produce crate
Cherry wood produce crate designed and built by me as part of my senior thesis, rumination. Black text was CNC cut, handcarved, and painted with black milk paint. All other design was illustrated, vectorized, CNC cut, and then handcarved (and obviously sanded and stained (with linseed oil)) by me. Wood sourced from O’Brien Hardwoods & Specialty Lumber.
This produce crate is a physical play on the phrase “what came first, the chicken or the egg?” being a representation for consumption. We are constantly in a state of consuming and influencing our environment. This includes foods, material possesions, community, media, literature and speech, etc.
The text on the right says ‘rumination’ in Mandarin. The other side is fake chinese script using and adapting letters from the Roman alphabet. This was a nod to inauthentic representation through oral and written communication. Also, to nod to lost meaning in translation, which happens even within two people communicating in the same native language. The same word will always mean a slightly different thing and connect to an entirely different web of reference to any individual using or hearing/reading that word.
The long sides are ambigious shapes meant to represent a fruit on one side and a tree on the other.
The short side is designed to (again loosely) resemble a small flower and it’s root system or a large fruit with sprouts on top (personally I see a persimmon).
The relief of the short sides show a dragon and phoneix, a common representation for harmony.
This was made as a set, the other produce crate has different designs on the long sides, which will forever be a mystery to you because I never photographed it.
thank you Matt & John who run the meca&d woodshop and also the world. you guys are the best ever thank you so much.
thank you to the 2023 and 2024 wood majors also for introducing me to wood and tolerating me. especially olivia you are so cool.