Drawings, Orinoco, vase 奧里諾科（花瓶）繪圖

Named after the fertile South American river system, the Orinoco vase was one of Umeda Masanori’s contributions as a participant in the Memphis design group. Like other objects by Memphis members, the vase takes on a somewhat phallic shape, exemplifying the group’s irreverent approach to design. However, these prototypes and sketches show how Umeda was also experimenting with simple geometric forms, finally settling on a triangular shaft mounted slightly above three widely spaced spherical feet, with small discs articulating the points of intersection. In contrast to the monochromatic prototypes shown here, the production versions sport brightly coloured glazes that amplify the design’s playfulness.

This series contains several sheets of concept sketches and a more finalised design drawing of the vase.