The 11th Hour

The tragedy of our modern civilization is perhaps that our “progress” has been our undoing. What stuck out to me in the video was how our western culture has evolved in a way that we feel detached from nature, “after the industrial revolution, nature was converted to a resource.” Indeed, when bombarded with media and the stress of daily life it is easy to forget about the bigger picture and take our way of life for granted.

An analogy I had not heard before but that was quite poignant was about how our whole ecosystems are at the foundation powered by the sun and referred to all other resources we exploit as pockets of “ancient sunlight.” Accordingly, if we reverted to making use of only the sunlight we received per day, “the earth could sustain about half a billion people.”

Overpopulation seems to be a big factor in our overexploitation of resources. How we can counter this is unknown to me. What I do recognize is that “the economy is geared for growth,” and that includes people.

Perhaps under this economic system, which has become the greatest force behind all decisions we make as a species, it is impossible to see change occurring in time to counter the severe effects of global warming.

However it is clear that we must look at this problem with optimism; “we get to rethink everything we do.” Realistically it might take a miracle to overcome our environmental crisis, but who knows, the perpetual motion engine might be invented tomorrow! As an industrial designer we can exploit our technology and collective human expertise to strive for advancement in environmental sustainability. Many systems we utilise to do things are extremely detrimental to the environment, and at least we can improve upon these.

Flow Light

"The constant prevailing wind on the coast is an ideal source for lighting. The product is a self maintaining public lighting for the coasts of Cartagena (Colombia) based on the principle of vertical wind power plants, and it is made of bamboo."

core 77 link: http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/igendesigns_wind-powered_flow_light_keeps_dark_spaces_safe_16232.asp

Their link:
http://igendesign.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/igenworks-flow-public-light-for-the-third-world/

Charette 1: Ivar Chair Redesign

After assembling the chair the team brainstormed on 2 points.....

1.Why the chair lacked personal attachment:

2.Why the chair might be discarded of lightly:


THEN: Some quick personal ideations focusing on these points respectively.....


Stain kit - enables the user to impart their own personality on to the product by mixing and applying their own colour.



Cork Cushion - provides comfort and wears to the user, creating an attachment to the product.



Disabled Chairs - allows the user to create a family of unique chairs, at the same time imparting a sense of memory on to them, with references to Victorian style, as well as giving the chairs a feel of greater quality because these forms are synonymous with fine craft/joinery.



Rocking Chair - An attachment to increase the physical pleasure from the chair moving from a generic to fun and more comfortable product.



Plywood Skeleton - an idea to have a covering that will give the flat shape some contour and flex. Inspired by taxi drivers bead seat coverings.

The team came back together for a final redesign.
The proposed solution will improve the attachment of the user to the chair by making it a more comfortable and stylish product. The chair back will utilise plywood for its form ability, strength and flex. In choosing plywood the team envisioned a chair with a sturdy and rigid framework in pine with the contrast of bent ply and its flowing visual form. The plywood would sit raised out from the pine infrastructure giving a floating, modern look. To attach the back rest the user will simply remove the bottom back strut and insert the fittings in their place.



REFLECTION

How do you feel about designing beyond the original product?

while there is a place for such a stripped back product, its also amazing how minor improvements can make such a difference to the product so that the user will enjoy the product and thus give the chair more value and longevity. I like the idea that you can impart a sense of memory or personality - any sense of value - to a product and achieve more than is expected of a generic product.

How did you feel about the collaborative problem-solving activity?

Working in a team is a great way to grab ideas from different perspectives and then get feedback on these ideas so as to keep outside the box but not too far outside the box while maintaining a fast and effective work flow.

If you were to design a piece of furniture from scratch, how would you do it differently?

In that situation i would seek to create a more seamless design. An attachment should look like it is supposed to be there but it is perhaps acceptable if the piece looks slightly disjointed.

Objectified

A Reflection on society’s complex relationship with manufactured objects and the people who design them; what we can we learn about who we are, and who we want to be from the objects with which we surround ourselves.

Objectified gives the audience a look at the role of industrial design in society. It shows how our relationship with manufactured objects has been formed and in turn, the people who design these objects have been able to envision and implement ways for us to function.

Many elements contribute to the way in which a product is conceived, marketed and used. The driving ideas behind all these elements continue to evolve, such that by analyzing our products over time we see a reflection of our society and our values over time. Karim Rashid's thinking on the dispensation of electronic goods is particularly interesting: "If the average shelf life of a high-tech object is less than eleven months, why on Earth does anything have to be built to be permanent? It should be all 100% disposable. You know, I think my laptop should be made of cardboard, or my mobile phone could be a piece of cardboard, or it could just be made out of something like sugarcane or bioplastic."

What becomes clear is there is a real sense of optimism among the design world; a belief in the potential for improvement. Does this simply reflect the humanistic desire for improvement, or is this reflective of the economic push for ever-increasing efficiency?

Designers, discontent with current products and systems are proposing many products to facilitate societal change and betterment, however ironically they are feeding into an economic system that is constantly criticized for being unsustainable and therefore detrimental to society.

Thus as a society our relationship with manufactured products and their designers is indeed complex. Are we the consumer-based society, slaves to marketing, craving the newest and most exclusive items? Are we emerging into a “green” era where sustainability will take priority? Is our relationship with products becoming more involved? Or will our interaction with products become more seamless?

Confusingly the answer to all these questions it seems is yes!

If then, society’s awareness and appreciation for design is indeed increasing, perhaps with enough emphasis on design, we can continue these trends while facilitating positive improvements for the environment, the economy, and our society as a whole. For example, our consumerism will drive the economy, while our eco-friendly products and systems behind delivering these products will not aversely effect the environment. Or our awareness of good design will make us more involved in the products we buy but the interaction will be easier and simpler. This is the utopia most designers dream of. Perhaps then the real question is will we ever fulfill this dream?

Ecological Footprint

Wow, this is shocking! I thought i would have had a pretty good ecological footprint, being that i am an avid cyclist - partly for environmental reasons. However, my food consumption has really let me down! I knew i ate way too much fish meat and dairy but had not considered the environmental impact would compare or indeed trump other areas of environmental impact.

I know lots of vegetarians/vegans who are concerned with foods impact on the environment and now seeing this data it seems stupid and hypocritical to be such a proponent of public transport/cycling and then consume as "top of the food chain."

Ironically my argument for eating such a diet was that its healthy!

I honestly think this will effect the way i eat in the future; its enlightening to see such a simple representation that you can compare something like transport to food in terms of environmental impact.

Other than the food element, some factors unfortunately are out of my hands. The building i rent is quite old and without the initiative of the landlord, no efficiency improvements will be made unless it is imposed or financial incentive is given. However as we tenants pay for energy usage, little incentive is given to the landlord. Further, being low income students we wouldn't pay for something like grey water reuse in a non-permanent dwelling. This offsetting of responsibility is a problem area i believe.

Thus it seems government initiatives would be more effective in reducing the average footprint. The recent govt. insulation scheme was quite good i thought, despite its failings! my last house received free insulation and our heating costs (energy usage) went down as a result.