Yuval Tal’s Handle With Care

Designed by Yuval Tal, Handle with Care is a collection of ceramic cups in their second life. The base of each piece is a white mug with its handle broken off. Metal and wood clamps hold the original wares, fixing the cups without erasing the narrative of their damage. The uncovered screws make the mechanisms of tension visually apparent, and one cannot help but wonder what happens if the cups break again. For now, the pieces keep their rough edges, and they look like DIY projects–the kind inspired by poverty rather than Pinterest. Nonetheless, the cups possess an industrial allure, and are seeing a second wind on the web, years after their 2006 exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt Museum.