For my upcycle project, I will be making a dual-chamber teapot, inspired by the historic “assassin’s teapot” design, using acrylic and paint. I aim to create this teapot with a decopunk aesthetic while adhering to the project’s requirement of using discarded or otherwise unused materials. As mentioned in class, the primary goal of this project is to refurbish materials in a way that aligns with an aesthetic rather than prioritizing functionality. However, I would like to attempt to make my artifact functional and potentially suitable for everyday use.

Figure 1: Traditional Assassin’s Teapot (Dahiru)

My fascination with the assassin’s teapot stems—perhaps suspiciously—from my love of cooking. Many dishes involve the combination of two liquids, such as balsamic with olive oil, wine with starch-infused water, xiaoxing with soy sauce, sesame oil with mirin, cachaça with lime juice, and coffee with cream. When I came across the assassin’s teapot—a device traditionally used to impress audiences by serving tea and milk (Dahiru)—I immediately thought of its potential applications in cooking.

Figure 2: See-through representation of Assassin’s Teapot (Day)

To construct the teapot, I will use upcycled materials sourced from the Vernerey Soft Matter Mechanics Group. I previously worked in this lab, where I built acrylic contraptions for bio-mimetic robotic swarms designed to model fire ant rafts. The spare acrylic from the group, along with the facilities at the University of Colorado’s Integrated Teaching and Learning Lab (ITLL), should be sufficient for completing this project. Given the nature of the robotic swarm project, I am already familiar with laser-cut prototyping and fabrication, which will be essential for constructing the teapot. Additionally, I plan to incorporate a creative flair in my design to align with a specific aesthetic.

Figure 3: Acrylic apparatus I constructed for the Vernerey Soft Matter Mechanics Group (Brown)

Decopunk is an aesthetic I discovered through my interest in games such as Magic: The Gathering. It draws inspiration from the Roaring ’20s, with a focus on excessive gold embellishments and prohibition-era infrastructure (Wiki). To achieve this aesthetic, I will use the laser cutter’s power variation capabilities to emboss rigid, distinct patterns onto the teapot’s surface. These designs will then be painted in gold using a variety of acrylic-based paints. Finally, to further enhance the aesthetic, I plan to fill the teapot with contrasting liquids—perhaps a black substance in one chamber and a white one in the other—to create a striking visual effect.

Figure 4: Example of the decopunk aesthetic from the Magic the Gathering card game. (Steinbauer)

By blending historical inspiration, upcycled materials, and an intentional artistic vision, I hope to create a teapot that is not only visually compelling but also functional. This project will challenge me to apply my engineering and design skills in a creative way while exploring the intersection of aesthetics and utility.

 

References:

Brown, N. J. (n.d.). Home. Boohai Nile Jbrown. https://nibr4171.wixsite.com/portfolio-nile-brown

Day, L. (2021, December 23). The assassin’s teapot is a mischievous design. Hackaday. https://hackaday.com/2021/12/20/the-assassins-teapot-is-a-mischevious-design/

Dahiru, M. (n.d.). The magic of the assassin’s teapot. Education. https://vocal.media/education/the-magic-of-the-assassin-s-teapot

Kova, E., & Steinbauer, A. (2024, September 20). Streets of new capenna: Episode 3: Tests: Magic: The gathering. MAGIC. https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/episode-3-tests-2022-03-30

Wiki, C. to A. (n.d.). Decopunk. Aesthetics Wiki. https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Decopunk

2 Comments. Leave new

  • I love these teapots! I think your past experience lines up well with the project and materials you want to use. I also like the decopunk aesthetic and I’m interested to see what the final design will look like.

  • I really like this project! I think it is super cool that you want to use it for cooking, I think that you have a good plan moving forward. I think that when you are selecting an adhesive for joining your components it may be beneficial to ensure that is food safe if you do wind up wanting to use it for cooking in the future. I think that choosing contrasting liquids would be very visually appealing.

You must be logged in to post a comment.
Previous Post
Old Western – Upcycle statue
Next Post
Transforming 3D Print Scraps into Pixel Art