Design Trust for Public Space Gift
Client: Design Trust for Public Space (link)
Type: Product
Material: Acrylic, Chipboard
Technique: Laser cutting, Laser engraving, Laser etching, Assembly, Finishing
The Design Trust for Public Space is an organization whose mission is to improve public space for all New Yorkers. Prototope recently donated a gift to be provided to guests of their 2009 annual benefit. We worked closely with the Design Trust to quickly develop the item, which was based on the theme of their benefit, "Nest: Creative Construction for any Living Creature".
Working with some of the imagery used in their invitation for the event, we developed a small "nest" made from a carefully cut acrylic spiral. At the center of the spiral was a small engraved bird used on the Design Trust's invitations. The Design Trust's name, along with ours, was engraved on one half of the spiral. In order to give the piece some functionality -- and to show off a bit of the precision of the laser -- we engraved a protractor along the other half of the circle. The spiral in the 1/4" acrylic allowed the material to expand far beyond what one would expect from such a rigid material, opening up into a sort of nest. The spiral was then inserted into a box laser cut from a single piece of chipboard. The box was cut in the shape of the Design Trust's birdhouse imagery, and etched with the Design Trust's logo.
(Rendering and photos of final assembly provided by Snohetta)
