Fsc-certified red maple

Maya Lin designed a bench exhibited in Design For a Living World. She put together lateral slices of timber together and not milled lumber or flat sheets showing the beauty of the wood and making the bench more valuable with the nice hardwood material. She “highlights the beauty of an individual tree” by putting different pieces of the tree together. Each wood pieces are different with different curves that gave the surface of the bench an interesting three dimensional aspect that imitates trees in the forest. On the surface of the bench, Maya carved a round flat surface, which can be interpreted as the deforestation in forest. This flat surface is also useful because it allows the user to put a glass of water for example. Maya’s bench reminds what is done with the forest to build furniture, however hardwood is a sustainable source to use if it comes from a Forest that is certified and controlled. Maya used wood from The Nature Conservancy’s Forest Council, which is certified and located in Maine. This means that it has a careful and responsible management with the trees and harvesting. Protecting the forest is also beneficial for the country as it allows for wood to be sold and for more trees to grow. By cutting the right trees it allows light to travel better and for trees to grow faster. For the long term it is most beneficial.

Cocoa

Yves designed an elegant and practical tool. The process of how Yves approached an indigenous women’s organic cocoa and chocolate association is inspiring. He observed from close their culture and came up with a smart solution that follows their custom of drinking cocoa. The object Yves designed is a simple process of scraping a little chocolate from a hard piece of cacao and placing it in the cup of hot water or milk. The tool serves as the spoon to mix the cocoa with the water and when finished the tool can be held on the cup with its tooth (without touching the table). Cooper Hewitt adds that if produced this projects would broaden the potential market for organic cocoa. This would be beneficial for the economy of Costa Rica and the Nature Conservancy is beneficial for the economic stability and for the sustainable agricultural practices.

Comparison:

Maya created a product that is more about the awareness on the current situation of how forests are treated to produce objects for us and could be beneficial in general for the treatment of forests, compared to Yves who created a product looking at a specific culture that could be beneficial to the economy of that specific country and the sustainable practices. In addition the use of both products are different, the bench takes space and lives in a living room, the cocoa grater is small, light and needs packaging to be stored and kept. The cocoa project teaches people about a new culture and ritual. It makes you enjoy cocoa that comes from nature. The bench doesn’t make you participate or enjoy an activity. Both products are useful and can be used over a long period of time. The bench is made out of only one material that is hardwood and the cocoa grater is made out of steel and wood. The cocoa has two pieces that can be put together or detached to clean. Both are sustainable.