Eternal Rivalry
Product design. A cat and a dog who never agree, turned into a brass bookmark that holds your page.
The dog marks the page. The cat keeps watch outside.
Born in Jaipur
Developed during the National Immersion Program organised by MIT-WPU. The programme took us to the Indian Institute of Crafts and Design (IICD) in Jaipur, Rajasthan, to immerse ourselves directly in the culture of local craftsmen, bridging traditional Indian artisanal practice and modern product design.
- Programme
- National Immersion Program, MIT-WPU
- Where
- IICD, Jaipur, Rajasthan
- Craft
- Thathera metalwork
- Material
- Hand-cut, hammered and engraved brass sheet
Thathera
This product was brought to life using Thathera, a centuries-old metalworking craft traditionally used for shaping brass and copper.
Cut
It starts as a flat sheet of pure brass. The silhouette is cut out by hand.
Hammer
The sheet is hammered into its texture. One misplaced strike can permanently distort the metal and ruin the piece.
Engrave
The details are engraved into the surface by hand, line by line.
Process over outcome
Working intimately with raw materials and traditional tools shifted my design perspective, highlighting the importance of the process over just the final outcome. I wanted to create a functional, everyday accessory that balanced the traditional aesthetic weight of hammered metal with a playful, interactive narrative.
One string, two readers
The true specialty of this product lies in its binary physical state and its capacity for shared experiences. Connected by a single string, the pieces are completely interchangeable. If the dog marks a page inside the book, the cat hangs visibly on the outside, and vice versa.
It is designed for shared reading: two people reading the same copy of a book track their own progress at the same time, each by choosing their character.
The tale it carries
Every bookmark ships with its story. A dog and a cat fought until they destroyed everything in their way. A monk who had had enough turned them into one bookmark, bound by a single string: when one is inside the book, the other is out. They can never meet again.
Sail on to Light Paintings
Art. Characters drawn in light, one long exposure at a time.
