Grit Wrapping
A conceptual piece inspired by the fleetingness of gift wrapping; the curiosity how craft and time are invested into an object fated for destruction. What happens when you go against the social paradigm by wrapping a gift in a durable material like concrete?
YEAR: 2022
ROLE: Industrial Designer
STATE: Working Prototype
COLLABORATORS:
Independent Project
Strategy
To ensure a smooth fun gift-giving experience, the design of the “grit wrapping” should be:
1) Re-usable; allowing the piece to be used in future gifts.
2) Fun; providing a human-centered experience that doesn’t inconvenience the user (too much 😈)
3) Conceptual; serving as a challenge to common gift giving practices
Production
The grit wrapping was made over the course of an afternoon using High Strength Quikrete mix.
Photo (left): Prepped for casting; the Quikrete cement is mixed with water and the mold made from scrap materials is assembled.
Photo (right): Adding cement to the mold.
Photo (left): Excess cement is removed from the top of the mold
Photo (right): The grit wrapping is set out to cure in the hot California sun 🌞.
Final Design
To reinforce the concept of an unbreakable gift, the piece was tied off using duct tape.
The gift was given to my friend Josiah Burnham (aka DJ Lactaid), a Bay Area DJ based in LA. As of writing this (May 2023), the cement wrapping is still in the gift rotation in the Greater Los Angeles area.
