Monthly Archives: May 2011

In the forward of Hideyuki Oka’s classic 1965 book, How to Wrap Five Eggs,  a compendium of traditional Japanese packaging materials, methods and applications, George Nelson, design director for Herman Miller and creator of countless iconic modern designs, wrote, ‘We have lost… a once-common sense of fitness in the relationships between hand, material, use, and shape, and above all, a sense of delight in the look and feel of very ordinary, humble things’. His words reference the care taken in the use of natural fibers, ropes, and materials to create an intricate product, infused with a sense of ritual and culture, a counter to the modern world’s standard of mass-production and immediate gratification that has only continued to heighten as a global economy characterized by technology and communications has inevitably caused a shift away from the beauty of process and the handmade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, with that said, I thought I’d get a little crafty this month and share some favorite means of creating, repurposing, and sharing.  Like many architects, I came to this practice from a childhood love of drawing, making and art, which I continue to foster today, as design is a multidisciplinary practice highly connected to the innate need to create.  With the efficiency and advantages that advanced technologies allow for today, it makes that relationship to the handmade even more important.

Growing up, my mother always used to (and still does) tell us that she simply wants a card, a note, a few words of our own, instead of our buying something she most likely doesn’t need.  I took that to heart and never looked back, and to this day, I make her something for every holiday.

This year, I experimented with some leftover ribbon, a needle, thread and kraftpaper and ended up with the package at the left.

On Valentine’s, a bit of basswood, a twig and a scrap of felt did the trick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the increasing popularity of the DIY movement and maker culture in recent years, we’re exposed to and inspired by the talents of friends, acquaintances and colleagues, and I’ve found that by sharing our diverse insights and range of skills, we can collectively empower and enable one another.  That connectedness to the world around us, whether it be through relationships, food, invention, gardening, or what have you- is truly very meaningful.  For me, it has always been a means of not only expressing myself creatively, but of showing friends and family my appreciation of them, through the time, consideration and attention to detail found in something personally crafted for you by hand.

I mentioned Japanese tradition at the beginning of this post, and it looks like I’ll end on that note, as origami and paper folding is a favorite form of creating, as well as a therapeutic means of relaxation, enabling focus and calm in the midst of the fast pace of the world around us.  Well, for me, at least…

Have a great weekend! LM