Blooming Vessel

Chunghi Choo, Blooming Vessel, 2004, copper with silver-plating, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance, 2007.1
Copied Chunghi Choo, Blooming Vessel, 2004, copper with silver-plating, 19 x 8 x 7 1⁄4 in. (48.3 x 20.3 x 18.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance, 2007.1

Artwork Details

Title
Blooming Vessel
Artist
Date
2004
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
19 x 8 x 7 1⁄4 in. (48.3 x 20.3 x 18.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the James Renwick Alliance
Mediums Description
copper with silver-plating
Classifications
Object Number
2007.1

Artwork Description

“I find inspiration from wherever or whatever comes to my mind. It could be a form from nature, a flower, and, most of the time, I take risks and venture out and sail from whatever is there. Some of the better pieces I produced this way contain a spark that brings the pieces to life.” —Chunghi Choo


Chunghi Choo’s vase suspends the moment just before a flower fully blooms. She achieves organic, spontaneous forms in metal with an electroforming process adapted from industrial design, in which copper adheres to the surface of a wax mold in an acid bath. The wax melts and leaves the hollow copper form. Choo then uses a similar process to plate the copper surface with silver.


This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022