Smoke Vessel

Fire is what makes us human. Anthropological evidence shows that a massive increase in hominid brain size occurred nearly 2 million years ago and is directly linked to cooking food over fire. For centuries, cooking over fire has brought people together and helped define specific regions, cuisines, rituals, and traditions. Like fire, the use of smoke in both cooking and ritual pre-dates modern civilization–smoking meats and fish was originally a process used to preserve food that would have otherwise had a short life span and inhaling smoke can be traced back to shamanistic tradition. As developed, industrial societies evolve technologies that both preserve and cook foods without fire or smoke, our relationship to fire and smoke becomes increasingly distant. Made of hand sculpted cast bronze and mouth blown glass, Smoke Vessel is a performative object that reminds us of our ancient and evolving connection to fire.

Materials: Cast Bronze, Glass
Dimensions: 8" x 9.5" x 17”
Photo: Jonathan Allen
Manufacturing: West Supply
Exhibited in the Milan Design Week 2018 at Spazio Rossana Orlandi, Milan, Italy
In Collaboration with the SAIC Whatnot Collection; Whatnot Potluck 2018

Exhibited in Milan, Italy at Spazio Rossana Orlandi, Salone del Mobile Milano 2018; School of the Art Institute of Chicago Whatnot Potluck Collection