Design for Silver Room

DES256 is a UIC Design studio course focused on design for social impact and led by professor Norman Teague. Students in the course were enthusiastic about their opportunity to work in collaboration with Chicago’s own Silver Room. Located in Hyde Park, the Silver Room is an inclusive space that emphasizes community and education above all else. Serving the community since 1997, Eric Williams and his team have worked hard to create the store’s welcoming and classy atmosphere. The Silver Room buys and sells locally designed products while incorporating events and art exhibitions within the space.

The name or our collaboration, Silver Lining, comes from the hope we feel in these times of strife. It reflects our need to find a silver lining in this year of Zoom learning and social restrictions. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the Silver Room. We thank Norman Teague, Williams and the Silver Room Team for allowing us this platform.

WeUS Zine
This zine came about as a way to elevate voices. A project that started with research quickly became a means to allow students to talk about issues that interest them including topics of music, art, and introspection. Zines are a contemporary format that is more inviting than that of a traditional magazine. Learn the culture, cherish the resilience, elevate, and celebrate. It acts as a tool offering moments of hope, ecstasy, joy, and escape, informed by the past but curating for the future. A publication which is passionate about sharing stories, essays, music, art, popular culture, and interviews from people of color, and The Silver Room community. The publication aims to be more than a publication – it’s a space, a methodology, a voice, attitude and style, an interaction of people, a conversation starter which is genuine, resilient, and awesome, it’s Slvrrmm.

Instructor:
Norman Teague

WeUs Zine designed by:
Adrianna Azara ● Payton Godinez ● Kshitij Gotiwale ● Mykiyah Jackson ● Veronica Medrano ● Liz Rodriguez ● Nicole Schuller ● Chloe Watson

Exhibited objects designed by:
Brent Kim ● Eli Weinberg ● Emily Kuo ● Jacob Polhill ● Mykiyah Jackson ● Rachel Buzenius ● Somya Garg

UnderConstruction
By: Brent Kim

The purpose of this exploration was to discover ways of expressing “intersectionality” via the revitalization of discarded furniture. This project was approached in a nonconventional process that required working backwards, following emotion, and keeping an open mind. Inspired by Yinka Ilori, the solution was to teardown found archetypes into components and weave them into cohesive compositions. These objects are physical metaphors for our intersecting identities, as well as the perpetual reshaping of America’s culture. The final pieces are both a memento of the past and a signal for the future; a reminder of what came before and a promise of how things can change. As you sit in them, they breathe new meaning and allow you to experience the present. Perhaps they will continue to live on and become heirlooms, or perhaps they will be re-contextualized once again.

Extruded Bowls & Dap Ring Holders
By: Eli Weinberg

The idea for the “dap” ring holders was inspired by the history of the dap handshake that I discovered through LaMont Hamilton’s Five on the Black Hand Side: Origins and Evolutions of the Daparticle for the Smithsonian Center for Culture and Heritage. LaMont Hamilton is a Chicago-based photographer and visual artist. As a white kid, I have used this handshake for some time. I don’t remember exactly when it became cool, but I never took a moment to consider what it meant and what the cultural significance of this handshake was to a culture outside of my insulated white community. To me, it was another example of something white culture considered cool and adopted from Black culture without regard for its history or significance. The dap originated with Black soldiers during the Vietnam war as a way of symbolizing mutual protection of one another, at a time when there were multiple incidents of Black G.I.’s being shot by white soldiers on the same side. According to Hamilton, the dap is an acronym for "dignity and pride". I was inspired by Hamilton's photography of these hand gestures for the form of the ring holders. The form of the bowl came about through many different iterations of a ceramic precious jewelry holder. I initially explored fairly freely without much of a guided direction toward a specific form. I stacked spheres on top of one another, unstacked them, and re-stacked them in many different ways, but I wasn’t arriving at a satisfying form. With Norman’s guidance, I went back to the drawing board and researched African styles of pottery and the cultural significance of this craft. I was inspired by the idea of manipulating raw earth into a vessel of spiritual and practical utility. The form is meant to invoke earth being pulled from the ground and elevated into an organic object.

Tree of Life
By: Emily Kuo

At the beginning of this project, when I was thinking of what products can be present in The Silver Room, I looked at their website and the variety of jewelry inspired me to create a jewelry holder. I drew a lot of sketches of jewelry holders and came up with a final concept of a tree-shaped jewelry holder named “Tree of Life”. The “Tree of Life” expresses the idea that many young aspiring artists are still finding their identity and style in this changing world. I used the tree as an abstract symbol. Trees are strong and tall enough to face any problem, representing the spirit of an artist. The trunk represents the artists themselves, the branches represent different ways they use to solve problems and face challenges. From creating, they learn lessons and new knowledge, which also represents rebirth and regeneration. The final product was made from jute and wire. Instead of making the branches straight, I made them into spiral shapes to make them unique and individualistic. This product was 100% handmade by one of the students from our class, Somya Garg. It will be a perfect tool for organizing accessories.

IXOU Trays
By: Jacob Polhill

The bowls came about through a semester-long exploration of holding jewelry in the home. The final concept originated from a conversation with Norman about the beauty and simplicity of wooden objects. From there, I was inspired to think about and iterate around the material. After doing research, I began learning more traditional African wood carving techniques to create bowls and other houseware objects. The technique to me fell in line with the theme of the objects in our collection, showcasing strength and resilience. The forms of the objects are inspired by typographic characters that I felt could be translated not only into beautiful 3D objects, but functional ones as well.

Twist on a Cultural Classic (Playing Cards)
By: Mykiyah Jackson

Playing cards is a tradition, a cultural heritage to me. Growing up, I didn’t realize how important this activity was to our culture and within my own personal life. It was something that brought people together whether you’re watching “grown folks” playing spades at the cookout, or the kids playing goldfish, or even for the older kids trying to learn how to play BlackJack. Either way you picture it (or remember it), playing cards has remained a staple within Black culture for many years.

I’m in my third year at UIC and I felt like the collaboration with the Silver Room was the perfect opportunity to make something I wanted for us but not exclusive to us. I wanted to merge this traditional activity with an educational experience so that we have the chance to learn about our history as we play the games that we love.

This deck is fully functional and includes fifty-two customized illustrations of Black inventors that feature the name and year of the inventions these pioneers patented. This was important to highlight just some of the Black people who have made and continue to make a difference in everyday life, as many of their stories go untold. The design I opted for was a minimalistic aesthetic that connects modern line drawings that mimics the sketch-like process in which inventors use to formulate ideas, and a flesh tone palette that softens the design with tones of brown that represent a few skin tones. As a contemporary Black designer, I wanted to showcase our history in a playful way that engages whoever is playing card games. Learning about our history has been taken into our hands, maybe this deck can make it a bit easier to learn as we play.

Radio Raheem Inspired Rings & Touch Rings
By: Rachel Buzenius

Radio Raheem Inspired Rings
This product was inspired by Radio Raheem’s knuckle rings in the 1989 film Do The Right Thing. Prototyping this product was very exciting. I adjusted the fit and used 3D printing technology to create the perfect proportions of the rings, and made sure that the ring’s typeface was clear. The knuckle rings come in three sizes-small, medium, and large. They are made of silicone in assorted colors. These rings are soft, strong, and easy to clean. Have fun with these rings. Make a statement, or leave a message.

Touch Rings
These “Touch Rings” came to fruition in a playful way. After brainstorming in class, a classmate had suggested that I should consider making sensual rings. I took it literally and thought it would be a great idea to make cock rings that could be disguised as jewelry—discreetly. Obviously, I did not go down that route. This collection of rings promotes a soothing effect and a deeper connection. The textures can be rubbed, flicked, or pressed on by the wearer or onto another person. They are made of silicone which makes it easy to clean.

Domino Bookends & Candle Holder
By: Somya Garg

Domino Bookends
At the beginning of the project, there were discussions between our professor Norman Teague and the owner and founder of The Silver Room, Eric Williams. One of the most exciting conversations was the idea of including domino tiles in a product design. I started with some simple designs that could be appealing and still complement the store's existing products. Everyone needs to understand the importance of balance between work and play, which helped me gain a perspective that dominoes provide both. Every person wants to see something interesting in their study room, their den, and maybe even their living room. Domino bookends are a perfect intertwinement of work and play. As they sit on your bookshelves, guarding your books, you can feel included in the community of people who have the other bookends from this collection. I strive to provide a personal touch to each bookend and let customers decide the number they would like to see on their domino. Each bookend will be made out of pinewood and hand-painted to give the authentic domino look and feel. In a world of technology, let's sit back and enjoy a good book.

Candle Holder
Of all the product ideas we had for The Silver Room, candle holders were the closest to my heart. A candle holder sets the mood for a perfect day off or a relief after a long day of work. I started with many different concepts for the candle holder and wanted to include something efficient and multifunctional. It can also be an object that you can use during family dinners or a romantic evening. With the different ideations that I had during the semester, I settled on making a candle holder that would be perfect for anyone’s home, now that we spend more time inside. As I was trying to create the perfect design for the product, I found that making something that provides stability is not peaceful. After a lot of redesigns, I found that simplicity was the best way to achieve the desired effect.