London Design Festival 09: Spanish designer Oscar Diaz has produced a cutlery set by chopping up plastic bottles and coating them with metal.

Called Found, the range is made by plating the plastic first in copper and then in tin.

Found will be exhibited as part of Airmail, an exhibition at Idea Generation Gallery in London from 23 September to 4 October, during the London Design Festival.

See our recent stories on RGB Vases and Ink Calendar by Oscar Diaz.

See all our stories about London Design Festival 2009 in our special category.

Here's some text from the designer:

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Found by Oscar Diaz

“Found” is the project by London based designer Oscar Diaz for “Airmail”, an exhibition which opens at IDEA GENERATION Gallery during the London Design Festival 2009.

"Found” is a super light, metal-coated cutlery set, which has been "designed" by editing plastic bottles. The spoon, fork, and knife, have all been made from parts of existing bottles found at the local supermarket.

Since there is so many shapes already available, with each brand fighting to be seen on the shelves, Oscar’s approach has been to work more as an editor rather that a designer, and just select the bottles for their shapes to make the cutlery set.

The parts were selected so the cutlery is easy to pick up from the table and performs like any other cutlery. The design process  starts on the supermarket were the bottles are selected by their curves. The use of those available shapes, allows a small batch production without the need any mould. Each set is unique due to the hand-cut nature of each piece.

Using a process normally employed to produce intricate metal instruments,  the plastic cuttings are coated with copper and then tin plated for a metallic finish. While mixing handcraft and uncommon processes, the project represents a twist on the re-use of existing objects and makes evidence of an environment clearly saturated with shapes.

By finding objects within objects, “Found” suggests that we can look afresh and reevaluate our surroundings by uncovering the beauty hidden on banal, disposable objects. The result is a simple and understated cutlery set with a "familiar "look.

“Airmail” is an exhibition bringing lightness to everyday objects. Curated by Parallel Projects, it will run from the 23 of September to the 4 October 2009 at IDEA GENERATION Gallery.

IDEA GENERATION Gallery, 11 CHANCE STREET, E2 7JB

AIRMAIL>> LND, 23 September- 4 October, 12 -5 pm Daily