These Intentionally Impractical Household Objects Will Make You Squirm
There’s something that makes us extremely uneasy about architect Katerina Kamprani’s collection of household objects, but that’s precisely the point. These odd items that comprise The Uncomfortable Series are intentionally designed to entertain and bug the heck of out anyone who values practicality and convenience.
The “deliberately inconvenient” series of everyday objects includes dishware, cutlery and watering cans that would encourage us to skip chores. For example, the Athens-based architect created a most frustrating broom with sideways protruding bristles along with a 3D model of a concrete umbrella and toeless rain boots. Our favorite uncomfortable item happens to be a pair of conjoined champagne glasses that guarantee you’ll slosh way more than you drink.
If those creations don’t make you, well, uncomfortable enough, perhaps these angst-inducing items will: two linked ceramic “engagement” mugs, a chain fork, hourglass salt and pepper shakers, a spoon shaped like a single slipper shoe, and even more stuff that makes us squirm.
Kamprani told Metal Magazine that her knack for designing so-called useless products began when she sketched a toilet that required the use of a ladder. “This kind of discomfort is not good, and I thought this was very funny, so afterwards I started thinking more – more situations that could be impractical, you know,” she said. “Soon after that, I thought it would be cool to do objects. It got me closer to being a designer.”
Where they lack in usefulness, Kamprani’s uncomfortable creations make up for in ingenuity and visual appeal. It sounds kind of wacky but staring at fork with a loose chain for a handle really draws you in and makes you think deep thoughts about how in the world you’d managed to eat anything with such a quirky contraption.
The ability to provoke thought is a major purpose behind any art project. It just so happens that Kamprani’s work also frustrates and confounds in the process.
h/t Colossal