Introduction
I purchased flameless candles during the Halloween preparation as a safer alternative to decorate the room. Unfortunately, one of them came broken. The weakness of electric devices in comparison to traditional objects is they do not always function as expected. Which raised my contemplation of the functionality and designed purpose of candles.
– Frist Observations
During the process of sketching, I discovered modern LED candles are neatly imitating wax candles. They are cylinder-shaped, plastically made with limited information shown on the appearance. In terms of photographing, the lack of wax texture make it hard to identify as a candle without turning the light on.
Background Researches
- Quantitative research
I always start with quantitative research at the stage of information gathering. It provides me with all different aspects and helps me to decide which particular direction I want to dig deeper. For my object, I researched broadly by sourcing its historical, cultural significance, Intended uses, the evolution of materials, designs, etc.
- Qualitative research
To better process my deconstruction, I specifically focused on finding valuable articles surrounding the form and function of candles. As a result, I chose two articles that focus on the historical evolution of wax candles and the invention of Flameless candles. They worked pretty well in supporting my analysis and comparisons.
Reliable Sourcing: Flameless candles are alternatives developed to enhance the lighting functions of traditional wax candles. Hence, my initial research direction was centered on the inventor of wax candles. I used official sites including the E-Book Centre and The New School Library resources.
Interesting take aways: Both deconstructing reconstructions discover the relationship between the function of an object to its form. The articles I find stated the original function of my object; “the initiation of the evolutionary process of the candle may be illuminate.” The author provided historical narratives on the evolution of combustion materials. I find it interesting that the scenery functions of candles were discovered when scientists focused on developing the illuminative purpose. However, this sub-function maintained the demand for candles in the era of electricity. The article pointed out different perspectives in defining functions provide opportunities for objects to evolve and exist. Overall, the article helped me to gain a better understanding of the object by knowing its how and why it is in its present form.
Self relations:My grandmother used to make candles herself. She taught me Early Chinese candles are said to have been molded in paper tubes, using rolled rice paper for the wick, and wax from an indigenous insect that was combined with seeds.
Wax candles hold both cultural and historical significance in China. During the Sung Dynasty, candles measure the passage of time. Hence, the primary function of the candle holder is to provide a secure and safe base for measuring the amount of wax melted. Over time, such a common phenomenon has transformed into a romantic sense. “Burn oneself to the ground for the sake of others.” The lingering sense of tragedy fits the collective psychology of Chinese elders.
Nowadays, electric candles are popularised; the candle holder is transformed into a decorative object rather than serve its function. Inspired by such transformation and its traditional means, I started to see the candle holder as a protector of old traditions from the passage of time. Like how it used to protect flame from wind, it is now warning people of the traditions that have been fading away.
Deconstructions
Documentation:
- In terms of documentation, I started by laying out my elements on a blank paper and took a photo from the top plain view. The layout worked well for this view. However, the photo does not shown the height and thickness of my objects. Hence, I decided to take another picture form the front elevation.
- The front elevations shows was disrupted by the messy background. Additionally, it did not work for the small elements. At this point, both angles have pros and cons, I decide to photoshop these two views together. Which worked pretty well by giving a detailed documentation of each part that I deconstructed.
Reconstruction concept
Inspirations: When I look at my deconstructed elements, I put the candle case upside down; it reminds me of containers. Then I associate its cylinder shape with a cup. I shared the idea with my group, and we got so inspired and excited with this concept. Taking it as a starting point, I started to relate other things to the “cup”. I figured out the glasses frame can be connected with its broken legs differently and form the structure of a spoon. Other members in my group suggested the glasses leg can also become chopsticks by slightly adjusting the shape and add o the length. As a result, we decided to reconstruct our objects into a set of tableware. I loved this concept since Chopsticks played a significant role in my own culture.
The intended function: Although we have a lot of deconstructed elements to choose from, the overall size was limited. My idea was to use as many parts as possible to create an in-scale piece functions physically. However, my group members stuck on making a mini display that holds a decoration function. Our progress paused due to disagreement. After seeking suggestions from the professor, we decided to go with my idea, make a table set in scale. We also expect it has cultural and educational functions by representing the beauty of traditional hand tools.
The Process of Making
What did work at this stage:
The aluminum tube was pretty soft to cut with a hacksaw. The colour of the tube fits with the glass leg pretty well. Since we pre-measure the diameter, hence the cross-section of the tube and the glass leg are perfectly connected.
Challenges / What did not work:
We are unfamiliar with the tools we have and made several misbehaves we should reflect on and take care of in the future. We should have the object close and firmly held to avoid the danger and make the cut as clear as possible. We did this wrong by holding a tube on a flat table, it kept rolling around and made the job harder to do.
The same mistake was made when chopping the frame of the glass. Although we realised we should not hold the material down with our hands and use pliers instead, it is still dangerous and not desirable. A key takeaway from this process is I will think carefully and learn more about my tools and materials before getting into practice.
The second challenge came with the decision of using a hot glue gun. The first failure is the aluminum tube is hollowed hence the attaching point is thin. And there is a trade off of the glue gun, it dries out quickly but is not strong enough to hold two parts together. In order to repair this, we decided to make a wire binding to enforce the connection.
The design certainly created a stronger connection between the two sections. However, the surface of the silicon is smoother than the steel. The wire binding on silicon starts to slide off. Which made the bind look not as good. On top of that, the steel surface starts to get dark and dirty as we rub it on its surface. As a solution, we plan to cover it with fabric in the later process. 
Stage Summary
- The discovery of wire as a suitable making material
The majority of our creation used wires (the connection of chopsticks, the base of the spoon, and most decorations). However, we also discovered some pros and cons of this particular material. It is beneficial for construction use due to its flexibility. The trade-off is they always sell in rolls, it is hard to straighten with hands; it leads to the inaccuracy of our work. Additionally, wires come in different colours. We selected 20 gauge copper wire for decorations. For two reasons, first, they come in a pretty golden colour, which lightens up our design. Second, it is soft and easy to create patterns. For binding and connections, we used 16 gauge wire. It is stronger but needs a lot of force to bend.
Our choice of the material also included both cultural and historical significance. One of our group members came from Korea, which has chopsticks flat and made of metal. The form makes them easy to wash with hot water, eco-friendly through reusability, and simple to handle, especially with hot food. Metal is also far more durable than wood or bamboo. In ancient Chinese culture, royalties prefer metal chopsticks as it indicates why the food is poisoned or not. As a result, we decided to remain and emphasize the metal elements of our design to suggest its cultural function.
An overthrow to the Original plan
After the class critique we decided to start all over again. Two major reasons are encountered with the original version. First, the wire turns undesirable as a connection material, it gets loose and starts to bend. Second, from an aesthetic point of view, the wire gets dirty after we rub so much. As a result, we researched into the materials features and decided to use modelling clay as a better connecting material.
Material choice: Materials choice plays a significant role in maximising the design. We chose clay sheets to raper around the connections. The reason is clay sheet is thin so it maintains an even and light connection point. Which gives a neat result with efficient time.
The materials worked out perfectly, it formed a much stronger connection and is neat in the aesthetic point of view. What did not work out so well is the clay is soluble in the water. Such a feature is not so desirable in terms of the chopstick functions.
Solution: We used a water proof fabric to decorate the piece and shellac the clay connections.
What did not work:
We initially planned to follow along the method for chopstick connections and make a base for the spoon. However, it didn’t work out so well as the clay is thin and unable to form a firm base and satisfy the function of the spoon. As a result, we decided to introduce modelling clay as a new material to our design. The advantage of modelling clay in comparison to clay sheets is it can later thickness, it is flexible in shape and drys quick, hard as stone.
The modelling clay worked perfectly well for the base of the spoon. We also made the cup handle out of it.
However, one challenge that I faced was the clay takes a long time to dry. I have to keep adjusting the shape of the handle to ensure it stays on the right place. Taking from this experience, I bought a hair dry for the following clay making, which saved us a lot of time.
Refinements and Decorations
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- Wire
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- Final presentation
In terms of material and colour choice, we made a reference to traditional Chinese poetry – 春蚕到死丝方尽 蜡炬成灰泪始乾 （When the silkworms are dead, the silk will be exhausted). The quote expressed the author’s deep attachment to his daily life and the desperate of being separated by uncontrollable elements. Since we are all international students, we resonated with the saying so much and decided to design it in this way in order to express how much we missed our daily lives overseas.
What I learned form the process: I had the opportunity to work with all kinds of interesting materials and get a closer look into their characteristics and functionalities in various conditions. I also learned the importance of self identity and cultural background in art making. The diversity in our group became the main source of inspiration and brought a lot fun to our making process.
My growth throughout the making process: I wasn’t a fan of group work before this project. I prefer to have everything well managed and planned, handing in the refined piece a few days before the deadline. Working with other people is hard to make this hard to achieve. However, I did great in keeping everyone on task in this project. I think my group role as a timekeeper was successful overall. Although there are difficulties with communicating different schedules, I enjoyed the process as I discovered my value and got to know each of my group members better in person. Another role that I took was the recorder for our group. I enjoyed writing and expressing ideas in words. I cooperated well with the drawer to ensure the written part and images are cohesive and effective in communicating the central message we wanted to convey.
Conclusion
There are a few things that I loved in our final presentation. Good use of color palette. There is a touch of gold in every single piece to ensure they are cohesive with each other. The wire worked pretty well as a connection and a decoration to our work. We think out of the box and make each deconstructed part function on its own.
However, there are some adjustments I want to make in the future. Firstly, the function of tablewares is to serve food. However, we do not have enough time and budget to glaze the clay to become food-safe. On top of that, it is good to consider the point where everything is just enough and does not need any additional parts. For this particular one, the small elements on the tray seem to be a little too much.
The skills and knowledge that I would take into the future are doing research and prototyping before getting into practice. It helps to maximize the ability of each material used. Second, research the cultural significance and history of each element included in the piece. This step can inspire, and help me to think out of the box and make more creative decisions.
