A SHOWCASE OF SPOON DURING LONDON DESIGN WEEK 2017

Spoons are one of the first tools we use in life, a bowl with a handle attached to it, the shape of the hand. A metaphor for life and nourishment; spoons feed, serve, measure, and stir.   Spoons are the earliest eating tools, going back as far as the Paleolithic Era. Seashells were connected to small wooden sticks and chips of wood were slowly carved into spoon-like shapes. The modern word "spoon" means "a chip of wood".   Preserved spoons from the ancient Egyptians, are composed of ivory, flint, slate and wood. Many of them carved with religious symbols. 

Spoons have a deep symbolic and religious history often associated with gift giving. The Welsh ‘Lovespoon’ a wooden spoon decoratively carved used to declare romantic intent. It is symbolic in the Zulu wedding tradition where an exchange takes place between the man’s family giving the bride a spoon and hers giving the groom’s family a goat, called the ‘goat of the spoon’. Or the traditional christening gift dating back to the Victorian era of a silver spoon symbolizing good luck.   Today the humble spoon often goes unnoticed. This spoon showcase aims to take a closer look at the spoon. From the subtle differences in form – a narrower neck, a longer stem, a deeper bowl to concepts embodied in this common object. Showcasing how the modest form of the spoon can be reconsidered.

Artists include: Justine Allison, Elaine Bolt, Helena Emmans, Forest & Found, Max Frommeld, Clare Goddard, Astrid De Groot, Antrei Hartikainen, Simone ten Hompel,  Buddug Wyn Humphreys, Wiebke Meurer, Ann Nazareth,  Gabi Veit and Molongo Project spoons designed by sarah Colson.