Rae Johnsen

For my inspiration piece from the Met, I found a beautiful white porcelain pitcher with a cliffside and a waterfall carved into it. I loved the simplicity of the materiality and the palette in contrast with the detail of the carvings. My personal object is a stuffed lamb that my mom bought in Scotland over a decade ago and gave to me when she returned from her trip. I ran with the underlying theme of nature between these two objects and decided to include the waterfall from the Met pitcher in my final container. Given the material constraints, I accepted that matching the original waterfall’s level of detail would be extremely di  cult if not impossible, so I decided to take a minimalistic approach using strictly linear shapes to represent the new waterfall, which I wanted to act as a sort of wrap-around window through which to see the lamb inside. Wanting them to resemble water in some form, I experimented with different colors and finishes for the acrylic sheets. I secured the wood and acrylic together with dozens of zip ties through drilled holes. My overall goal in this project was to balance the simplicity of a simple wooden box with the intrigue provided by the extended iridescent window, all while showcasing three representative aspects of nature– wood, water, and wildlife.