Stretch Color Vase

About Stretch Color Vase

Stretch Color is a set of vases designed for the home. The collection includes three sizes, made from combined acrylic plates with sprayed color. Curved forms and gradient color give each vase a stretched appearance in three-dimensional space. The gradient moves from a deep tone to a light tone and then to colorless transparency, so parts of the form appear to disappear. Seen from different angles, the vases can read as a flat painting or as a sculpture. The blurred structure creates a sense of mystery.

Bo Zhang's Stretch Color Vase emerges from contemporary explorations in material transformation and chromatic expressiveness within functional object design, positioning itself at the intersection of industrial material innovation and poetic formal investigation. The work demonstrates remarkable technical achievement in manipulating flat acrylic sheets into three-dimensional vessels through precise heat application and controlled bending, creating forms that appear to have captured fluid motion in solid material. The gradient color treatment, transitioning seamlessly from saturated hues at the base through intermediate tones into complete transparency at the upper regions, reveals sophisticated understanding of how color can articulate form and suggest atmospheric depth within a single material plane. The presentation of three distinct configurations invites contemplation of the design system's versatility: the sinuous undulating vessel suggests organic growth patterns, the Y-shaped variant evokes botanical bifurcation, and the hand-held demonstration piece reveals the transformative moment when two-dimensional material assumes volumetric presence. The designer's approach suggests dialogue with traditions of studio glass while working within the democratic accessibility of industrial plastics, bridging craft heritage with contemporary material culture. The chromatic choices, predominantly cool blues and teals, evoke associations with water, sky, and atmospheric phenomena, lending the functional objects a meditative quality that transcends mere utility. One observes how the transparent upper portions allow contained flowers or branches to appear suspended in luminous space, transforming the vase from container to frame. The work invites viewers to consider how material constraints might inspire rather than limit formal innovation, and how functional objects might simultaneously serve practical needs while offering aesthetic contemplation.