Upcycling Comments

Jimmy Iraheta

http://z3332715.blogspot.com/2010/10/protective-storing-sleeve.html

Anastasie Panagopoulos

http://stasiep.blogspot.com/2010/10/scrap-leather-table-runner.html

Rebecca Womersley

http://rebeccawomersley.blogspot.com/2010/10/project-2-upcycling.html

Stephanie Hutcherson

http://stephutch.blogspot.com/2010/10/upcycling.html

Henry Treloar

http://henrysdblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/upcycling-posters.html

Project Two: Upcycling

Rationale

When it came to project two: upcycling, I had difficulties finding the appropriate materials to upcycle, while choosing an interesting product to design at the same time. My first ideas were focused on smaller everyday objects such as an iPhone case made of denim off-cuts and a pair of optical spectacles made from MDF off-cuts. These ideas were okay but they lacked a certain level of depth and meaning behind them.

My final idea that I decided on was to design a fruit bowl made from Wine Caps (screw tops) that were on their way to the landfill. I also decided to link the designed form of the fruit bowl to the original purpose of the bottle caps, thus having a water splash-inspired form. The splash shape relates the fruit bowl to the liquid element from the bottle caps, which brings deeper meanings and purposes to the product’s form. The shape also brings movement to the piece. The splash-inspired form differentiates ‘Splash Bowl’ from traditional fruit bowls because of the element of movement it has in its form.

The bottle caps were collected from wineries and local bars and restaurants. One piece of ‘Splash Bowl’ uses approximately 75 bottle caps. Around 15 bottle caps were acquired from a local pizza restaurant to collect bottle caps from customers for a week. Wineries in wine countries such as Hunter Valley, NSW, would have a few hundred or maybe up to thousands of bottle caps thrown away in 1 week. This means during manufacturing, the bottle caps can be sourced in large quantities from business such as these. In about 1 week, roughly 2000 bottle caps can be acquired from a total of 5 restaurants, 5 local bars, and 3 wineries. This would mean 2000 bottle caps diverted from the landfill each week, which transforms to nearly 30 ‘Splash Bowls’ each week.

‘Splash Bowl’ stimulates and reminds the user about environmental issues by keeping the bottle caps’ original forms but transforming them in to something new. The interesting and meaningful shape of the product would also draw attention to where the bottle caps have come from and remind them of where they would have gone if not upcycled.

Gary Hustwit: Objectified

“Objectified” is a feature –length documentary about our relationship with manufactured products and the characters who designed them. Directed by Gary Hustwit.

The short film started out with the argument; “everything in our lives is designed”. This message at first seems clichéd and rather generalizing. But when though about carefully and as the theme starts to take form in “objectified”, the viewer soon realises that they are indeed living in a world where everything has been designed and made from someone’s idea. But then comes the problem; what is good and what is bad design?

Dieter Rams, a world renowned German Industrial Designer, states that there are too many things in our world which are totally unnecessary. Too many things have been drawn out and made without much deep, meaningful thoughts gone in to them. For example a rubber iPod case, why not just design a product that doesn’t need an additional product to prolong its sustainability? Rams states that not many companies today take the issue of design seriously, apart from one, Apple.

Apple Designer, Jonathan Ive, points out some interesting points when presenting the viewer with the parts and steps involved in making a macbook.

He made me realise that consumers take design for granted in the everyday objects that we use every single day just because it has become such an ordinary part in our lives. Jonathan Ive points out that consumers think products have the forms they have because they’re just ‘meant’ to look that way. For example, ‘of course an iPhone would look like this…’ or ‘How else would an iPod look like’. All of these are assumptions that happen consciously or subconsciously when a product is presented to the viewer. This is stated near the start of the short film; “objectified”. Millions of assumptions are made towards the product the second it hits our eyes.

“Objectified” also brings the element of sustainability and the environmental impacts of products to the viewers’ attention. For example, if something I’ve designed today is going to end up in the dump in 4 or 5 years from now, is that really good design even if the consumer liked it when they first bought it? Well-designed products should last a long time and even if it doesn’t it should have as less impact on the environment as possible. A part of the short-film inspired me as it mentions, instead of losing interest and attraction to a product over time, we should like it even more as it accompanies us through individual stages of our lives. This reminds me of my old iPhone. When I first bought the phone in grade 11, I cherished it like I would my favourite toy as a child. I would rather the cuts; dints and scratches transferred on to my arm then end up on the screen its smooth, silver back. Then as time past, I had subconsciously relied more and more aspects of my life on the phone that at times when it went missing, I would have trouble going through my day or have nothing to do on long bus rides. But then came the day when I had dropped it one too many times or when it came with contact with one too many drops of water. Normally I would be happy to replace my phone and be excited to buy a new one but since I have built this invisible and strange relationship with this phone, I did not want another one.

I guess this was exactly what was described in “objectified” as the relationship between a product or an object and its designer or consumer. This short-film has made me look at objects in my life differently and not just view it as something that was always meant to have the shape it has or look a certain way, but has something that has been carefully and specifically thought-out and designed.

Philippe Starck: Design for Life

In the six episodes of the television mini-series; “Design for Life”, one of the world’s most renowned designer: Philippe Starck and his team has chosen twelve people ranging from 19 to 32 years of age to compete for 6 months work experience in Starck’ agency. During this time, each of them must complete tasks set by Philippe Starck himself and convince him that they are the one who deserves this opportunity.

From a couple of episodes in, I realised one thing. All the contestants came in to this show expecting and wanting to impress Starck with their ability to design or their creativity and ideas. But slowly, I noticed that this is not what Starck was looking for. Starck set these tasks with one goal in mind and that is to train the students’ ways of thinking in to the way a designer thinks. With every project, Starck is constantly looking at how the students have approached the tasks and how they have come to the conclusions of each task. Starck tries to train them to think like a designer instead of just waiting for ideas to pop out of nowhere. Using the tasks, Starck repeatedly emphasise a few elements he wants the students to focus on, which are; the benefit for mankind, sustainability, ecology and ethicality.

For their final project, each of them were to design a product that was non-electrical, democratic, ecological, ethical and for daily use. Not one student’s achievement was satisfactory for Starck because they have all failed to present a finished designed product. As a designer it is your responsibility to design the product and figure out how it is going to be produced and used by the consumer. It is not enough to just to merely transfer your dreams on to your art diary. I have learnt this through the episodes of “design for life” as well as in the Industrial Design course at university.

In one of the episodes, Philippe Starck points out that Designers possess the powers to affect everyone in this world through the objects that surround us everyday. This reminded me just how important Design is to each one of us and how it is such a big part of our lives. This thought was very overwhelming and continues to inspire me every time I am reminded of it. It pushes me to challenge myself to become a better design student and hopefully one day become a designer that can have a positive impact on this world and the people that live in it.