[VIDEO]How culture-specific ideas and mindsets could be translated into a physical design? Sharing a cup of tea is one of the best ways to relax with a close friend or family member. The Ripple Effect Tea Table looks to make tea time a lasting experience… Just as the name of the table would suggest, the table top features a ripple effect when tea cups placed upon the surface.
“Ripple effect tea table” was an idea created in 2010 by the Korean industrial designer Jeonghwa Seo in partnership with Hanna Chung as a reflection of Eastern mentality towards social relationships, part of the degree project ‘The geography of objects’ at Eindhoven Academy.
There is a belief by Asian people that small changes in an individual’s life can have an impact and have a certain effect to the whole community, which in a psychological term is called a “ripple effect”.
You’ve also probably heard the term “ripple effect” from economics or sociology – the idea that side effects from an individual’s actions can “ripple” or continue to spread to a community at large. Well, the table was inspired by the belief that small changes in an individual’s life can have an impact on the whole community.
The tea table attempts to deliver an interface for analyzing the way of considering cultural differences in psychological level through the process of design and form. Business organizations need to be culturally sensitive when entering new markets or tossing out new products.
Hailed as the “Ripple effect tea table”, the table blends Eastern ritual with the social relationships. Each time you place the cup on the table surface, the ripples can be seen speeding up on the surface of the body. Give the fact globalization is shaping the future of World Economy, a deeper understanding of a region’s culture and cultural differences as against other social structures will help one get on top of the heap.