IMPRESSIONS OF NATURE is a practice-based project that uses artistic research methods. The project’s foundational method of remediation is used as a way to explore the dynamic relationship between form and materiality can create aesthetic value. Mediation is the act of transferring form from one medium into another, for example, by imprinting the surface of a rock into plastic clay. Remediation is the act of repeating this process of transference into different materials or digital contexts. Remediation is the method that was used to produce the collection of artifacts that form the core of this project, a collection of surface samples in high-fired, unglazed porcelain made from imprints of natural surfaces.

The significance of these artifacts is partly based on the inherent aesthetic potential that I recognize in these forms. The collection represents an array of dynamic miniature landscapes that are intriguing both visually and to the touch. However, this interest is juxtapositioned with the potential of capturing and developing the aesthetic properties of these patterns through both hand modeling and digital prototyping. This led me to the research question:

How can re-mediated surface samples collected from nature inform the design of products?

The overarching theme in the research phase is to explore form and structure through clay. Clay was chosen as a constant material due to its specific qualities that can be considered along a spectrum of stages. For example, in its initial state, it can be liquid, soft, or firm, depending on how much water it contains. In this stage, it is malleable and can easily be imbued with a new form, structure, or texture. This malleability makes it optimized for 3d printing. However, when dried or fired, it becomes hard, no longer changeable, but ideal as a new starting point for the continued remediation process.

In the ideation and product development phase, the focus is shifted to how the unique qualities of the 3D printed forms can be implemented into different product contexts. Two distinctly different product lines are developed in this project. The first is a porcelain cup that incorporates a relief with rhythmic lines that are extrapolated from one of the artifacts that have been studied. This product aims to create a personal aesthetic experience where embodied qualities engage multiple senses.
The second product is a serving platter whose goal is to facilitate a shared aesthetic experience. The platter has incorporated a topographic pattern with formations resembling hills and valleys that offer different ways of serving, sharing, and enjoying food. The cup`s visual aesthetic profile is classical and subtle in appearance to be successfully integrated into various interior styles. However, the serving platter is the center of attention, a product for interplay and multisensory experience.

Approaching the ideation and design work through the repeated cycle of materializing form using the remediation method creates a way of thinking that culminates in an evolving sense of experiential learning that strengthens material and aesthetic intelligence.