Julie Hirschfeld

Donut Vase

Working in ceramics there is never the possibility to work with transparency. In thinking about this brief I wanted to design a simple form that emphasized the translucency of the glass.   Having spent much of my childhood eating off Heller plates, I was very inspired by their simple form and the pragmatic way that they fit together. It seemed natural as a starting point to design something with those in mind. However in playing with the form  of the vase, I quickly realized that this approach was overly complicated and inelegant. This seemed counter to the Vignelli’s ideals. As they said ‑ “We love complexities but hate complications!” I then moved toward a much more simplistic donut shape. It seemed perfectly suited to highlight the materiality of the glass and I love the massiveness of the piece.