straight as a wiggle by mary beth janssen ms. from usa

there are several points of interaction with constructed environments that cause one to touch; to sense the environment by feel. the door lever is a good example; it is an invitation to touch. the ‘formed by hand’ series of door levers looks to that aspect to inform the shape of the lever handle. each version was formed by the grip of the hand in clay first and then further modified, stylized, and simplified to achieve the quality fit and touch that one senses from a door lever handle. the feel is beauty just as the visual is beauty.

the process of this design is best summed in a quote by bucky fuller: when I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty. But when I am finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.

the straight as a wiggle was not produced in a clay model. learning from the previous studies, the form emphasis was to straighten out the shape to see if there can be a rectilinear approach to the lever handle formed by the hand but without the organic aesthetic. analyzing where the form needed to conform to the hand, it was apparent that the back of the lever was the place to focus. by combining and further simplifying the overall form, the 'straight as a wiggle' was created. from frontal view it si streamlined rectilinear but from the back side of the lever, the form relates to the grip as a wiggle. it wiggles where you want it!

the submitted work is a preliminary exploration into the formative nature of the lever handle.