Tuomas Markunpoika mills coloured pencils to create Amalgamated vases
Amsterdam designer Tuomas Markunpoika has glued together pencils and milled them into vessels streaked with the coloured leads (+ movie).
![Amalgamated vases by Tuomas Markunpoika](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Amalgamated-vases-by-Studio-Markunpoika_dezeen_468_12.jpg)
Each container in Tuomas Markunpoika's Amalgamated collection was created by individually gluing one facet of a pencil to another, taking advantage of the tessellating hexagonal shapes to form a solid block.
This construction was then treated like a chunk of wood and machined with a lathe into the form of a vase. Each shape reveals the inner structure of the pencils differently, forming a new pattern.
![Amalgamated vases by Tuomas Markunpoika](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Amalgamated-vases-by-Studio-Markunpoika_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
The vases are coated on the outside with lacquer and beeswax, and on the inside with epoxy resin to make them water tight.
![Amalgamated vases by Tuomas Markunpoika](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Amalgamated-vases-by-Studio-Markunpoika_dezeen_468_8.jpg)
Faber-Castell untreated wooden pencils were selected for the project for their precision and uniformity, which was crucial in the construction of the vases.
![Amalgamated vases by Tuomas Markunpoika](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Amalgamated-vases-by-Studio-Markunpoika_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
"For as long as I can remember, I have had a jar or two full of wooden pencils on my studio desk - some new, some half-used, some graphite and some colour," Markunpoika told Dezeen. "I realised how beautiful and interesting they are as objects. Using them only to illustrate my ideas seemed as if I was not using them to their full potential."
![Amalgamated vases by Tuomas Markunpoika](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Amalgamated-vases-by-Studio-Markunpoika_dezeen_468_0.jpg)
The vases are a limited edition and come in three different shapes with colour options. "I wanted to use standard graphite pencils as a benchmark," said Markunpoika. "The blue colour was chosen to contrast with the natural colour of cedar wood."
![Amalgamated vases by Tuomas Markunpoika](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Amalgamated-vases-by-Studio-Markunpoika_dezeen_468_10.jpg)
Even though a large number of new pencils are required to make each vase, Markunpoika believes that creating new unique objects with a longer lifespan justifies their use.
![Amalgamated vases by Tuomas Markunpoika](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Amalgamated-vases-by-Studio-Markunpoika_dezeen_468_11.jpg)
"The problem of sustainability in a design context is that on many levels it still promises infinite consumption of goods with impunity" he said. It also makes us feel virtuous about throwing things away."
![Amalgamated vases by Tuomas Markunpoika](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Amalgamated-vases-by-Studio-Markunpoika_dezeen_468_9.jpg)
"I want to design objects that endure time, objects that you fall in love with and will not throw away," he added. "I don't believe I can achieve the same visual effect with other materials."
![Amalgamated vases by Tuomas Markunpoika](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Amalgamated-vases-by-Studio-Markunpoika_dezeen_468_13.jpg)
The vases were launched the Design Miami/Basel event last week and are available exclusively through London's Gallery FUMI.
![Amalgamated vases by Tuomas Markunpoika](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Amalgamated-vases-by-Studio-Markunpoika_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
For his 2012 Design Academy Eindhoven graduate project, Markunpoika covered pieces of furniture in steel rings before burning them to leave fuzzy fading memories of the originals.