The watering can: How do we reimagine an ancient tool?

The watering of a plant is probably the most iconic moment in the gardening world: you become part of a miracle, the miracle of life. For my semester project I took a deeper look at the Indoor Gardening world; this decision was obviously affected by the strange and unique period which we are living: in this coronavirus times everyone rediscovered the value of the time spent at home, and the various activities that follows. My passion for watering then led me to focus on this specific and unique topic of gardening, but from a domestic perspective.

WateringFUN is then the final outcome of journey as long as fascinating  made of researches, sketches, mockups and videocalls.  In my project the role of plastic is essential: I used two different polymers to create an object that could stand out from the incredible amount of watering cans that already exist; I wanted to something more, a step further. I was aware of the difficult task I had to perform. Nowadays many people are skeptical  of plastic: this material is appreciated only for the fact that is cheap, and it is seen as not suitable for products that should have a strong aesthetic component; especially in the world of watering cans, most users prefer metal, copper, stainless steel models in terms of aesthetics. My challenge was therefore to try to restore an aesthetic value to this underrated material, to create a functional object that fully exploited the almost infinite technological potential of plastic, but which also had a strong aesthetic appealing, an essential component in the watering can market.

To completely take advantage of these polymers properties I gave then my watering can an elegant and catchy appearance, characterized by fancy and funny colours that make the product shiny, youthful and modern. I imagine this product to be available in different palette combinations: this is a watering can for all tastes and ages, but the playful and cheerful spirit remains the same. The cardboard packaging as well ought to catch the attention of the user and to give as well an elegant and catchy preview of what’s inside.

The large use of plastic and its properties is also what makes WateringFUN an extremely ductile watering can. The graduated body, in hard transparent plastic, allows the user complete control of water level. The spout is detachable: the packaging this way Is much less cumbersome and intrusive; furthermore, a removable pipe makes the watering can much easier to clean and to free from any pieces that could block the flow of water. The central component of WateringFUN is the plug: many users ­­complain because they often spill water while carrying around the watering can; I decided to solve this problem by creating an object that could also work as something more: the plug is in fact also a graduated measuring cup, a must for every gardener nowadays.

Paolo Alpago-Novello