Production Ceramics, Spring 2017, Instructors: Kate Blacklock, Michael Lamar
Geometric Cup
A slipcast cup utilizing geometric shapes to inform ergonomics.
Prompt | Timeline: 3 Weeks
Design the drinking vessel that you have always wanted to drink out of. It should hold at least 8 oz. of hot liquid, have a handle, and sit well on the table. It should be comfortable to drink out of, and most importantly, enhance the experience of drinking.
Process
Analyzing my own drinking experiences, I enjoy being able to feel the warmth of the liquid inside a mug, and being able to fit most of my fingers in the handle. I thought about how I hold mugs, and realized the shape could be informed by circles and squares.
Clockwise from top left: Initial sketch model of cup concept, initial sketch model of cup, to-scale model of cup, preparing the scaled model for pouring the first half of the mold, setup for the second half mold pour, taking out the first slipcast cup from the mold
To achieve a cup that would end up at the correct size after firing, I created a scaled model based off a to-scale model. I created a three-part mold in order to have a foot at the bottom of my mug.
After casting, I trimmed the pour gate to form the lip of the cup. I also experimented with carving into the mold to create surface texture.
I explored with different glaze treatments: glaze dipping and hand-painting.
The shape of the cups allows them to nestle together in order to reduce shelf space.
