Sissi-Hairpin and Fruit Swing
Isabella Emi Nakamizu Wiesen
Sissi is a modernized take on a beautifully ornate south Tyrollean hair pin and bun holder that is gender neutral and minimalist. The hair pin has a uniquely embedded hair tie that facilitates the fastening of the pin and keeps your hair bound comfortably and tightly away from your face all day.
The Fruit Swing is a spacious, simply constructed fruit platter. Its two tiered, open design leaves space for all your fruit to be on full display, and its delightful tilting mechanism brings a spark of joy into your daily life!
Hair comes in countless different forms, lengths, textures and thicknesses and with it, countless different objects used to style it. Not only do these styles vary in practicality and functionality, they also allow for self-expression. Throughout history, every culture has developed unique ways to tie up hair, and the remains of these methods-whether they be preserved as objects or immortalized in paintings-offer a window to the past from which we can better understand the beauty standards, social hierarchies and cultural values of each region and era.
Objects are often created as means to solve a problem a society, or members of it, are facing. While many of these problems shift with the advent and recession of cultural practices, norms, and sustenance, gathering and fixing long hair up and away from the face has always persisted. Tackling this problem meant taking my source material- hairpiece of south Tyrolean heritage-and creating something befitting our current social trends, needs and standards while still paying homage to the very aspects that made the source material unique.
The object needed to be simple, easy to produce and, the most important parameter I had set for myself: change an object stemming from a very unique, homogenous culture with particular cultural practices, to a product for a globalized society, with mixed heritages, and therefore, mixed types of hair.
Hair comes in countless different forms, lengths, textures and thicknesses and with it, countless different objects used to style it. Not only do these styles vary in practicality and functionality, they also allow for self-expression. Throughout history, every culture has developed unique ways to tie up hair, and the remains of these methods-whether they be preserved as objects or immortalized in paintings-offer a window to the past from which we can better understand the beauty standards, social hierarchies and cultural values of each region and era.
Objects are often created as means to solve a problem a society, or members of it, are facing. While many of these problems shift with the advent and recession of cultural practices, norms, and sustenance, gathering and fixing long hair up and away from the face has always persisted. Tackling this problem meant taking my source material- hairpiece of south Tyrolean heritage-and creating something befitting our current social trends, needs and standards while still paying homage to the very aspects that made the source material unique.
The object needed to be simple, easy to produce and, the most important parameter I had set for myself: change an object stemming from a very unique, homogenous culture with particular cultural practices, to a product for a globalized society, with mixed heritages, and therefore, mixed types of hair.
The shift from the source material to the final product was a much more abstract transformation than the former design sprint. This sprint began with an object whose use has become all but obsolete to the majority of people today: A cream skimmer, which was used to gather the thin layer of fat that formed when freshly (milked) milk was left to sit. The curved handle and thick hook at the end initially caught my attention, yet it took a closer look at the cultural significance of the cream skimmer paired with a bit of playful sketching to arrive at the final design of this object.
I first began sketching the cream skimmer to better understand its shape, then began taking its pieces apart and rearranging them to create a completely different shape and therefore function. By flipping the handle and the hook around to face the ladle, I arrived at a bowl-like construction with a prominent hook that recalled a fruit bowl. The full transformation of this object came only with the research of important aspects for a fruit bowl, and examining the history of the cream skimmer. The cream skimmer is a product of an agricultural society like south tyrol in the 18th century, traces of which still echo prominently in their society today. It is a crudely constructed object obviously well used over probably decades, its sides chipped and scratched from repeated use. The object is not one of aesthetic beauty, to be displayed and admired from afar, but a soundly constructed, functional one. These were the aspects that resonated most strongly within me, and therefore the ones I felt imperative to include in my new design to strengthen the link between it and the source material.
The shift from the source material to the final product was a much more abstract transformation than the former design sprint. This sprint began with an object whose use has become all but obsolete to the majority of people today: A cream skimmer, which was used to gather the thin layer of fat that formed when freshly (milked) milk was left to sit. The curved handle and thick hook at the end initially caught my attention, yet it took a closer look at the cultural significance of the cream skimmer paired with a bit of playful sketching to arrive at the final design of this object.
I first began sketching the cream skimmer to better understand its shape, then began taking its pieces apart and rearranging them to create a completely different shape and therefore function. By flipping the handle and the hook around to face the ladle, I arrived at a bowl-like construction with a prominent hook that recalled a fruit bowl. The full transformation of this object came only with the research of important aspects for a fruit bowl, and examining the history of the cream skimmer. The cream skimmer is a product of an agricultural society like south tyrol in the 18th century, traces of which still echo prominently in their society today. It is a crudely constructed object obviously well used over probably decades, its sides chipped and scratched from repeated use. The object is not one of aesthetic beauty, to be displayed and admired from afar, but a soundly constructed, functional one. These were the aspects that resonated most strongly within me, and therefore the ones I felt imperative to include in my new design to strengthen the link between it and the source material.
This Hair pin and bun holder was found at the Tyroler Volkskunstmuseum in Innsbruck. It is comprised of a stiff, bent piece of fabric that is stretched over the hair, and then fastened with the pin, securing the hair to the bun holder.
The source material for the fruit swing is a cream skimmer, which was used to gather the layer of fat that would form if raw milk was left out. Using this fat, cream, cheese or butter could be later made. The idea for creating a fruit platter came when deconstructing the parts of the cream skimmer, reimagining the spoon part as a bowl and the handle as a support structure for a second tier.
This is the 1:1 scale model made based off the source material.
This is a 1:1 reconstruction of a cream skimmer, the source material for the fruit swing.
This Hair pin and bun holder is from the Tyroler Volkskunstmuseum in Innsbruck. It is comprised of a piece of fabric that is stretched over the hair, and works in conjunction with a pin that is inserted to fasten the hair to the fabric.
As Found. Design Inspiration from Regional Folk Craft Museums.
