This object was made for someone I care a great deal about. When it was made we had just started dating and our conversation covered the gambit about all the things that we did and didn’t have in common. One thing that had come up within these conversations was my time on an island in the south pacific, my visiting Japan, my study of how when dealing with an object, function is paramount, and form should be a part of the equation when designing it.
In an emergency, the simplest response to a problem was usually the best one, for example, a flashlight vs a candle. A candle requires fire. A flashlight had a switch, batteries, and a light bulb that all had to work in unison. She was fascinated with my stories of japan, and my time on the island but couldn’t wrap her mind around just what I was talking about concerning design and simplicity, suggesting that she was sure it was important, just not to her. My decision to make her a Christmas present seemed simple in concept, but I found that the four conversations mentioned influenced what would be given.
The candlestick is meant to be a small bonsai-like garden, that served a function in case of emergency. At first, the recipient handled the object as though transporting a venomous snake. But in time it became a very important object to her, a very important object indeed.