[Citta] Methodological making with Kina. Design and manufacturing.

Written By Yuki Man

Methodological making with Kina.

I had some good news to share, I got my hands on some kina! To this, he said that I was in a good position to deepen my material explorations. As they arrive tomorrow morning, he recommended that, in the meantime, I plan my making so I can experiment methodologically. By planning, he means assigning each material to different experiments and processing methods, such as crushing, drying, soaking, and so on.  

Ceramic printing.

I showed and explained my progress with experimenting with seashells and clay with ceramic printing methods. Although it is an interesting and new method to me, I was reminded not to lean too far into one manufacturing method. This was because I didn’t want to risk forcing two separate elements together, in this example, kina and ceramic printing, and losing the storytelling and natural connection between them.  So I should look within the kina and my experiments to reveal the most appropriate manufacturing method.

Figure 1. Ceramic printing sample [Photograph]. Note. Photographed by author

Balencing design and manufacturing.

This week, I didn’t have as much physical exploration to show and bounce ideas off, so I was curious and wanted to hear about Citta’s design process. Haydn briefly ran me through the process from concept to product for one of their recent releases, the ‘Lily side table’. He explained that product ideas often start with customer or commercial client requests, or with an internal hunch or concept explored. Through listening to their process, I realised that many of the design details are developed and finalised together with their manufacturing partner, which is something I haven’t had to consider as often, as I have been the one making the product too. This means that many compromises are made to balance design and feasibility and find what works best for both parties. The discussion and development with manufacturers may not be as relevant to my project at the moment, but it is still worth considering and understanding.

We established that it is now a good time for me to focus deeper on making and experimenting with the kina in my hands.  

Reference list

Citta. (n.d.). Lily Side Table [Photograph]. Retrieved https://citta.com/products/lily-side-table-3?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=d849e7696&pr_rec_pid=10272290472236&pr_ref_pid=10272290603308&pr_seq=uniform

Yuki Man
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