It really feels like this semester is flying by because we are already on our third project for our Introduction to Craft class! Our last assignment focused on materials, so this assignment is all about the study of formwork and how it affects a cast. We will be taking what we learned about materials, specifically the ratio of materials & techniques needed, and combining that with a form of our choosing. The past few days have consisted of us researching materials and sketching out ideas for what our vessels will look like. Tuesday we spent our class doing desk crits and discussing ways to create a formwork.
The goal of this project is to create a vessel, a vase, or a planter. We had to choose a specific plant or flower that our vessel will be designed for. The flower or plant picked has to inspire the vessel in some way and the design has to be very thoughtful and executed to the best of our abilities.
Our professor, Skye, showed us the Aalto Vase as an example. 
Alvar Aalto designed this vase by tracing the organic direction the flowers fell when placed in a vase. He used the natural element of the flowers to influence the design of his vase. My inspiration is kind of similar in the sense that I am using the pure form of the flower to determine the shape of my vase. I won’t share too many details because I can’t give away my ideas just yet but I have picked my flower which is a Calla Lily, as seen below, and my vessel will be a vase. I’m keeping my material choice open for thoughts so if you want to see the end result stick around or come back on Oct. 13th!
This project is meant to push our focus towards craftsmanship in a way that allows us to fully understand that the design our formwork will be shown through the outcome of our casted vessels. Even though I didn’t make my formwork on the last assignment, I did experiment with manipulating my casted material by placing a wooden dowel in the middle so that I could get a specific curve. I accomplished about 80% of the look I was going for however, I didn’t fully understand the role of the small formwork which in the end caused it to get stuck in my cast forcing me to break off the ends. Now that this assignment is specifically for the formwork I will be going through multiple iterations to find the best method and design that I know will give me the outcome I want for my vase. If it works out, everyone is getting a hand crafted, only for Calla Lilies, vase for Christmas this year!