#HTE

Avi Ben Shoshan’s Ceramic Utensils Elegantly Question Our Natural Eating Habits

Forks, spoons, knives and chopsticks are designed to move food into our pie holes as efficiently as possible. For the most part, we all know how to use them–sometimes to the point where we don’t even consider their existence as we shovel a plate of pasta down our throats. But what if your utensils encouraged you to slow down and really consider each and every bite you take?

All photos by Or Kaplan. Desserts by Michal Bouton. Hosted by Basta.

Tel Aviv-based designer Avi Ben Shoshan’s collection of experimental ceramic eating utensils do just that. The recent Shenkar industrial design graduate’s collection vaguely resembles the utensils we’ve been trained to use but subtly extend possibilities beyond our traditional cutting, scooping, stabbing and plucking motions.

In order to scoop out the contents from both pieces of this almond-shaped object, the two parts need to interact—one acting as the spoon and the other acting as the bowl. 

Once you’ve finished scooping, licking is encouraged. 

What looks like a simple sponge cake on a spoon becomes much more when the utensil is lifted to the user’s mouth. Once the spoon reaches a certain angle, sauce pours from the hollow bulb at the back of the spoon, though the spoon and then pools in the small concave area where the cake rests. 

This version of a spoon unexpectedly fits perfectly in the palm of your hand and encourages natural motions that spoons often restrict. It’s ideal for scooping and can be held a variety of different ways to fit each individual’s needs. Unfortunately the twisted design of the spoon only works for right-handed people at the moment, but Shoshan (a lefty himself) is considering making the spoon in two orientations in the future. 

The variety of mugs in the collection all have handles that stem from a simple circle outline—some of which are completed while some are not. All of them rest in your hand a different way and challenge your fingers as they move to find the perfect spot.

Next, Shoshan plans to host a larger dinner, where he will refine the ceramics shown here as well as include new objects he conjures up along the way. You can watch a video of some other similar utensils Shoshan created here.

We visited Tel-Aviv in partnership with Vibe Israel, a non-profit organization that lead us on a tour called Vibe Design 2018.