BA Design

ROSE BARTELS Questioning the Collection

I have chosen to focus on a set of spoons from the Korean Goryeo Dynasty because I thought that the objects had an interesting relationship between function and aesthetic. There is an argument to say that these spoons have been designed for capital, they are simply a symbol of status and wealth. However I feel this is a very cynical approach to take and they are a lovely example of what design is at its core. When I look at the spoons I feel joy, I want to hold them, to test their weight. I want to use them and have the sensory experience of eating with them. I found myself imagining the hands of the person who made them, the tools and processes they used to shape the metal.

I was drawn to the spoons because they give value to an object we see and use everyday. My understanding of a spoon today is tied up with mundanity and familiarity. We are used to using spoons which have been mass-produced and are often disposable. If we unpack the objects being displayed we see the huge amount of care that has gone into their creation. They have all been hand formed, giving them a lovely tactility- I found myself wanting to feel the smoothness of the bowl and the curve of the handle. Each spoon is unique, they have been designed to work coherently as a set but each has its own individuality. Another layer to this care they have been given is the fact that they have been preserved so well for over a thousand years.

They have little signs of wear and still look like they could be used today, perhaps this suggests that these objects were an integral part of society at that time- that they were seen as highly valuable and people thought they would be valuable for years to come.

The information card says that “Spoons were often placed in burials...” supporting my theory of design over capital, rather than design as capital. Although we know that the spoons had a lot of monetary value, and this is a reason why they were found in burials, we also understand that they were important for other reasons. They were considered special and important enough to be buried, implying that people who used them found they had a spiritual or magical quality. They may have been buried with the wealthy as a status symbol or they may have been considered necessary for the afterlife.

Either way I think it is quite unusual today to find an object which is used everyday and is given this level of value. We may have things like jewellery which we wear everyday, and are valuable, but an object with function and value is rare. I think our modern equivalent may be mobile phones. We use them everyday, they are valuable in terms of monetary value and usefulness, and have been designed to appeal aesthetically. Maybe in years to come archaeologists will find mobiles buried with us in graves.