Restless Chopsticks Taputapu by Marko Stanojevic

Restless Chopsticks Taputapu by Marko Stanojevic is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award Parahi in Hoahoa Taputapu Tunu, Rīhi, Inu me te Kuku Competition Category.

ParahiTaputapu Kīhini· 2023

Restless Chopsticks Taputapu

by Marko Stanojevic

Client: UMA Network Ltd

A' Design Award Parahi Winner in Taputapu Kīhini Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #145167

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Restless Chopsticks Taputapu

Ko Uma he kamupene whakapaipai Hong Kong e arotahi ana ki nga ohanga auaha. I hoahoatia nga tapatapahi okiokinga hei taonga maumahara, e tohu ana i te uara o te kamupene mo te whakangao rauemi hei whakarereke. Ko te tohu o te kamupene he rite ki te pupuhi i runga i te raina papatahi, i whakauruhia ki roto i te tapatapahi raina papatahi. Ko te taha o mua o te tapatapahi ka hikina ake, ka waiho kia matara atu i te mata o te teepu, kia kore ai e hiahiatia te okiokinga tapatapahi. I hoahoatia te Pulse kia noho wehe tonu, kia kaua e tukituki, he whai mana hoki mo te kohi kai ake, tae noa ki nga ngau iti tino uaua.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Parahi

Ko Restless Chopsticks Taputapu te toa o te A' Design Award Parahi, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa kōeke e tohua ana mā te auaha, te mahi mōhio me te whakaaro hōhonu. Ko ngā toa Parahi he mahi pukenga e rite ana, he auaha mīharo, e whakatūturu ana i te wheako nui, te whakaaro me te mōhio-ā-ringa o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Restless Chopsticks Taputapu he taonga whakanuia, whakamīharotia, aroha nui, he ngaio, he auaha hoki. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Parahi e whakauru ana i ngā tikanga pai rawa i te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau, ā, he tino mīharo ki ngā taipitopito. Ka whakatutuki a Restless Chopsticks Taputapu i ngā hiahia, ka pā ki ngā hiahia, ka whakaoho i ngā kare-ā-roto, ā, ka kume i te pākiki.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The body of a chopstick is divided into sections: one at top is held by hand and the other one at the tip comes in contact with food and mouth, with an overlooked neutral zone between them. This zone is where the design intervention took place - a ‘distancer’ shaped like the company logo (a Pulse on the flat line) was inserted, elevating the tip of the chopstick away from the surface however it dropped down, eliminating the need for a chopstick rest. This is done, regarding the positioning and size, so that the chopsticks remain functional and do not collide when in use.
Dimensions & Packaging: The product is 260mm long, with 7.5mm width at the back end and 3.5 at the front. The Pulse segment itself is 25mm long and 13.5mm wide between the maximum-distance points. This makes the front end always elevated from the surface by a minimum of 5.5mm.
Tags: Tableware, chopsticks, utensils, tradition, narrative design, memento object
Production Technology: The product is made of titanium with bi-color titanium coating (dark gray and gold), all food-grade. Surface is polished in two steps allowing for two finishes.
Design Challenge: It was a challenge to transform an ordinary object, a pair of chopsticks, into a future-proofing tradition and contemporized heritage. Their beautiful simplicity is only disturbed by the fact that a third object is actually needed in the etiquette of how they are used - a chopstick rest. This contradiction of “clean two that actually need a third” to work properly made the design direction clear: find a way for the purpose that the chopstick rest is for to be fulfilled, but without the rest.
Research: Remaining true to East Asian heritage, the Pulse (life) segment is titanium coated in golden color with polished surface finish, while the straight parts (flat line) of the chopstick are titanium coated in matte dark gray with brushed finish to create contrast between the two. Each polishing and titanium-gold coating of the Pulse is on purpose done in a low controlled manner against highly controlled and repetitive-mass-production feel of the brushed, dark-gray flat line parts of the object. Allowing shiny, golden randomness to happen is in tune to the actual beauty of randomness of a real life. Finally, on a very concrete level, it makes each chopstick piece unique and special.
Inspiration: UMA is a Hong Kong venture capital company focused on creative economies. The task was to design a multi-facetted communication object representing the company's values (invest resources to make a change), but also to be able to function independently in a retail environment. A set of chopsticks, iconic and recognizable, culturally relevant, was a chosen as a topic. UMA logo, a Pulse on the flat line, was embedded into a flat-lined chopstick becoming its' functional, aesthetical and communication core, all in one stroke.
Project Duration: Hong Kong SAR, China
Operation Flow: Chopsticks with no rest :)
Patents: UMA Network Limited
Image Credits: UMA Network Limited