Republica tray
Size: 2 x 14 x 26 cm
by Maxim Velčovský for Qubus design (2001)
The Republic container in the shape of the Czech Republic was inspired by the phenomenon of the souvenir. In the 1930s, Alvar Aalto created a series of glass vases in an organic style that became the national design of the Finns and subsequently one of their favourite gifts. During my visits to Finland, I saw the Aalto container/vase in many places in interiors and practically everywhere it was untouchable. Unadorned, it was always set in a visible spot. I was fascinated by the respect accorded to this form. I had the feeling that the Savoy vase was so aesthetically perfect that it could hardly tolerate any kind of accessory. When looking at this object, I was no longer sure if I was observing design or art. In my opinion, Aalto was able to work with that boundary in an interesting manner. One could say that Aalto?s design works as art. That is, as an aesthetic object with no truly practical function. I am attracted by this testing of the boundaries. The idea I had for the container was partly based on a personal need for gifts or souvenirs, which I regularly hunted up before departing for foreign lands. Instead of the abstract shapes that Aalto used, I chose the topographic image of the Czech Republic, executed as a container, which became a kind of bearer of the national story. www.qubu
