Product: The Lotus & Koi

Medium: Khaya Wood

Dimension: D 235 x H 84mm, W 65 x L 255 x H 95mm

Year of Production: 2015

Designed and made by: Ivy Lee Jia Xin (2015) 

Conceptualisation 

The Lotus and Koi are extremely iconic in the Japanese and Chinese culture that represent strength, perseverance and persistence through perilous times. Combined, they tend to represent coming from a low place to eventually achieve success. The lotus is represented by the cake plate while the koi is depicted by the server to show the interdependency between the objects.

 

Production (materials, techniques & skills) 

Khaya wood is used for both the cake plate and server. Wood turning was done on the cake plate before marking it with petal shapes with a designed template. The bandsaw is then used to cut out the petal shapes. The shape of the fish is first marked on the wood before carving to ultimately obtain the server.

 

Original utility 

The lotus and koi in itself only represents good luck and coming from a lowly place to succeed respectively. Only when they are paired together do they signify the perseverance to prevail in any given situation. This analogy of interdependency is shown in the cake plate and server where one cannot fully function without the other.

 

Original aesthetics 

The shape of the cake plate is jagged at the circumference to show the shape of a lotus. The cake plate can also be turned to demonstrate the idea of a lotus floating on a water surface. The shape of the server is slightly bent at the handle to depict a fish that is wading through the water.