Restless Chopsticks Servies by Marko Stanojevic

Restless Chopsticks Servies by Marko Stanojevic is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award in Brons in Bakgerei, Serviesgoed, Drinkgerei en Kookgerei Ontwerp Competition Category.

BronsKeukengerei· 2023

Restless Chopsticks Servies

by Marko Stanojevic

Client: UMA Network Ltd

A' Design Award in Brons Winner in Keukengerei Category

17,836

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 Servies

Uma is een durfkapitaalbedrijf uit Hong Kong dat zich richt op creatieve economieën. Rusteloze eetstokjes zijn ontworpen als aandenken en vertegenwoordigen de waarde van het bedrijf om middelen te investeren om verandering teweeg te brengen. Het bedrijfslogo lijkt op een puls op een platte lijn, die is ingebed in een plat omlijnd eetstokje. Het voorste deel van een eetstokje wordt altijd opgetild en weggehouden van het tafeloppervlak, waardoor de eetstokjessteun niet meer nodig is. De Pulse is ontworpen om altijd voldoende uit elkaar te blijven, niet te botsen, en is functioneel geldig voor het oppakken van voedsel, tot aan de meest veeleisende kleine hapjes.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Brons

Restless Chopsticks Servies is winnaar van de A' Design Award in Brons, een hoogst prestigieuze erkenning die wordt toegekend aan uitstekende ontwerpen die zich onderscheiden door creativiteit, vindingrijkheid en scherpzinnigheid. Winnaars in Brons zijn ruimschoots vaardige en opvallend creatieve artefacten die de grote ervaring, verbeelding en het vernuft van hun ontwerpers bevestigen. Restless Chopsticks Servies wordt verwacht een hooggewaardeerd, bewonderd en gekoesterd object te zijn dat opmerkelijk professioneel en innovatief is. Dit ontwerp dat de A' Design Award in Brons heeft gewonnen, verwerkt de beste praktijken in kunst, wetenschap, ontwerp en technologie en is uitstekend door zijn aandacht voor detail. Restless Chopsticks Servies bevredigt schitterend behoeften, raakt verlangens, charmeert gevoelens en spreekt de nieuwsgierigheid aan.

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