A wooden box from India. Its form is a variation of the rectangular prism, a consequence of handcraft: uneven radii, slightly skewed planes, small imperfections...Paradoxically, its form resembles those streamlined, rounded-edged industrial objects from the golden years of industrial styling -Loewy, Bel Geddes, Dreyfuss and company- although it has a sincere simplicity that makes it a truly compelling object. Its volume (13.5 x 4.5 x 5.5 in. – 34.3 x 11.4 x 13.9 cm.) houses two compartments: the top tray right below the lid; and a small drawer secured by a brass pin that keeps it from sliding out unexpectedly, a nicely done low-tech detail. The form of the box, its rounded top and flat bottom, explains that there is only one way for it to engage the surface of the table; many prismatic boxes, even if they have operable lids, may very well rest on any of their surfaces, if needed. But the form of this box has a certain gravity that directly states its functionality and the realtionship it is meant to have with the user. Austere and finely detailed, it houses my writing instruments and travels with me when I need it. Boxes are exceptional objects from the point of view of their functionality. The great Spanish architect Sáenz de Oíza used to say that he preferred a prismatic box than a violin case, because the form of the prismatic box did not reveal what’s inside and left room for the unexpected.
