designer spotlight: mariana tocornal

Mariana Tocornal is a Chilean designer who started in graphic design but has since moved to experiemental product design. "The designer's idea is to confront people with the challenge of finding a way to relate to an object of recognizable form but untypical material, in order to make them reflect on it," according to Treehugger.com.

[Beecups]

According to the designer "Beecups have been interpreted as decorative objects, flower vases, candle holders or as containers for jewelry, dice, seeds, sand, sugar, and even warm tea. Some less conventional uses range from determining the position of the sun, to more aggressive drives such as fulfilling the need to bite them, melt them or cut them in slices. There is no correct use for these objects, they are meant to be ambiguous so that each person can claim though physical or conceptual customization."

[left: 100 plasticina; right:Pluck Bowl]

The designer has other playful, confusing designs including bowls made out of play dough that never dries, allowing the owner to choose to leave the shape as is or mold it, called 100% plasticina. Pluck Bowls, also shown above, are a study on "functionality, materiality and memory, according to Tocornal."

Designer's website and first photocredit. Originally found on Treehugger, photocredit for other images.