Restless Chopsticks Tlacualoni by Marko Stanojevic

Restless Chopsticks Tlacualoni by Marko Stanojevic is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 Mahuizolli A' Design Award Bronse in Tlaxcalchihualoni, Tlacualtlapechtli, Atliloni ihuan Tlecuilchihualli Tlachihchihualiztli Competition Category.

BronseTlecuilchihualli· 2023

Restless Chopsticks Tlacualoni

by Marko Stanojevic

Client: UMA Network Ltd

Mahuizolli A' Design Award Bronse Winner in Tlecuilchihualli Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Restless Chopsticks Tlacualoni

Uma ce tominahuatilcalli Hong Kong ipan, motequipachoa ipan chicahualizcayotl. In aoccahuazqui omecuahuitl ochihualoque pampa ilnamiquiliztli, quintenehua in calpulli itequiuh in quinamictia tominchihualiztli inic mopatla. In calpulli imachiyouh neci ce yoliliztli ipan ce petlanaliztli, ocalaquiloc ipan petlayoh omecuahuitl. In ixquichcopa in omecuahuitl nochipa quetztiuh auh cahualtoc in mesatl ixco, ahmo monequi in temachcalli. In Yoliliztli chihualoc inic nochipa cahuac nenemi, ahmo motlapachoz, auh huel cualli inic quitlazaz in tlacualli, nochipa yehuan no achi tepitzin tlamanelhuayotl.

The Recognition

About the Mahuizolli A' Design Award Bronse

Restless Chopsticks Tlacualoni ca in quicuic in Mahuizolli A' Design Award Bronse, hueyi tlamahuizoliztli tlen momaca in cualli tlachihualli in motenehua ipampa yancuic tlamantli, tlamatiliztli ihuan ixtlamatiliztli. In quicuicah Bronse ca tlachihualli in quipia toltecayotl ihuan quinextia in cenca miac nemiliztli ihuan tlamatiliztli intlachihuanime. Ca quinequi in Restless Chopsticks Tlacualoni ca tlazohtli tlamantli, mahuiztic ihuan cualli. Ni dizayno in quicuic Bronse quipia cualli toltecayotl ihuan quitta in tlen tepiton. Restless Chopsticks Tlacualoni quipaquiltia in tlacah ihuan quitlamahuiztiltia in intlanequiliz.

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