For this fourth workshop we had our two usual involved participants: Lewis and Jon. A friend of theirs, Joseph, joined us to enjoy this creative moment.
As we wanted to teach them what is a function we decided to work with a common object
again: a plastic bottle. We showed them two bottles: a plastic and a glass one. We asked
them to compare these and to write a list of the differences in term of quality, shape, weight...
Immediately, Jon was very inspired. He told us "we can melt them." Olivia asked him for an
approximate temperature but the only thing he wanted was to experiment putting the
bottle of plastic in the oven. So we fulfilled his wish. Squatting in front of the oven, he was observing the plastic bottle’s transformation as it was the Seven Wonders of the World. After this first try we could not stop him anymore. «Another one! Another one! » he told us. Then, we explained to him what the “series” in design is; He decided to create a family of “melted-bottles”.
He created seven objects out of the bottles we gave him, each one having its own particularity. The bottle was distorting in different ways according to the time spent in the oven and depending on the amount of air enclosed in the bottle: the plastic bottle shrunk, inflated, melted and transformed into different shapes. One model even exploded in the oven: BANG!
animal world: the bottle with a sinuous shape became the” Snake”, the one with a bulb on the
top became the “Xolhippo” and the name of the big bottle which exploded on the oven was
called “Rattle shark”.
Lewis focused on the weight of the bottles.
According to him the plastic bottle has an aerodynamic shape that reminded him of a rocket: of
course! Let’s do it! Lewis, the astronaut, explained to us how to make it and gave us some special instructions. He had specific inquires: a red balloon inflated with helium, a bottle, and a paper cone on the top of the whole structure. Yes, a rocket is not a rocket if it doesn’t have a tip pointing to the sky, is it?
Joseph got his inspiration from the bottom of the bottles. He noticed the weird shape of it.
The humpy shape of the plastic bottom has found an admirer! He used the bottle as a telescope; he held it in front of his eyes and enjoyed the blurred vision through his plastic binoculars. Why do we always have to invent instrument to see perfectly when we have the possibilities to create fantastic worlds?
Who said that the real world has to be straight? Joseph designed a new way of observing and
watching: everything is blurred and funny!
Then, he drew a series of bottles.
And finally, to end this intense session, we asked them to draw a portrait of us.
According to Jon we don’t have a nose: good to know. Also, we seem to have very flexible legs...
Lewis has been inspired by Picasso, well done!
DING DONG! Mummy is here!!!
Lewis:“Oops don’t have time to write your name Hina.”
Hina & Olivia: “No worries, see you next week.”
