Pasta Yo-Yo
Design & Creative Direction
Details
The project was developed as part of a long-standing PHOENIX Design initiative, in which each intern is asked to reinterpret a yo-yo using a different material every year.
For this edition, the brief introduced an unusual constraint: the object had to be made entirely of pasta — functional as a yo-yo, but also fully edible. What initially appears as a playful task quickly revealed a series of technical and conceptual challenges, from material behaviour and structural resistance to the need for scalability and presentation within a very limited timeframe.
Services
Product Design
Creative Direction
Year
2023
EXPERIMENTATION
With little to no existing knowledge on how to construct functional objects out of pasta, the development relied on rapid prototyping, trial and error, and continuous iteration. Different shapes, connections, and assembly techniques were tested to balance durability, weight distribution, and movement, while ensuring the yo-yo could withstand cooking conditions without losing its integrity. At the same time, the project required producing around 40 units to be then served as a meal to the whole office, introducing the need to design some sort of machinery that could ensure the process scalability and repeatability, as well as an additional layer of planning and coordination that extended beyond the object itself.
THE CONCEPT
Conceptually, the project explores the duality embedded in Italian culture, where food is both a source of pleasure and a serious, ritualistic act.
This is expressed through the relationship between the yo-yo and the hourglass: two objects that share a similar form but embody time in different ways. The yo-yo represents play, repetition, and immediacy, while the hourglass — revealed through a simple rotation of the object — becomes a symbol of time, care, and reflection. Together, they highlight the importance of taking time to engage with food, not only as nourishment, but as an experience that connects people, tradition, culture, and everyday life.
PRESENTATION
The final presentation extended this idea into a collective experience. Instead of a conventional presentation, the project was showcased in a dinner where colleagues could directly engage with it.
Around 40 yo-yos were produced, allowing colleagues to first interact with them as objects, and later experience them as food once cooked and served with guanciale and a carbonara sauce. Alongside mine, two additional yo-yos were developed by the other interns as a French entrée and a South Korean dessert, creating a complete multi-cultural dining experience shaped by our different backgrounds.
The transition from playful artefact to shared meal became an integral part of the narrative, reinforcing the connection between concept, material, and experience.
Credits
Design
Federico Maggi
RESEARCH & Event Planning
Federico Maggi
Camille Veltois
Jinseon Lee
Photography
Federico Maggi
Sven Feustel
