and Louis H. Sullivan’s credo, “Form follows function,” this thesis examines the cultural meanings and implications surrounding the fundamental act of drinking water. Using a methodology of iterative, exploratory making, a collection of glass vessels explores philosophical and physical manifestations of Islamic cultural principles derived from the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ï·º. With the goal of restoring cultural integrity to our daily activities, the work highlights specific cultural traditions and values, offering a critical examination of our interactions with everyday objects.
Full thesis publication can be downloaded through this link:
Still is designed to be built-in, embedded in the house. It embodies the cultural principle of drinking when seated. The relationship to sitting is communicated in the way Still is installed (on a wall, at the height of a seated user’s mouth), and also by the furniture-like wooden housing that locks and supports the drinking object. The position of the drinking furniture preferences a vertical seated position. Because it pivots and tilts, it will accommodate a user’s personal ergonomic preferences, becoming a personal entity that is comfortable to use when users are seated. The rotation and movement involved in sipping trigger a symbiotic relationship between user and object.
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