A4 Constructed Box

Constructed Box by Julia Rai
Constructed Box by Julia Rai

Submitted to the Registry evaluators - November 2008

This box was one of the first things I decided to make. It’s made using dry construction and getting the basic box right took some time. It’s actually quite large – just over 3cms square and 2cms tall.​

I decided from the beginning that I wanted to use metal clay paper for the pattern. I planned the pattern on paper first, then cut the strips using a tissue blade. It was then a case of sticking them to the box in the pattern using a little water. Anyone who’s ever used PMC paper will know that it turns to mush if it gets too wet so I had to be quite careful.​

I particularly liked the fact that the strips could go round a corner, giving a sense of continuity all round the box. There’s one circle on the box too, just as a little surprise!​

This piece scored quite well and the comments were a mixed bag. With hind sight I should have done more on the inside of the box but I was concentrating on the outside which was much more fun!

Design – 2.5 out of 3
Construction skills – 2.5 out of 2.5
Integration of sides, corners, lip and base – 1.5 out of 1.5
Finish – 1 out of 1.5
Design and finish of interior – 0.5 out of 1.5

So overall an 8 out of 10. The positive comments were, “The box shows a clear control of technique through clean joints, sharp corners and planar regularity. I like the way the ornamental rectangles reach around corners to unify the piece.” That’s good, that was my intention! On the downside, “The rim and interior are unconsidered. Both offer opportunity for detail or embellishment that could have increased the impact or personality of the box.” This was a useful learning point for me and one I’m attempting to integrate into my pieces now.

Here is the project description from the Masters Registry website:-

A4 Constructed Box

​Box made from panels created separately and assembled to create a box. The size should be comfortable in the palm of a hand… no smaller than one inch by one inch and no larger than three inches square, one-half to one inch deep. This box is not required to have a lid, though that is acceptable. The primary focus here is how to ornament four panels, for instance through overlay, texture, embellishment, gems, etc. and then assemble those panels into a cohesive and structurally sound object.

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