The example given is 47cm across, called a cheese platter and it is made of resin. It comes in several colours and patterns which are all quite striking. For some rooms and some styles of dining it may be considered very attractive. They are hand made and each is unique. It is for cold service only, probably not dishwasher safe then.
Will it scratch, chip or discolour in normal use or break if dropped? How long might it last and look good - assuming that abstract design is to your taste.
Is this a future heirloom, to be valued on the Antiques Roadshow 2160, or is it going to be in landfill by 2022?
Before doing an image lookup to identify it, how much would you pay for it?
Some of us would only every collect the most perfectly shaped sea shell with the most brilliant of colours.
Others would lay down our three bleached and well eroded remnants of sea shells and call it art. Far more valuable to some than a single pristine specimen.
A blob of resin cast as a platter is neither. More an ink blot on paper in three-D colour.
At a rough guess the producer of sample resin platter might hope to get the cost of the chemicals used back. Although as scrap it has near nil value, or might even be a liability to be added to landfill.
Can I wait until Demtel are running a buy two for the price of one, get a third one free with a set of steak knives promotion? At least the steak knives might prove useful.
Leaving out the question of some random swirls of colour 'Is it art?" my big problem is durability. Say you are offered a ceramic platter with a bright abstract pattern. If it suits your taste and your table you might buy it. Depending on the quality of finish and materials, assuming you don’t drop or bash it, it will faithfully do its duty presenting food on your table for many decades - possibly centuries. It will possibly gain in value, especially if it is good quality to start with.
But resin? I don’t see it lasting, the surface is too soft and there are too many ways for colours and finish to degrade.
Would I buy this particular one? No. I don’t mind the design, there are plenty of others in the same range, some better some worse, this is very subjective. The reason I wouldn’t buy it is lack of durability and price. It would be OK at $74 as it might last 5 years but I would not be keen.
I would I pay $420 for a handmade individual design ceramic platter that I really liked but not plastic. I have a few artworks around the house and some are quite valuable but they give me pleasure every day and with luck my descendents too. Yes the asking price of this resin plate is $420.
These resin plates may be objects d’art rather than art, to be considered similarly to the swim suits that cannot get wet, that are for posing by the pool not swimming. A season until tastes change or until they have too much fabric for the real purpose, and into the bins or Salvos box. I can see a demand for these as last years ‘statements’ at various op shops rather than as family heirlooms.
As a CHOICE staffer I am suitably sceptical about anything that looks too good to be true but I’ve been given a few resin plates and bowls as gifts - including one I have had for 10-15 years - and they are surprisingly durable. I have used them for serving hot and cold dishes and put them in the dishwasher. The dishwasher makes them a bit dull after a while but they come back to life with a brief rub with some olive oil.
I am actually a bit surprised by all of this - when I was first given one I would never have imagined it would last so well. Not sure if the experience differs depending on brand & quality of production.
I think it’s beautiful and I know it would take some time and skill to create, but I would not ever buy it because it is plastic. Very frustrating because resin is an amazing substance to make things from, but there is too much plastic in the world and this being a luxury and not a necessity doesn’t qualify for a good idea.
Taste is very subjective, I think it is interesting but very mass production. As for time and skill, nah. The operator starts with a mould and pours in various coloured resins and swirls them a bit, throws a few splashes and 3.67 minutes later pushes it aside to set and starts another. A while later a robot (or lowly paid human) turns it out of the mould and slides it into a package.
They are unique, they are hand made, and to some extent are pretty but not much in creativity or ability. They contain a few dollars in time and materials, a few more in packaging and transport plus various middleman profits along the way. This comes nowhere near $420. But for the lack of hands my kelpie could make them, a smart six year old human could. Maybe does?
