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CUP | Andreas Riess 2018
Hand thrown stoneware with different glazings.
Clear geometry, stylish appearance, robust stature. The perfect companion for all days: C U P
Turned on the potter's wheel and provided with a hand-cut handle, the cup is produced entirely by hand. On the outside the glaze is applied by dipping while on the inside it is applied by dipping as well as with a brush.
The highlight, though, is the handle: Its reduced geometry, dimensions and parallel planes allow safe and effortless controll of the cup. While the indexfinger threads through the hole a quarter curve supports the cup against the middle finger as well as providing insulation against its heat.
The material is stoneware, fired at 1,230 degrees Celsius. The glaze is applied to the raw piece, thus a biscuit firing is avoided - good for the environment. The cup is dishwasher safe and certified as food safe.
As a handcrafted product, CUP comes with all the variations that are typical of handcrafted items and make each one unique in its own way. None is exactly the same as the other, each individual cup has its own personality.
The perfect assessoir is the square coaster made of American walnut or oak. Its central hole, which repeats the corresponding motif of the cup handle, is more than just design: The middle finger automatically grabs into it when the coaster is to be moved.
Chimney sweep in Scania
Variation of CUP
Since BAUHAUS the concept is not new. To me it is the guidline for my ceramic design. Form follows function.
I trust that this one rule is an assurance to create things that have the potential for timeless meaning. Keeping them free of fashion extravaganza that will make them falling out of time sooner or later. Give those temptations a wide berth. In case of doubt: Stay prudent, don't fall for the short kick - these are my mantras not only with ceramic design.
The above holds true in respect to C U P especially. The goal was to create a cup that would accompany you every day for many years like a good friend. We all use cups or mugs and are familiar with their common pitfalls. They are to small or too big, they do not stand properly making them prone to tople over on the desktop. They leave ring marks on documents. You can't hold them securely. They burn your fingers. And a many are plainly ugly.
C U P was designed to avoid all these shortcomings. The body is cylindrical with a height and diameter ratio that has the smallest possible surface area for a given content. This ensures the slowest possible cooling of the contents. The cylindrical shape results in a comfortable standing surface - the cup is stable and secure.
Special care has been taken in the design of the handle. In contrast to curved handles, wide, parallel surfaces and a circular hole allow the cup to be gripped and controlled safely. A quarter arch protects the middle finger from direct contact with the cup and its heat.
The geometric dimensions of the cup are the result of the above considerations. So far I see no room for further improvements.
The creation is followed by the challenge of handcrafted production with its many steps up to the finished piece.
And then, there is a dimension that leaves space for individual features, not compromising rule one. Here come the choice of materials, colours, textures and so on. Finally, as a handcrafted product it carries my personal handwriting, which makes every single piece unique in its own way.
It is always worthwhile to look at how our ancestors organized themselves to get the most out of limited resources. Ceramic production has been taking place for thousands of years. Unlike in our modern times, when kilns are fired with electricity or gas, this was done with wood. At that time, when the procurement and preparation of this firing material was laborious manual work, the potters were very careful to use the space in the kiln as much as possible. The most obvious solution was to stack the objects to be fired directly on top of each other. For this, however, they had to be free of glaze in the places where they touched, for obvious reasons. This is why historical ceramic objects - mostly utility objects - have unglazed bottoms and upper rims.
Our ceramic objects are fired once at 1,230 degrees Celsius. At this high temperature, the mass sintered into stoneware, into which water can no longer penetrate. Stoneware is characterized by high strength and a closed surface. Haptically, the smooth edge of our bare rim cup is virtually indistinguishable from the silky-matte glaze.
Perhaps one or the other will remember this little story and its meaning when he or she takes a sip from the bare rim cup.
November 2022: New family members - CUP with bare rim
December 2019: The advent of a new handle design
For all of you who want to see the design factor of our legendary CUP stepped up even more in terms of minimalism we have elaborated on the form giving of the handle. In fact it is in the drawers since some time and there even exist several prototypes. The handle features a straight underside with a decline that picks up on the undercut's gradient. With its confident, straignt lines, and space-grabbing dimensions, this handle forms a striking feature of this modern Verson of CUP. In December 2022 a zero series of this new CUP came out as "CUP D-handle all black bare rim".
Detail of the classic handle
In March 2019 new colors where introduced
CUPs waiting for glazing.
Prototypes of CUP with two handle variants. Although perhaps not quite so stylish, the trend goes to the left version. In experiments, the middle finger support under the handle prevents the finger from touching the hot cup. And - at least for my hand - it offers perfect grip and thus maximum control over the cup.
CUP: Shiny glaze on the inside with vairations of tint
COASTER | a place to land for CUP, american walnut, oiled, about 105 x 105 x 21 mm
COASTER | a place to land for CUP, american walnut, oiled, about 105 x 105 x 21 mm
Prototypes
New design for handle. A quarter curve to support the cup against the middle finger. The quest is to evolve a design that guarantees the best functional and haptic experience.
Something warm in the hand. The matt glaze responds to the feel more sensually than a shiny one. It provoces a haptic interest to explore the object, thus in a subtle manner connecting the user with it.
