(Video link HERE.) Master life-hacker/improviser Dave Hax shows how to make a spoon out of a plastic bottle. It reminds us of “Found” the beautiful metal-coated plastic cutlery by designer Oscar Diaz in 2009, featured in Dezeen.

Photographs of Diaz’s process show the kind of “x-ray vision” a clever designer employs when looking at a material.

 

dezeen.com
dezeen.com

According to Dezeen:

Since there is so many shapes already available, with each brand fighting to be seen on the shelves, Oscar’s approach has been to work more as an editor rather that a designer, and just select the bottles for their shapes to make the cutlery set.

The parts were selected so the cutlery is easy to pick up from the table and performs like any other cutlery. The design process starts on the supermarket were the bottles are selected by their curves. The use of those available shapes, allows a small batch production without the need for any mould. Each set is unique due to the hand-cut nature of each piece.

Using a process normally employed to produce intricate metal instruments, the plastic cuttings are coated with copper and then tin plated for a metallic finish. While mixing handcraft and uncommon processes, the project represents a twist on the re-use of existing objects and makes evidence of an environment clearly saturated with shapes.

By finding objects within objects, “Found” suggests that we can look afresh and reevaluate our surroundings by uncovering the beauty hidden on banal, disposable objects. The result is a simple and understated cutlery set with a “familiar “look.

 

dezeen.com
dezeen.com

For us, this answers the WHY of making a spoon from plastic bottles. It may indeed come in handy during an emergency, but even better, it helps cultivate “x-ray design thinking” to solve problems.

 

For more examples, check out Dave Hax’s YouTube channel.

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