Hasta La Ideas

The decorative vessel has long been an object of cultural significance, and the flower vase in particular embodies a certain dynamic meaning, as it is intended to complement the ephemeral beauty of its contents. For her most recent project, Israeli designer Hadar Glick chose to focus on vases precisely for their broad appeal—”they are communicative [to] a wide range of audiences”—arriving at “Six,” series of as many vases that are “a memory of a loss.”

Her statement (liberally copyedited by yours truly):

Day-to-day life in the Israeli society is intertwined with loss, who brings with it memory. The loss of a loved one is a part of our life cycle and the memory of that person, remains with us. After researching this subject in depth, I came to one major realization, which remained present in my work process: it does not matter if your loved one is a son, a father, a mother or a good friend. A loss is always a loss.

The world of memory and loss has an affinity to one of flowers and nature. Expressions such as “cut down in his prime” or “nipped in the bud” are familiar to many Israelis from their daily use of the Hebrew language. A flower is worn out and provisional, it resembles a clock and serves as a timer.

In our culture, flowers symbolize life and they can frequently be found at any home. They are present in our life cycle on its highs: in moments of joy and happiness such as birthdays and weddings, and in its lows in funerals and memorial days.

Vases are collective objects but they meet the individual. The vase as an object has an inner void, an exterior and it encapsulates.

Of course, any vessel refers us to this Taoist notion of ’emptiness’ (a cup or bowl is the classic example); it’s a matter of how the form expresses the idea. Each vase begins with a concept (given in its name) that informs the design—from daily rituals to materialism to the arrangement of the flowers themselves—to capture emotion and “allow people to express the memories of their loved ones” in a subtle manner. Thus, the recent Holon grad notes that, “in contrast to flowers, which wither and fade away with time, the vases are all made out of non-biodegradable materials and are constant [as] an eternal testimony of our memories.”

More on each one after the jump…

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