"We don't need to be protected from every surface, and every surface does not need to be protected from us. It's as though we have completely lost our minds."
In her entertaining Design Observer post.
So true. I've posted about the environmental impact of plastics before, and packaging is a huge culprit. Designers do have a responsibility to simplify packaging and create the argument to only use what is necessary.
Showing posts with label sustainable design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sustainable design. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Some Ramblings on Community
I'm at a point in my thesis research development in which there are so many ideas bouncing around in my head that I'm having trouble narrowing down to a specific direction for primary research. In terms of secondary research, the sources I have range from visual intelligence, resource sharing systems, sustainable cities, community building and place marketing.
My idea is that through love for banal everyday occurrences, objects and situations, we slow down enough to appreciate our city and experience our place in a new way. Through this new perspective we will build stronger communities by creating valuable programs and services. Why build community? As an antidote to the isolation of globalization, to reduce consumption and share information.
'Walk', project by Constantin Demner of Studio Elastik
An intervention in public space in East London, UK, using the language of street art to bring local history to life in the imagination of passers-by.
This project captured my imagination because of my interest in street art as a portal to the essence of a city, and representation of the more subversive side of it's population. Street artists, however, are not community-builders - they are vandals at worst, and political activists at best. Projects like Walk balance between those two sides and unite them to deliver a strong message about how we view our surroundings, and offer a suggestion on how to explore different ways of seeing. Demner's focus on local history is a great example of creating a connection to the community, something that residents would find valuable. I think there could be a lot more information in the signage for this project in order to get the most value out of it, but it definitely makes a statement on seeing the city in a new way. I especially like the part when the music stops and we take a look at the historic building across the street for a few seconds - that is a beautiful observational moment.
This concept does not address the 'how' of building community however. There must be programs and services put into place to add value to our neighborhoods. Things have changed so much since my parents generation. They grew up in 1950's-60's Bronx neighborhoods, which I picture as the idyllic example of community. You knew your everything about your neighbors, and when you had to run out to the store you asked them to keep an eye on your kids playing stick-ball in the street. My great-grandmother was a real estate maven - she owned 6 or 7 buildings and rented out the apartments, while my great-grandfather had a beautiful garden in the backyard of their house, with overflowing tomato plants and even chickens!
I grew up in Connecticut on an isolated street that was nothing close to being a neighborhood. If we needed something, we got in the car and drove to the store - we rarely spoke to the neighbors much less ask them for a cup of sugar. I used to envy the kids that could run across their yard and get their friend from next-door for a playdate, since my mom had to call and make arrangements well in advance.
Society is moving closer and closer to internet dependence, and there are many opinions on the effect of this on our social interactions. Does it make us more or less isolated to be plugged in to 'social software' like Facebook, Ning, and Foursquare 24 hours a day? I don't know the answer to this, I can only give my opinion which is that there is NO WAY a computer screen will ever replace being with a person in real time. Then again it's possible that an online community can strengthen connections between people because they know each other well enough to say hello. John Thackara writes at length about this - most recently on Change Observer.
The transition toward sustainability is not about messages; it’s about activity. It’s not about proclamations; it’s about practices. Many professional designers are in the representation business, so their default response in recent times has been to design a poster about sustainability. Or maybe a website filled with green things to buy.
But projecting more signals into an already cluttered environment is like throwing confetti into a snowstorm. Advertising folk respond to what they call “the clutter problem” by adding to it. Social media? They’re part of the clutter conundrum too. Online communications are a mode of publication, not of conversation. The number of bloggers is growing at 35 percent annually; the number of people using the internet is growing at 10 percent. Do the math!
Emitting messages, however clever and evocative they may be, is not the same as being with real people, in real places, who are changing their lived material reality. That’s why I have a radical proposal: Consider speaking your words in a place rather than pressing “send.” Ivan Illich believed that our culture started to go off the rails in 1120, when monks stopped reading texts aloud to each other and became solitary scholars.
Are social media playing a similar role today? For Illich, there was a huge difference between a colloquial tongue — what people say to each other in a context, with meaning — and a language uttered by people into microphones. Or typed onto a Facebook page.
When someone we trust tells us to our face that a thing is important, we pay attention. Conversation is usually a more powerful medium for provoking change in behavior than pre-packaged messages projected at us by media. Conversation matters more than content. Out there in the bioregions, and especially among folk like the Transition Towns groups, face-to-face is key.
There’s continuity here between today’s social radicals and the avant-garde of art in earlier times. For years, artists fought to bridge the schism in Western culture that separates the creator from the spectator. The Constructivists, Dadaists, Surrealists, Lettrists and Fluxus artists all fought in different ways against the idea that art was about the creation of beautiful, static forms.
As Guy Debord put it: “Representation separates life from experience.” The philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty argued that perception is a process in which an active body enters into a “communion” with its surroundings. I empathize especially with the Lettrists, who invented a technique called hypergraphics, or super-writing. Their technique merged poetry as text with more graphic ways of communicating such as painting, illustration or signs. Rather as traveling storytellers have been doing in Rajasthan for 2,000 years.
I apologize for practically transcribing the entire article by John Thackara, but it is just so pertinent to the point I'm trying to make. I'm reading 'Society of the Spectacle' by Guy Debord, a provocative 1960's book on cultural theory. He describes the spectacle, 'In all its specific manifestations - news or propaganda, advertising or the actual consumption of entertainment - the spectacle epitomizes the prevailing model of social life.' He argues that we want what we are told to want by the governing bodies of this 'spectacle', which in modern times means the advertising industry and any other governing body in control of our cultural experiences (film, art, music, etc.). He also laments society having downgraded from 'being into having' - this successfully describes the cause of alienation in a globalized world. The one way communication of mass-media adds to our consumerist society and potential feelings of isolation and apathy.
So let's talk about some solutions! My teacher showed me this great link to an Italian craft fair, Unconventionall Holiday Market, where they are bringing artists and designers together from around the world to create better souvenirs for the town. The creative agency Unconventionall accepted submissions from artists for a minimum of one week stay in the town and they expect over 150 artists over the course of the summer. This is a really unique way to create value in the community, and stop the manufacture of cheap knock-off not-made-here souvenirs.
I've also done some research into 'Use Communities' and I can't believe how many there are out there! It's a great way to limit environmental preaching (which no one really listens to) and actually do something to reduce consumption. It is related to the idea of reuse of materials, which I've posted about numerous times. It is the idea of providing services without requiring ownership, from car-sharing to dress rentals. There are many online resources that provide the link between individuals in a community, rather than consumers renting services from businesses. Here are a few: Neighborgoods, Rentoid, I Let You, Building Bulletins, Gogo Verde, Bright Neighbor and Barterquest. Even more sites offering product sharing include Swaptree, Techtain, Loanables, Sharer!, FreeCycle, RentAThing and Return My Pants. Shared office space sites are WorkSpace, The Hub and Aula. Thank you WorldChanging for this great list!
Borrowing from friends and strangers can help build community, and using an online network to do so can eliminate the awkwardness of knocking on someone's door. Need I also mention that this saves money and the need for storage space? This requires a critical rethinking on what the American Dream really does to the Earth, and to really consider the side effects of our lifestyles. If we visualize the negative backstory (and future) of the products we are using, it will change our behavior, and could change our relationship with objects from one of ownership to one of use.
My idea is that through love for banal everyday occurrences, objects and situations, we slow down enough to appreciate our city and experience our place in a new way. Through this new perspective we will build stronger communities by creating valuable programs and services. Why build community? As an antidote to the isolation of globalization, to reduce consumption and share information.
'Walk', project by Constantin Demner of Studio Elastik
An intervention in public space in East London, UK, using the language of street art to bring local history to life in the imagination of passers-by.
This project captured my imagination because of my interest in street art as a portal to the essence of a city, and representation of the more subversive side of it's population. Street artists, however, are not community-builders - they are vandals at worst, and political activists at best. Projects like Walk balance between those two sides and unite them to deliver a strong message about how we view our surroundings, and offer a suggestion on how to explore different ways of seeing. Demner's focus on local history is a great example of creating a connection to the community, something that residents would find valuable. I think there could be a lot more information in the signage for this project in order to get the most value out of it, but it definitely makes a statement on seeing the city in a new way. I especially like the part when the music stops and we take a look at the historic building across the street for a few seconds - that is a beautiful observational moment.
This concept does not address the 'how' of building community however. There must be programs and services put into place to add value to our neighborhoods. Things have changed so much since my parents generation. They grew up in 1950's-60's Bronx neighborhoods, which I picture as the idyllic example of community. You knew your everything about your neighbors, and when you had to run out to the store you asked them to keep an eye on your kids playing stick-ball in the street. My great-grandmother was a real estate maven - she owned 6 or 7 buildings and rented out the apartments, while my great-grandfather had a beautiful garden in the backyard of their house, with overflowing tomato plants and even chickens!
I grew up in Connecticut on an isolated street that was nothing close to being a neighborhood. If we needed something, we got in the car and drove to the store - we rarely spoke to the neighbors much less ask them for a cup of sugar. I used to envy the kids that could run across their yard and get their friend from next-door for a playdate, since my mom had to call and make arrangements well in advance.
Society is moving closer and closer to internet dependence, and there are many opinions on the effect of this on our social interactions. Does it make us more or less isolated to be plugged in to 'social software' like Facebook, Ning, and Foursquare 24 hours a day? I don't know the answer to this, I can only give my opinion which is that there is NO WAY a computer screen will ever replace being with a person in real time. Then again it's possible that an online community can strengthen connections between people because they know each other well enough to say hello. John Thackara writes at length about this - most recently on Change Observer.
The transition toward sustainability is not about messages; it’s about activity. It’s not about proclamations; it’s about practices. Many professional designers are in the representation business, so their default response in recent times has been to design a poster about sustainability. Or maybe a website filled with green things to buy.
But projecting more signals into an already cluttered environment is like throwing confetti into a snowstorm. Advertising folk respond to what they call “the clutter problem” by adding to it. Social media? They’re part of the clutter conundrum too. Online communications are a mode of publication, not of conversation. The number of bloggers is growing at 35 percent annually; the number of people using the internet is growing at 10 percent. Do the math!
Emitting messages, however clever and evocative they may be, is not the same as being with real people, in real places, who are changing their lived material reality. That’s why I have a radical proposal: Consider speaking your words in a place rather than pressing “send.” Ivan Illich believed that our culture started to go off the rails in 1120, when monks stopped reading texts aloud to each other and became solitary scholars.
Are social media playing a similar role today? For Illich, there was a huge difference between a colloquial tongue — what people say to each other in a context, with meaning — and a language uttered by people into microphones. Or typed onto a Facebook page.
When someone we trust tells us to our face that a thing is important, we pay attention. Conversation is usually a more powerful medium for provoking change in behavior than pre-packaged messages projected at us by media. Conversation matters more than content. Out there in the bioregions, and especially among folk like the Transition Towns groups, face-to-face is key.
There’s continuity here between today’s social radicals and the avant-garde of art in earlier times. For years, artists fought to bridge the schism in Western culture that separates the creator from the spectator. The Constructivists, Dadaists, Surrealists, Lettrists and Fluxus artists all fought in different ways against the idea that art was about the creation of beautiful, static forms.
As Guy Debord put it: “Representation separates life from experience.” The philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty argued that perception is a process in which an active body enters into a “communion” with its surroundings. I empathize especially with the Lettrists, who invented a technique called hypergraphics, or super-writing. Their technique merged poetry as text with more graphic ways of communicating such as painting, illustration or signs. Rather as traveling storytellers have been doing in Rajasthan for 2,000 years.
I apologize for practically transcribing the entire article by John Thackara, but it is just so pertinent to the point I'm trying to make. I'm reading 'Society of the Spectacle' by Guy Debord, a provocative 1960's book on cultural theory. He describes the spectacle, 'In all its specific manifestations - news or propaganda, advertising or the actual consumption of entertainment - the spectacle epitomizes the prevailing model of social life.' He argues that we want what we are told to want by the governing bodies of this 'spectacle', which in modern times means the advertising industry and any other governing body in control of our cultural experiences (film, art, music, etc.). He also laments society having downgraded from 'being into having' - this successfully describes the cause of alienation in a globalized world. The one way communication of mass-media adds to our consumerist society and potential feelings of isolation and apathy.
So let's talk about some solutions! My teacher showed me this great link to an Italian craft fair, Unconventionall Holiday Market, where they are bringing artists and designers together from around the world to create better souvenirs for the town. The creative agency Unconventionall accepted submissions from artists for a minimum of one week stay in the town and they expect over 150 artists over the course of the summer. This is a really unique way to create value in the community, and stop the manufacture of cheap knock-off not-made-here souvenirs.
I've also done some research into 'Use Communities' and I can't believe how many there are out there! It's a great way to limit environmental preaching (which no one really listens to) and actually do something to reduce consumption. It is related to the idea of reuse of materials, which I've posted about numerous times. It is the idea of providing services without requiring ownership, from car-sharing to dress rentals. There are many online resources that provide the link between individuals in a community, rather than consumers renting services from businesses. Here are a few: Neighborgoods, Rentoid, I Let You, Building Bulletins, Gogo Verde, Bright Neighbor and Barterquest. Even more sites offering product sharing include Swaptree, Techtain, Loanables, Sharer!, FreeCycle, RentAThing and Return My Pants. Shared office space sites are WorkSpace, The Hub and Aula. Thank you WorldChanging for this great list!
Borrowing from friends and strangers can help build community, and using an online network to do so can eliminate the awkwardness of knocking on someone's door. Need I also mention that this saves money and the need for storage space? This requires a critical rethinking on what the American Dream really does to the Earth, and to really consider the side effects of our lifestyles. If we visualize the negative backstory (and future) of the products we are using, it will change our behavior, and could change our relationship with objects from one of ownership to one of use.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Repurpose, Reuse, Recycle Oh My!
I came across a few examples of great reuse of materials the past few days, so I'm going to post them here. In a strong message against violence, ken and dana design have created a line of jewelry created from reclaimed gun parts.
This is their manifesto:
Living in NYC, it often seems we never go more than a week without hearing of a tragedy caused by guns and violence.
On another note, I am STILL obsessed with found object robots. Or any type of robot for that matter... well no that's not true, I only like robots the way people in the 1950's envisioned them. Bennett Robot Works have apparently been making robots from found materials for many years, and I'm very excited to have just discovered them.
And on yet another note, who knew that plain old hangers could make beautiful chandeliers! My only problem is that the only extra hangers I have are the cheap wiry ones that would probably make really bad chandeliers. I'm hoping these designers (Organelle Design) didn't purchase new hangers to make these, however it's the idea that counts and it definitely gets the idea of reuse of materials into people's imaginations.
This is their manifesto:
Living in NYC, it often seems we never go more than a week without hearing of a tragedy caused by guns and violence.
Rather than spend our energy on fear or contempt, we've decided to take this instrument that represents violence and reframe it as symbols of non-violence. We want to commit ourselves and those who purchase these pieces to keeping guns off our streets, so for each work sold from this collection a contribution will be made to the NYC “Gun Buy-Back Program”.
Through this program, the D.A.'s office and the NYPD partner with local churches to offer $200 bank cards for any firearm turned in at one of their one day events. Since 2008, 5700 guns have been taken off New York's streets.
On another note, I am STILL obsessed with found object robots. Or any type of robot for that matter... well no that's not true, I only like robots the way people in the 1950's envisioned them. Bennett Robot Works have apparently been making robots from found materials for many years, and I'm very excited to have just discovered them.
And on yet another note, who knew that plain old hangers could make beautiful chandeliers! My only problem is that the only extra hangers I have are the cheap wiry ones that would probably make really bad chandeliers. I'm hoping these designers (Organelle Design) didn't purchase new hangers to make these, however it's the idea that counts and it definitely gets the idea of reuse of materials into people's imaginations.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Dichotomy in the fashion world
It was bad timing for H&M recently, getting caught trashing bags of clothing in the middle of a really bad recession and ridiculously cold winter. Throwing the clothes out in trash bags wasn't enough for this global retailer - they feel the need to slash the clothing so that they will be less enticing to wear and therefore steal (from the trash). How much more wasteful can you get? Apparently, The New York Times tried to contact them multiple times about donating their leftover clothing to charity, but haven't heard back...
The other side of the coin is the current exhibition at Pratt: Ethics + Aesthetics = Sustainable Fashion. Curators Francesca Granata and Sarah Scaturro had the brilliant idea to show how American designers are trying to keep clothes and textiles out of the waste stream, involve fewer sweatshops and less pesticides. Ahhh... refreshing. The exhibition is on the 2nd floor of the Pratt Manhattan building on 14th street. Been out of town for a few days but I plan on checking it out once school starts up again. There are a few larger department stores jumping on the green bandwagon - I have an organic cotton tank top from Barneys Coop. Toms Shoes are made out of canvas and super eco-friendly, and best of all they have a beautiful program where they provide a pair of shoes to a child in need with every purchase. I wear my navy Toms practically every day in the spring and summer, right around when the weather is in that in-between phase.
Here's a fun recycled fashion idea - wear your old recycled maps. And recycle them when you're done!
At least there are people trying to reverse this culture of extreme consumerism and waste. A Dutch design firm created 'fragmented' clothing that can be snapped together and replaced in separate components, thereby reducing the amount of waste. "Made from Cradle to Cradle-certified wool felt in a range of vibrant colors, the Fragmented Textiles are based on jigsaw-puzzle-like zero-waste patterns that are designed to use every last scrap of cloth."
The other side of the coin is the current exhibition at Pratt: Ethics + Aesthetics = Sustainable Fashion. Curators Francesca Granata and Sarah Scaturro had the brilliant idea to show how American designers are trying to keep clothes and textiles out of the waste stream, involve fewer sweatshops and less pesticides. Ahhh... refreshing. The exhibition is on the 2nd floor of the Pratt Manhattan building on 14th street. Been out of town for a few days but I plan on checking it out once school starts up again. There are a few larger department stores jumping on the green bandwagon - I have an organic cotton tank top from Barneys Coop. Toms Shoes are made out of canvas and super eco-friendly, and best of all they have a beautiful program where they provide a pair of shoes to a child in need with every purchase. I wear my navy Toms practically every day in the spring and summer, right around when the weather is in that in-between phase.
Here's a fun recycled fashion idea - wear your old recycled maps. And recycle them when you're done!
At least there are people trying to reverse this culture of extreme consumerism and waste. A Dutch design firm created 'fragmented' clothing that can be snapped together and replaced in separate components, thereby reducing the amount of waste. "Made from Cradle to Cradle-certified wool felt in a range of vibrant colors, the Fragmented Textiles are based on jigsaw-puzzle-like zero-waste patterns that are designed to use every last scrap of cloth."
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The Designers Accord and sustainable design
The newest trend in design is anything related to sustainability and helping others, which is a very good thing. A few years ago I volunteered with an NGO in Thailand, providing refuge and vocational training to women, and have since volunteered my time to a few organizations in the US. I love helping people, and would love to use my design expertise to help those in need. I think designers have so much potential to have a profound effect on the world, and as long as we are paired up with the right team (i.e. social workers, international NGO's) great work can be accomplished. However, there needs to be collaboration between these distinct fields in order for constructive change to happen. This is the intent of Valerie Casey, who founded The Designers Accord. The Designers Accord is a coalition of designers, educators and business leaders who adopt the five guidelines of the accord to agree to incorporate sustainability into their work.
GUIDELINES FOR DESIGN FIRM ADOPTERS:
1. Publicly declare participation in the Designers Accord.
2. Initiate a dialogue about environmental and social impact and sustainable alternatives with each and every client. Rework client contracts to favor environmentally and socially responsible design and work processes. Provide strategic and material alternatives for sustainable design.
3. Undertake a program to educate your teams about sustainability and sustainable design.
4. Consider your ethical footprint. Understand the environmental impact of your firm, and work to measure, manage, and reduce it on an annual basis.
5. Advance the understanding of environmental and social issues from a design perspective by actively contributing to the communal knowledge base for sustainable design.
The most recent case study on the site is on Vers, a wooden sound system. The product designers conducted a hands-on sustainable material selection process, implemented an 100:1 tree-replanting program, and incorporated an integrated take-back system for responsible e-waste recycling.
This is a great example of design that improves lives: FLAP - A shoulder bag conceived to help nomadic people in urbanizing places, by providing them with an integrated solar-powered light and the potential to charge electronic devices, shows how iteration can prepare a bold design for the market. From Design Observer
GUIDELINES FOR DESIGN FIRM ADOPTERS:
1. Publicly declare participation in the Designers Accord.
2. Initiate a dialogue about environmental and social impact and sustainable alternatives with each and every client. Rework client contracts to favor environmentally and socially responsible design and work processes. Provide strategic and material alternatives for sustainable design.
3. Undertake a program to educate your teams about sustainability and sustainable design.
4. Consider your ethical footprint. Understand the environmental impact of your firm, and work to measure, manage, and reduce it on an annual basis.
5. Advance the understanding of environmental and social issues from a design perspective by actively contributing to the communal knowledge base for sustainable design.
The most recent case study on the site is on Vers, a wooden sound system. The product designers conducted a hands-on sustainable material selection process, implemented an 100:1 tree-replanting program, and incorporated an integrated take-back system for responsible e-waste recycling.
This is a great example of design that improves lives: FLAP - A shoulder bag conceived to help nomadic people in urbanizing places, by providing them with an integrated solar-powered light and the potential to charge electronic devices, shows how iteration can prepare a bold design for the market. From Design Observer
Friday, September 25, 2009
Design for a Living World
What IS organic design exactly? My recent visit to Cooper-Hewitt answered part of that question for me.
The Nature Conservancy developed an exhibition in which 10 leading designers were commissioned to develop new uses for sustainable materials and tell a unique story about the land and culture from which they came. This exhibition is beautiful because it asks designers to reshape our material economy by choosing products that support rather than deplete endangered places. Take a look at the incredible designs, beautiful regions of the world, and stories about these brilliant designers: Design for a Living World
Most products featured in the exhibition are decorative: items like bamboo furniture, chicle latex vases and vegetable ivory jewelry. These products are created with a Western consumer in mind, but wouldn't it be fascinating if they created products to add value to the people's lives in these developing villages and communities? There is a strong demand for textiles and furniture in the developed world, and the motivation to profit from these materials possibly led to the outcome. There's nothing wrong with that, especially since the profits are mostly going back to the indigenous communities! However, it would be even more interesting of a challenge if the designers used these materials to create products FOR the populations that so kindly lend their materials for production. This project created a lot of awareness for these regions and helped the communities, there is just something missing... when I see the salmon skin heels from Isaac Mizrahi, I wonder if anyone in Southwest Alaska, from which the salmon came, would ever wear these shoes? Would the Bribri women in Costa Rica make hot chocolate for their families with Yves Behar's invention below?
Mmmmm chocolate! Yves Behar 100% organic cocoa, made in Costa Rica. Sales from the product support the Bribri community and help to preserve biodiversity in the rain forest. To make the patty, Bribri women grind cacao beans to a paste and let it harden. The patty is meant to be grinded with the tool above and added to milk to make hot cocoa.
The Nature Conservancy developed an exhibition in which 10 leading designers were commissioned to develop new uses for sustainable materials and tell a unique story about the land and culture from which they came. This exhibition is beautiful because it asks designers to reshape our material economy by choosing products that support rather than deplete endangered places. Take a look at the incredible designs, beautiful regions of the world, and stories about these brilliant designers: Design for a Living World
Most products featured in the exhibition are decorative: items like bamboo furniture, chicle latex vases and vegetable ivory jewelry. These products are created with a Western consumer in mind, but wouldn't it be fascinating if they created products to add value to the people's lives in these developing villages and communities? There is a strong demand for textiles and furniture in the developed world, and the motivation to profit from these materials possibly led to the outcome. There's nothing wrong with that, especially since the profits are mostly going back to the indigenous communities! However, it would be even more interesting of a challenge if the designers used these materials to create products FOR the populations that so kindly lend their materials for production. This project created a lot of awareness for these regions and helped the communities, there is just something missing... when I see the salmon skin heels from Isaac Mizrahi, I wonder if anyone in Southwest Alaska, from which the salmon came, would ever wear these shoes? Would the Bribri women in Costa Rica make hot chocolate for their families with Yves Behar's invention below?
Mmmmm chocolate! Yves Behar 100% organic cocoa, made in Costa Rica. Sales from the product support the Bribri community and help to preserve biodiversity in the rain forest. To make the patty, Bribri women grind cacao beans to a paste and let it harden. The patty is meant to be grinded with the tool above and added to milk to make hot cocoa.
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