Sketching Ideas 2020 - Breaking the Grid

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IE School of Architecture and Design Volume II

Breaking The Grid Breaking The Grid Breaking The Grid Bachelor in Design Annual Journal 2019 - 2020

Design and Layout Carla Rotenberg MarĂ­a Roig Ximena Sandoval Francesco Furno

D N I E E X I D X N X E IN DE -I D X N ND E I X I NDEX D IN EX 05. The Mother Of Chairs Aline Schmidt

00. Editorial Note

Clara Zarza & Carmen Van Bruggen

01. Monticello: A Revelation of Jefferson’s Hypocrisy Sophia de la Cruz

02. Obama “Hope” Poster: Culture Jamming for Publicity Ekin Su Asci

03. Dissolving Cultural Borders Lucía de la Torre

04. The Modern Hieroglyph: Communicating with Images Carla Rotenberg

06. Take one, take another, stack and enjoy Juana Mom

07. Greenwashing or Saving the World: Dopper’s mission of fighting Plastic with Plastic John Huth

08. The Stockholm Rug: An Attempt to Challenge the Culture of Mass Production Adelaida Balthazar

09. The Oxymoron of Sustainable Fashion Francesca Norrington

10. Epilogue

Edgar Gonzalez

Works Cited

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Introduction The Paradox of the Grid Clara Zarza & Carmen Van Bruggen

reativity is often understood to be intrinsically linked to the breaking of the norms and aesthetic systems that constitute the canons of artistic practices. Yet, can creativity still be understood that way, in a world where breaking the norm seems to have become the norm? What traditional patterns are there left to break with, after so many years of iconoclasm?

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The grid in its simplicity, purity and harmonious structure was a key basis in the development of new forms of representation, abstract art and modern design. It was about leaving behind ornamentation, symbols loaded with meaning and everything curvy and organic. However, this aesthetic of straight clear lines, emptied of any traditional connotations soon became as systematic and as normative as the pre-existing canons.

In her infamous essay The Originality of the Avant-Garde and Other Modernist Myths (1985) Rosalind Krauss looks back at the avant-garde search for the essence of painting. In the grid, she finds a stereotype of purity and

originality that is at the same time “a prison in which the caged artist feels at liberty.” (Krauss, 9). This quote full of contradictions shows the dynamic of creativity: every new idea can convert into a new set of restricting norms.

However, in order to create, one has to start from somewhere. A grid is needed first, before one can break with it.

Therefore, Krauss claims that originality should not be understood in opposition to the grid, but rather as a continuous process of appropriation, critique and re-evaluation.

The architect Rem Koolhaas reflects on the consequence of this constant play with previously cultivated forms for design. Instead of sketching a romantic image of innovation, he introduces the word ‘junkspace’. It is a word to describe what gets lost in this game of appropriation. An icon loses its sacredness in the form of a fridge magnet, imitations of gold and silver make gold and silver look cheap and the juxtaposition of several cultural styles obscures the presence of a specific culture. Koolhaas summarizes this with another paradoxical sentence:

‘Junkspace thrives on design, but design dies in Junkspace’ (Koolhaas).

In Breaking the Grid, the second issue of the Bachelor in Design’s Annual Journal, students critically reflect on these dynamics. The journal brings together a selection of the best essays written during the first and second year of the Bachelor in Design for the courses ‘History of Design’, ‘Design and Criticism’ and ‘Writing Skills’.

They can each be seen as individual challenges and revisions that show the rich possibilities to be found in looking again at something that has been taken for granted for long. Besides, a talented team worked very hard on the graphic design of the magazine. With this issue they show that thinking is not only expressed in words, but also in form – images, empty spaces and layout choices.

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Monticello: A Revelation of r c i s o r e s f f o y p n e y ’ s H J Sophia de la Cruz

ot many realize that the author of the Declaration of Independence, the securer of religious freedom for the United States, and prominent Enlightenment figure was also a known advocate for slavery having owned over 600 people in his lifetime (Thomas Jefferson, American Leader). Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson is a notoriously contradictory figure in American history for this very reason. Many have analyzed this theme through the lens of his political writings and actions, yet, is also evident in the structure of his home in Virginia entitled Monticello. Having designed the house himself, Jefferson’s values are evident in the structure (Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello...). Most interesting is the way he orchestrates the interactions between the people who roamed Monticello. This includes not only Jefferson’s own family, but also a myriad of prominent political figures and the hundreds of slaves that worked there. Taking a closer look at the estate we can pinpoint multiple design choices that facilitated Jefferson’s ability to play the part of both the slave owner and the

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enlightenment thinker. As a renowned architecture historian and theorist, Beatriz Colomina makes many wellresearched claims about the connection between designed spaces and the people that inhabit them. Her thoughts published in Privacy and Publicity will be used to orient this examination of Jefferson’s Monticello. In her work, Colomina responds to architect Adolf Loos’s convolution of the classic divide between the private and public; the object and subject (Colomina, 244).

She studies the tension brought forth between these two opposing ideas and the influence they have over the individual in each role. In Colomina’s work lies a metaphor brought forward from Loos writings: “The house is the stage for the theatre of the family, a place where people are born, live and die” (Colomina, 252). Because of the way Monticello is situated in history, in the time of slavery, this metaphor can be extended. If the family acts dually as the players and the spectators, within the same metaphor, slaves would inhabit the role of the stage hands.

They act as the invisible force, hidden in the shadows, that place the props

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7 and ready the setting of the show that is domestic life.

The slaves ability to be invisible is unlike the roles that Colomina outlined when speaking on Loos interiors. The subject in Loos houses were intruders.

In the given scenario, the intruder has only penetrated the house once its gaze lands on the most intimate place (Colomina, 250). While slaves were privy to the most intimate things within the home, from the nursery to chamber pots, they were not seen as intruders. Being rendered subhuman, their gaze did not hold enough power or importance to threaten the inhabitants. This illustrates the power and importance of historical context when analyzing the interiors and the interactions they support.

Despite the already inconspicuous nature of the slaves,

Jefferson put multiple systems in place to ensure limited interaction between the black and white folk.

The first of which is the wine dumbwaiter. Connected to the underground wine cellar was built a dumbwaiter that would allow slaves to send bottles to the tea room from below. The bottle would arrive in a concealed cabinet along the fireplace.

Similarly a series of rotating shelves in the dining room made 14 course

meals possible without servers. The food would be prepared and brought through underground passageway from the kitchen to the opposite side of the walls enclosing the dining room.

There the food would be loaded onto shelves that turned on a rotating hinge so that once the door was turned the food would appear in the dining room as if by magic. A guest at Monticello recalls, “by each individual was placed a dumbwaiter, containing everything necessary for the progress of dinner from beginning to end.”(A Greater Eye to Convenience). These devices further enhance the metaphor of the slaves as the stage crew within the show of domestic life by creating a physical divide between the front stage and backstage. Additionally, the cleverness of the dumbwaiters is not dissimilar to the pulley mechanisms used in theatre to raise and lower scenery and props.

When described by the Monticello historical society, the house was designed with “a greater eye to convenience”. While it is clear that this feeling is physically held solely by the people in the dining room, slaves also benefit from the ability to escape interaction. The slaves’ task of carrying the many platters up steep and narrow staircases within the walls of the house is not a pleasant one, but in many ways their physical separation is desirable. The walls and hidden passageways took on the responsibility of rendering the slaves invisible. In physical interaction, there is a required effort between both parties to reject their natural states. The role of the Jefferson family is to disregard an entire group of human beings that inhabit their household on a day-to-day basis, to constantly separate them from their human dignity in order to allow them to play their part. This should be hard for many but especially an

Enlightenment thinker like Jefferson who conceived the famous lines:

“We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

(US 1776).

The slaves must also go against their nature to carry out day to day tasks without any reward, in constant fear of punishment. In this way, the spaces designed to separate the master from slave are successful in easing tensions. Albeit, not all of Monticello is successful in this way.

Colomina states that there is always a space of maximum tension in Loos buildings that dislocates the subject within a threshold or border between two spaces (pg 276). In his fictional house for Josephine Baker, we find it in the windows that look into the pool that the subject and object get convoluted (pg 276). In Monticello, I found it to be the particularly narrow spiral staircase situated between the first floor and the second. Not only is it the threshold between the public main areas of the house and the private bedrooms, but its narrow design requires a physical negotiation between slaves and members of the family alike when attempting to move between floors. The staircase is only wide enough for one person, especially in consideration of the large skirts that would have been worn by females of the house (Orr). Additionally, the

Revolving Serving Door. Charlottesville.

The Dumbwaiter. Charlottesville.

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8 spiral shape of the staircase conceals anyone who may also be attempting to utilize the space. The clash between a lady of the house and a slave on this staircase would dislocate their roles temporarily in an awkward moment of inescapable confrontation. We do not know if this feeling of discomfort was preconceived by Jefferson when he designed the staircase, but looking at his numerous other efforts to avoid this conflict it is hard to deem it intentional.

Nonetheless, this space’s ability to capture a historical tension has been deemed an important design feature in the analysis of Jefferson’s home.

Considered one of the best American architects of the late-18th and early19th century, Jefferson did not fail in creating a piece of American history that people still visit and study today (Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)). While the public often recognizes the genius of his innovative designs and clever gadgets, what they often fail to see is the intentions of the composition.

Loos often described the modern man as a man of simple decoration and fashion. He finds that an intellectual does not individualize himself through physical ornamentation but by more complex demonstrations (Bloomer 93).

Jefferson’s failure to live up to his own values is inherent in the way he has built Monticello. There is a strong sense of secrecy in its hidden corridors and quirky mechanisms. His efforts to hide his inconsistencies only manifests more clearly his faults. And while it is, arguably, easier to make this criticism from a mindset that is developed by hundreds of years since Monticello’s creation, we find places like the staircase would have surfaced the same tensions that have been discussed.

to bring about a more balanced view of the founding father. Often these discourses take place separate from the things we have previously known of him positively. It’s as if two different versions of one person are being created. To create a truly balanced view we must combine these conversations through lenses such as Monticello, a place that shapes and is shaped by Jefferson day to day. His designs offer a tangible realization of his values and ideologies.

Rather than limiting ourselves to the analysis of his political actions and writings, it is good practice to take into consideration the designed environment that he spent most of his life in.

By this we can achieve a more accurate understanding of this historical figure.

In recent years, Jefferson’s association with slavery has surfaced in order

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Obama “Hope” Poster: l i c b i t u y e r J u p a t l m r m u o f in g C Ekin Su Asci

n his 1990 manifesto, Shepard Fairey states that his artistic mission is ultimately “phenomenological,” aiming to “enable people to see clearly something that is right before their eyes but obscured; things that are so taken for granted that they are muted by abstract observation” (Terrell-Curtiss, 2012, 23). As such, his works utilize culture jamming, defined as a tactic of dissent and political protest, involving the appropriation of commercial and government images to highlight the ideological codes hidden within them and subvert the intended message (Glassco 2). It aims to expose the prevalence of images that emphasize “image over substance and form over content”, offering a critique of The Society of the Spectacle1 (Glassco 213). It is thus telling that during the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Fairey created a campaign poster supporting

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1 The Society of Spectacle, described by Guy Debord in 1977, is one where individuals and their social relations are ruled by an imagebased apparatus that creates an illusory perception of reality in which individuals are passive receptors.

Barack memorable image from the election, going ‘viral’ in a matter of weeks, leading to the question: Does the Obama “ Hope” poster occupy the same terrain as publicity, or does it maintain the political subversiveness intended by culture jamming as its ultimate purpose?

In itself, the “ Hope” poster can be seen as an effective communicator of the Obama campaign. Red dominates the right and light blue the left, symbolizing the color of the political “right” and “left” and with the white strip on Obama’s face, forming the colours of the flag, showing Obama as a leader that can unite political ideologies. Greater variety of colour, highlight, shading, and crosshatching on Obama’s face show the complexity of ideology, while deracializing and nationalizing him with colour.

Nevertheless, when seen in the light of other dominant imagery, one realises that the image is a hybrid of appropriation, including the spotlit look of Andy Warhol’s icons, the sans-serif lettering, bold graphics and reduced

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10 Appropriation, without the purpose of culture jamming, is at the service of publicity. In Ways of Seeing, visual culture theorist John Berger argues that there are many direct references in publicity to works of art from the past, often becoming almost a “pastiche of well-known paintings” (Berger 134).

Indeed, Fairey, unlike most graffiti artists, specifically references wellknown, canonical sources from 20th century art (Yanes and Carter 97).

Berger states that in the language of oil painting and thus publicity, “vague historical or poetic or moral references” that are

“reminiscent of cultural lessons half-learnt”

are present, making all history “mythical” (140). Similarly, the poster employs references to the depiction of hope, progress, authority in the historical examples of socialist realism (Image 4), as well as the subversiveness/edginess of pop art, embodying the glamour of both in Obama for different demographics.

Fairey’s consistency of style also serves publicity. The Obey star, recognisable from his previous works, is in the background of the poster like a brand logo, a badge of authorship adding value to the image. Fairey claims to have included this “not to try to hijack Obama’s credibility as some have claimed”, providing false proof that the poster is a parody like Fairey’s previous works, but to encourage “hardcore collectors... to buy the poster just because it had an Obey logo” (Yanes

1. Obama “Hope” poster. Delaney, Brigid.

“Shepard Fairey: artist behind Obama ‘Hope’ poster unveils largest work to date in Sydney” 2008.

2. Fairey, Shepard. Obey Giant. 1970.

colour palette of Russian Constructivism, Obama, that became the most as well as the textured appearance of graffiti. The image of Obama itself is appropriated from a 2006 Associated Press photograph by Mannie Garcia, and thus disseminated illegally at times (Yanes and Carter 37).

Fairey’s style in the Hope poster does not digress from his previous works, maintaining appropriated elements that previously served culture jamming.

Portraiture, for instance, is used in “Obey Giant” which he deemed a “parody of a propaganda poster, clearly authoritarian, but with no definable political message,” serving as a critique of systems of authority and

unquestioned obedience (Terrell-Curtiss 22). A similar use of portraiture, this time combined with the same upward gaze in the Obama poster —a common signifier of hope for the future in Socialist Realism— is apparent in the poster of Stalin (Image 3). Indeed, Fairey himself states, alongside his belief in Obama’s authenticity, that portraits make “the best tool for propagandist manipulation because they can project an essence onto someone that they might not really have” (Keys 2010). This suggests that the same visual elements that were previously appropriated for critique of political propaganda are used in the “Hope” poster in similar fashion to the original propaganda posters— for authentic publicity.

3. Fairey, Shepard. Giant Stalin. 1998.

4. Shurpin, Fyodor. Morning of the Motherland. 1948.

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11 and Carter 98). The original poster, displayed in the National Portrait Gallery, is even reinforced with his signature as in the fine arts tradition, bringing the poster from the realm of the street to the realm of art. Thus, the poster’s value, in this case, also determined by its propagation, is shown to be a function of the “mystification” of the figure of the artist, as Berger states, in contemporary times, as a figure with ‘street cred’ and ‘buzz’ (21).

Publicity becomes the ultimate purpose of the project when Fairey accepts interference from Obama’s surrogates to change the initial inscription “progress” to “hope” in order to avoid Marxist associations, disregarding his ultimate aim of exposing how dominant images and icons are not naturally connected to ideologies, while establishing clarity and singularity of meaning in service of the campaign (Yanes and Carter 37). Nevertheless, the image does not merely operate within the campaign, commerce or the museum— institutions restrained by an ideological lens. By maintaining a free-distributive model and allowing the download of images for free, Fairey intends the image to operate as a meme, propagating not only the image in service of the campaign, but also encouraging

Indeed, Shifman argues that memes can play a “key role in contemporary formulations of political participation” (Delaure and Fink 22). This is exemplified, among others, by the website “Obamicon.me”, that allowed users to upload their own images and appropriate the poster’s graphic style to create parodies, both political and non-political. Users created “NOPE” and “HYPE” images of both Obama and opponents demonstrating their ability to participate in the discourse (TerrellCurtis 28). This shows that the poster was open for propagation as well as ‘sabotage’, by the public, adding to the populist character of the campaign while rendering culture jamming an actor in propaganda itself.

Thus, the Obama “Hope” poster is shown to operate on multiple levels.

While serving publicity at the level of the image, and in the process, emptying the style, associated with culture jamming, of its meaning; through the publicity it achieves, along with the free-distributive model, it disrupts the singularity of meaning delivered by a dominant image, transferring its authority to the receivers. The poster ultimately illustrates that design in the age of the internet acts as an agent in the evolution of both image and substance, as opposed to authority determining the absolute result.

culture jamming through serial appropriation by the receptors themselves.

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Dissolving Cultural Borders

Lucía de la Torre

n fluential designer Victor Papanek once stated that nowadays design has become a powerful tool for humans to shape their surroundings, consequently shaping society and themselves. For this reason, he argued that designers should acknowledge their “high social and moral responsibility” (Papanek in Keitsch 182), and “instead focus on producing products with ‘real’ benefits for people, and by doing so contribute to the societal and moral needs of society.” (Papanek in Keitsch 181). Given the strong impact design can have on a society and its individuals, it is highly important for designers to work in a socially conscious and responsible manner. The posters made by the design studio OPEN for the Mekudeshet festival of 2017 are an example that tackle this issue. This festival is celebrated in Jerusalem, a place divided by multiple and conflicting religions and cultural backgrounds, resulting in tensions and chaos that often create a negative perception of Jerusalem in the eyes of the outsider. Therefore, the purpose of the design is to represent the unification of all of these cultural groups and

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thus help dissolve the invisible borders constructed by the identities dividing Jerusalem (open.co). The design mainly achieves this through its process, which faithfully represents Jerusalem’s diversity.

However, given that the resulting image is a highly abstract one, the process is not made apparent, which raises the concern of whether its social value is partially lost in the ambiguity of the final image.

The process behind this design may be the main factor providing its social value, as every step was carefully considered in order to transmit the concept of dissolving boundaries in a socially mindful way. In his talk “Chaos” Saar Friedman (OPEN’s creative director) mentions how Jerusalem seems to be divided by borders between the areas inhabited by different religious and cultural groups. He states that the centre of the city is mainly occupied by Muslims, the westside by ultra religious Jews, and the rest of the city by a variety of other groups. This creates a strong debate regarding “what belongs to whom” and “what are the real borders

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13 of the city” (“Saar”). However, a person must cross these immaterial borders on a daily basis in order to access essential goods and services. Moving on from this, the studio decided to GPS track the daily routes of ten influential artists and activists as they moved through the city (“Saar”). The resulting image directly represented the crossing and dissolving of these borders as the visualized paths crossed and intertwined with each other, expanding over the entire city. Furthermore, these ten participants varied in cultural and religious backgrounds, and were chosen because they themselves had dissolved cultural boundaries within their own lives. A transgender woman and a Christian man married to a Jewish woman were among them, demonstrating the importance of overcoming boundaries set by societal taboos that can harm the individual and consequently the society’s progress and wellbeing. In order to faithfully portray

the cultural diversity of Jerusalem, each participant was given a specific brushstroke design to illustrate their tracked paths, based on visual elements from their different backgrounds, like the stroke of traditional writing, or a distinct tiles design (Under Consideration). In his talk, Friedman also expresses how, in this city conflicted by different backgrounds and mindsets, “every person is sure that the whole city belongs to them, and sees Jerusalem from their own perspective” (“Saar”). However it is interesting that the poster does not take the point of view of a person moving through Jerusalem (floor level), but an unbiased approach from a satellite or air perspective, like an outside spectator observing the behaviour of these people. It almost implies that the city belongs to everyone, as it is filled with the movement of a diverse range of people that have to cross these cultural borders daily. A second concept that adds social value to the design is

2. Mekudeshet Festival Posters, by OPEN, 2017 © OPEN.

its embrace of the notion of chaos as associated with Jerusalem. In his talk, Friedman describes the chaos that fills the city as seen through the notion of contrasts and conflict.

A city where gay parades happen alongside extremist religious manifestations and advanced technology meets decaying infrastructure (“Saar”).

1. Graphic Brushes Based on Background, by OPEN, 2017 © OPEN.

Oftentimes this chaotic perception of Jerusalem becomes unappealing and overwhelming to an outsider’s eye, but it is also part of the city’s beauty (“Saar”). Therefore, with the purpose of changing people’s negative perception of this aspect of Jerusalem, Friedman embraces this chaos and translates it into the design’s process as well as its outcome. In the case of the process, chaos is present in the form of improvisation, and the fact that the design relies on circumstantial, human behaviour. It is the people’s distinct movements through the city that create the design, and not the designer’s, and this lack of control is what leads to an unexpected and unique outcome. This aspect makes the design socially inclusive because it transfers the power to the hands of the user or targeted audience. In a sense, through relying on those ten citizens as part of the process, the posters become designed by and for the people of Jerusalem.

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14 The visual result is what seems like:

a living organism of chaotic brushstrokes, of different cultural backgrounds intertwining and blending with each other, an image of one beautiful chaos.

Although the graphic choices all have a complex purpose, the visual result is very abstract, barely revealing the process behind it. Given the importance of the process to demonstrate the social value, the question arises of whether this is lost in the ambiguity of the outcome. If the process is not apparent, does it still effectively communicate its social message to the viewer? Fortunately, more aspects of the design ensure its social responsibility. An example would be the socially inclusive detail of writing the Festival’s name in the three different languages spoken in Jerusalem: Hebrew, Arabic and English. It does this as a reference to the format of all street signs in Jerusalem. Another one would be the fact that the posters designed for each event are each made in a single different color (“Saar”). However, the poster announcing the final, most important event uses all the colors of the previous posters. Given that each of the events bring art and music from different places and cultures, this choice further reinforces the

idea of bringing together the diverse backgrounds that build the festival.

Lastly, the main posters announcing the overall event are made using only black and white. The use of these as the two most basic and contrasting colors does not only serve to represent the city’s contrasts (“Saar”), but brings attention to the most essential element of the design: the brushstrokes and its patterns. Instead of distracting the viewer with many colors, the poster brings focus to its most intriguing element, creating interest on what its meaning might be.

Nevertheless a very significant aspect of the design is its purpose of advertising the festival, thus functioning as publicity, but a socially responsible one: it sells an experience, a feeling and a mentality, not an object. A possibly negative aspect of publicity as described by visual theorist John Berger in his book Ways of Seeing (2008) is that it creates desire for an improved, enviable version of one’s self (131). In Berger’s analysis it does so by making the viewers feel unsatisfied with their current state of being, convincing them that if they acquire what is being advertised, their lives will become better (142). However, in this case, the desire to go to the festival is achieved by creating interest in the viewer. The abstract and complex image created by the brushstrokes along with the lack of context information (only includes name and date) sparks curiosity and intrigue in the viewer to discover the meaning of the poster and consequently the process behind it. Therefore, the social value inherent to the design’s process isn’t lost as a result of its visual ambiguity, it is rediscovered.

Furthermore, Berger explains how publicity uses photography to achieve the same tangible quality of oil paintings, making the things advertised

3. Blending The Paths, by OPEN, 2017 © OPEN.

seem more reachable to the viewer (Berger 141). In this case, instead of advertising the event by displaying an image of people enjoying themselves, the posters present an abstract one.

Therefore, instead of offering the public a prefixed image of the festival, it actually encourages them to create their own, transforming them into active observers by stimulating their curiosity and imagination, thus becoming part of the design.

This possibility of being open to interpretation consequently enables a dialogue between the design and the viewer, reinforcing the importance of the relationship between both to build the design’s value.

As it was seen, a significant aspect that makes OPEN’s design of the Mekudeshet festival posters (2017) socially responsible is that it gives agency to its target audience by integrating them into every aspect of the design. Going from a process that relies on people’s movement through the city of Jerusalem, to an abstract outcome that triggers the viewers’ imagination for them to build their own perception of the festival.

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The modern Hieroglyph: municatin with Images m o g C Carla Rotenberg

t this moment in time we have 3304 emojis (May 2020, Unicode). These little pictographs were first designed in the 1990s in Japan and have since 2010, the year the organisation Unicode initiated a global standard for emoji, flooded our online conversations (Pardes “The Wired Guide to Emoji”). They have provided us with new ways to connect globally and express our feelings . Emojis have become a representation of our global community and though we may believe we hold power over them, the longer we live in an emoji world joined by new generations each year, the more they gain power over us. As anthropologist Daniel Miller explains, the material and visual world we are born into, inevitably influences our ways of thinking and our behaviour.

At the same time, emojis risk adding to our image pollution, the vast amount of images we are confronted with every day. In his prominent book The Society of the Spectacle (1967)

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French theorist Guy Debord analysed how this pollution makes us loose touch with reality and turns us into passive figures. There are limitations and opportunities in our expression through Emoji: it has to constantly readapt itself in order to offer an accurate world image and ensure real communication, that has a positive impact on ourselves and our behaviour.

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”, wrote the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (74).

Even though it is debatable if Emoji should be considered a language, it has in fact become a global means of communication that aims to express and represent anyone, across cultures and ages. Thus Wittgenstein’s problem with language applies just as much to Emoji: There is a limit to what we can represent with emojis, and the things it leaves out are officially not acknowledged, therefore not part of the global community.

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Limitations can help us to not get lost in a confusing overflow of symbols, but they become especially problematic in a global context, when they leave out cultures or create a hierarchy between them and we start believing that this is our reality.

This is problematic since the use of emojis expands at a faster pace than Emoji adapts its limits to every culture and identity. Different to words, these limitations are not only set by the terms themselves, but by the committee Unicode that decides what and how we can express ourselves in Emoji. In consequence, up to 2015 there were no coloured people or women working and playing sports in the world of Emoji (Pardes “The Wired Guide to Emoji”).

This has since then been changed, but other regulations were put in place on purpose. In 2016 Apple, later followed by other companies, replaced the gun emoji with a water pistol as a sign of anti violence (Morby). In this case, the limit is intended to educate the user. But what

does this mean for the representation of the world Emoji offers? Do people not have guns? Is there no violence1?

Though the gun may be a controversial example, it would surely be argued as a part of culture for some Emoji users.

What is key to Emoji is consistently

1. If so, why does the Emoji keyboard include a bomb and a knife?

1. Water pistol emoji and former gun emoji, designed by Apple 2016, © Dezeen.

updating itself. While we still are restricted by Unicode’s regulations, anyone can propose a new emoji.

Organisations such as Emojination fight for a more accurate representation on our Emoji keyboard. They successfully passed the hijab or the dumpling emoji . Activist Florie Hutchinson passed the ballerina shoe , that might seem like an unnecessary addition considering there are six other ways to say “shoe” in emoji: (Pardes “The newest emoji says as much about us as actual words”).

Yet a shoe is not just a shoe: while a flat ballerina may be associated with comfortable, feminine, working footwear, a red high heel may imply leisure time or even eroticism. And just as our material world is composed by a diversity of same things with different cultural meanings (Miller 42-78), our representation of it should follow the same rules. If Emoji wants to create an

accurate representation of our world that influences us positively, it has to be questioned constantly and increased in its terms, amplifying our worldview.

Wittgenstein was probably not thinking about emojis, when he concluded in his book that “[w]e make to ourselves pictures from facts” (28).

By this he was referring to our way of communicating with words that are translated by the receiver into images.

Very often those images are not the ones the communicator intended and thus lead to miscommunication.

Wittgenstein did however think of hieroglyphic writing “which pictures the facts it describes” (qtd. in Jespersen and Reintges 1). A comparison between

emoji and hieroglyphs reveals how this form of communication is not at all a new trend (Kershner). We are regaining ancient methods of communication where words have failed us.

Emoji can help with this threat of miscommunication, but it also threatens to construct an illusion. Consisting mainly of nouns, emojis express especially two things: feelings and materialised concepts. For the communicating of the first one, emojis can be of great help and add a whole layer of meaning (Stefan). Writing “I’m okay ” or “I’m okay ” changes our whole tone of voice. Suddenly we can express hidden feelings, irony and sarcasm digitally.

This possibility to express ourselves can, on the other hand, entail the threat of artificially constructing ourselves. If we are honest, most times no one is crying waterfalls or laughing so much that tears pop out of their eyes .

2. Chart comparing hieroglyphs to emojis at the exhibition “Emoglyphs: Picture-Writing From Hieroglyphs to the Emoji”, Israel 2020 © Studio Ira Ginzburg.

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17 In the end each emoji is another image that contributes to the image we want to transmit of ourselves, which is usually that we are funny, loving people (probably the reason why the heart and the laughing emoji are ranked first in frequency (Unicode May 2020)). Due to the lack of nonverbal communication, as body language or real tone of voice, the threat of emoji is, that we alternate the facts we then picture. This would construct an illusion of an overly emotional digital community, forgetting about the mostly serious faces behind the screens and losing touch with reality. When it comes to the expression of concepts however, these constructed emoji images can help us explain and picture facts for anyone on the planet and this may be one of the biggest strengths it has. An example for this are the emojis by the Swedish organisation

BRIS2 explaining situations of abuse that make it easier for children to reach out (56 % more children did according to Garbergs). Or the Mosquito emoji that became a global symbol for fighting Malaria (Pardes “The newest emoji says as much about us as actual words”). In these cases Emoji can communicate in a way words can’t, because of the difficulties in formulation or the limited global reach.

The familiarity and attachment we have to emojis should be an opportunity to further improve and add to our flows of communication and reduce the risk of superficiality and illusion.

Considering this — how successfully can we communicate through images, in this case emojis? There is a 2. These are not included in the Unicode standard but can be downloaded additionally.

limitation to what we can express due to external restrictions (Unicode committee) and internal restrictions (limits of the image itself). This is especially problematic when our visual language, the supposable representation of our material world, fails to represent accurately and informs behaviour and beliefs in a negative way. Furthermore when communicating with images, we risk constructing an illusion of ourselves and others, confusing it with reality and becoming alienated. To succeed, Emoji cannot live as a final, static project. It needs to be questioned and updated constantly, both in its terms/images, as in the messages it sends. It cannot replace words, but it can add to situations where words fail us, reducing miscommunication and encouraging more communication between very different people, leading

future generations to think and act in a beneficial way. The limits of our world would not be erased, but amplified continuously. Thus what we should always bear in mind when creating for a long-term and honest relationship to communication through the material and visual world is: it should be a never-ending design process.

3. Abused Emojis App, by Swedish national helpline BRIS, 2015 © BRIS.

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The Mother of Chairs Aline Schmidt

ver the decades, the realm of design advanced not only in its understanding of functionality, as one that can both be utilitarian and emotional, but also broadened its scope in art and psychology. According to German sociologist Gerhard Schulze, due to the increase in leisure time and prosperity after the Second World War, society shifted its desires from goods to experiences (Schulze).1 Hence, new possibilities left designers freedom for exploration, diving into the domain of affective experience. Defined as the “contemporary Leonardo da Vinci,” American-Israeli, MIT Professor Neri Oxman, is an excellent example of evoking one’s senses in her designs and allowing the user to experience an affective engagement that also has artistic value (Green).

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1 Erlebnisgesellschaft is the German word marked by Gerhard Schulze which translates into ‘Experience-Society.’ In short, it describes a society in which consumption transcends basic understandings of buying and materializing products. It aims for consuming as many experiences as possible for a greater development of individuality. “Experiences are no longer supposed to be available at exotic places only.” (Hassenzahl)

In this sense, Oxman fits with design theorist Dean Sudjic’s definition of the designer as “an artist, one whose tools differ somewhat from those of his predecessors, but an artist nonetheless” (169). Meaning, design, and art are not two separate entities but rather work hand in hand. A remarkable example in which Oxman merges artistic components into her designs for the search of a sensuous experience is Gemini, the unique and multifaceted chaise, was designed by Oxman in 2014 for the “Vocal Vibrations” exhibition in Paris (Oxman). The chaise offers “a stimulationfree environment, recapitulating the ultimate quiet of the womb as it echoes our most inner voices” (Oxman et al.

108). Neri Oxman aims to transcend the primary function of a chair as Gemini materializes its dual aspects in fabrication, purpose, and materiality offering and affective experience, as one that influences an individual’s emotional state by bearing on the senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Oxman defines experimentation and process as essential steps in the creativity cycle that leads to state-of-the-art knowledge (Appendix 1). Hence, to what extent

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20 does the experimentation of composition, materiality, and color work on the user’s affective experience? In order to answer this question, Gemini will be analyzed in terms of how it successfully translates experimentation into an allusive and intuitive experience in the user.

Arguably, the experimentation within the boundaries of the Gemini’s composition impacts the user on an unconventionally intimate level. As a result of the chairs’ sophisticated spatial configuration, the users are not only stimulated visually but also encouraged to explore their sense of hearing and touch. Experimenting with a large piece of cherry wood and “subtractive wood milling,” Oxman achieves an organic, semi-enclosed, and complex composition, each adding depth to the individuals’ emotional experience (Oxman et al. 113).

For instance, Gemini’s top composition, precisely the cocoon shape, plays upon what can be described as a womb-like sensation (Figure 1).

Once the individual is seated, he or she is expected to build an emotional

The half-sphere structure and soundabsorbing composition of “cells” provide a soothing space creating a sense of security and voluntary isolation (Oxman et al. 110).

connection with the overall presence of this object that surrounds their vision, body, and auditory boundaries.

Hence, one remembers the feeling of trust and reliability a baby develops in the nurturing womb of the mother (Figure 2). Oxman’s aim to create an experience that revolves around motherhood may not come as a surprise. The designer primarily references nature, which beyond Gemini, can be seen in her works named ‘The Silk Pavilion’2 and ‘Carpel Skin.’3 Furthermore, the cocoon, enforces “the prenatal experience of the fetus,” encouraging a positive value (Oxman et al. 108). Within the harmonious silence 2 This project was made by the designer herself and “The Mediated Matter Group at the MIT Media Lab. Researchers include: Markus Kayser, Jared Laucks, Jorge Duro-Royo, Carlos David Gonzalez Uribe, and Prof. Neri Oxman (Founding Director). In collaboration with Prof.

Fiorenzo Omenetto (TUFTS University) and Dr. James Weaver (WYSS Institute, Harvard University).” (Mediated Matter) 3 ‘Carpel Skin’ was designed by Neri Oxman in 2009-2010 and was made out of the same materiality and use of the ‘Stratasys’ technology (Oxman “Carpal Skin”)

the chaise offers, one can feel a sense of ease and a deep meditative state.

This feeling successfully achieves its purpose through the experimentation and process of applying acoustic properties like curved compositions and non-linear surfaces seen in the cells (Figure 3). “The features of the chaise are on the order of the wavelength of sound, and they, therefore, interact strongly with sound and get absorbed effectively” (Oxman). Precisely the application of cells, as Oxman defines the knobs, further functions to deliver “structural support and comfort” and add a sense of belonging while experiencing the chaise (Figure 4) (Oxman et al. 108). Similar to the nurturing qualities of umbilical cord, the use of textured and anatomical ‘cells’ creates a “connection” between the chaise and the user (Figure 7) (Cells For Life). According to Donald Norman, the father of user-centered design, the applications of “sensuous feelings, sounds, and shapes” as well as symmetry, smooth and curved surfaces create positive affect (Norman 29).

However, it is a common problem for designers to design within the idea of universality and expectancy of a uniform response among users.

Hence, if Gemini is designed for the ‘average-sized’ person, we should question whether the experience varies depending on the user’s body and size?

(Oxman et al. 109) Additionally, being in a womb is arguably an experience based on high subjectivity, which in the case of Gemini was set on Oxman’s terms and conditions.

1. Side view left with Neri Oxman from Gemini & 2. Side view right with Neri Oxman from Gemini by Neri Oxman for “Vocal Vibrations”, 2014 ©Neri Media Mit (Oxman).

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21 Considering the chaise’s idiosyncratic design language, it can leave the user with a slightly negative impression.

Whether the chair is positioned upright or placed down, the peculiar composition can feel overwhelming (Figure 6). Thinking about user experiences in design Norman spoke of how “negative emotions kick in when there is a lack of understanding, when people feel frustrated and out of control —first uneasiness, then irritation, and, if the lack of control and understanding persists, even anger” (Norman 77)— In this sense, Gemini’s unfamiliar attributes may evoke adverse emotions due to their obscurities.

Nevertheless, the various individual sensations Oxman aspires to articulate with the chaise were never intended to be conventional nor univocal. Hence, despite its obscurity, Gemini achieves to create an affective experience in different levels of perception with its striking, yet, sensual form, refined motifs, and ambiance that no other piece of furniture can create. Moreover,

Neri Oxman builds the affective experience through the experimentation and development of heterogeneous materiality. The user’s senses of sight, hearing, touch are stimulated, calling on an emotional experience due to the color choice, acoustic property, and texture formed by materiality. With the help of contemporary technologies and indulging in the concept of duality or twin-like aspect of the chaise, Oxman applies additive fabrications to achieve the complexity of the interior that she calls “cellular skin” (Oxman et al. 108) (Figure 5)4. Stratasys Connex technology, the company that Oxman has worked with to accomplish the 3D printed texture, grants “a rich dialog between sound and light, rigid and flexible, natural and man-made materials” (“Stratasys Color”).

4 Additive fabrication is a smart way of

building material. It uses one printer only while producing “manipulating material characteristics” (Oxman et al. 112). This is a sustainable method that consumes less energy.

3. Top view with Neri Oxman from Gemini & 4. Detail of cells from Gemini designed by Neri Oxman for “Vocal Vibrations”, 2014 ©Neri Media Mit (Oxman).

The skin-like texture of cells allows the user to recollect the moment of first skin contact unconsciously.

Like babies, the chair nurtures the user with an accurate skin-to-skin contact to accommodate the bond with her or him (Figure 4).

Additionally, Gemini explores both rigid and smooth materiality. For example, “rigid opaque VeroMagenta and VeroYellow” colors establish the code of sensitivity in touch (Oxman et al. 111). The “44 different predefined combinations” or cells are soundabsorbing and simultaneously act as pressure points on the average human body, imposing the desired change of attitude in the sensorial realm (Oxman et al. 111). According to Donald Norman, positive affect occurs when “neurotransmitters broaden the brain processing, the muscles can relax, and the brain attends to the opportunities offered by the positive effect” (Norman 26). Therefore, those pressure points and sound-absorbing features of the cells can, if positioned correctly, relieve internal and external tension and pain due to the release of endorphins leading to a decrease in anxiety, a state of tranquility (Figure 2). Consequently, Gemini accomplishes a great sense of pleasure.

Furthermore, a positive stimulus can also be evoked in Gemini’s color choice, which plays essential roles in affecting one’s sensorial, thus emotional perception. Inspired by the sun, Neri Oxman establishes a visual system consisting of warm, radiant colors such as magenta, yellow, and orange, which create depth due to their opacities and tones (Figure 5). The cells’ colors radiate along the weaving surface of the chair. Their wide variety of colors, shades, and shapes come together organically to create a dynamic and striking presence. Conclusively, Oxman allows not only the materiality itself to ornament but also “color to be the ornament” (Sudjic 190). Through experimentation with color, she can assemble a piece of furniture that sparks curiosity at first sight. However, the colors achieve their real purpose when the user is surrounded by their

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5. Detail from Gemini, 6. Upside down position from Gemini & 7 Top view from Gemini designed by Neri Oxman for “Vocal Vibrations”, 2014 ©Neri Media Mit (Oxman).

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23 warming radiations as they settle in, just like the electrons on the sun’s surface where their inspiration originates from (Figure 8).

In conclusion, the twin chaise Gemini designed by Neri Oxman experiments with distinct new technologies and elements that arguably have not been applied before in the realm of a design. The variation of compositions and intricacy of materiality, including architecture, texture, and color of the chaise, accomplish different levels

8. Micrograph of Solar Star by James C. Weaver for WYSS Institute, Harvard University. ©MIT (Oxman et al) 9.

of engagement with the senses and creates an affective experience.

However, such experience is heavily influenced by personal preferences.

The design of Gemini exceeds the expectation of a chair and explores, and thereby challenges, beyond practical interpretations. Its explicit references to motherhood, specifically the womb, is viscerally felt by the user, making the design noteworthy in experimentation with contemporary techniques and processes in order to create an affective experience.

Appendix: Krebs Cycle of Creativity

by Neri Oxman ©MIT (“Neri Oxman’s Krebs Cycle of Creativity”).

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“Take one, take another, stack s n e t j o y n � d - Compleme an Juana Mom

rabbing and putting toys in their mouths are inevitable moves for children since their curiosity makes them want to explore the world.

This childlike search for experience and playfulness is what caught my eye when looking at the Complements chocolates. They are modular artisan chocolates conceived by an Australian collaboration between Bakedown Cakery chocolate artisan shop, and Universal Favourite design agency (Universal Favourite np). From 3D print molds and a handmade process, in 2016 Bakedown Cakery and Universal Favourite gathered powerful gastronomic design skills to create a box of twelve different flavoured, unexpected and delicious looking chocolates. Each small block was colourfully designed as a staircase shape to allow combinations by stacking and locking together in order to create a single bite sized cube (Figure 1). From its making to its successful consumption, I observed that Complements challenge the way we normally eat and perceive chocolates.

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They convey for everyone, a source of an enjoyable, entertaining attitude of playfulness, and at the same time they construct a path to aesthetic pleasure through the beauty of the product. Nevertheless, how does the Complements chocolates aim to produce a powerful design for play and pleasure? Through this review, on one hand, the secret of their playful intention is going to be revealed. On the other hand, attention will be given to aesthetic pleasure and the playful attitude it leads to.

The Complements chocolates are an unexpected creation: they make everyone’s playful childish spirit come out.

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25 An immediate first impression shows that they do not represent the conventional interpretation such as a traditional brown chocolate bar does.

It is interesting to start by pointing out how the chocolate’s creation is linked with the philosophy of the AvantGarde movements in their search for individual expression and originality through an understanding of the artist as the absolute source and ground zero of the work and relying on freedom and play as the source of inspiration (Krauss). In the Complements chocolates, this child-mind philosophy is enacted by the team of designers . While creating and articulating a new visual modern world, they explored different interlocking shape designs (Figure 2) and created a final unique one, where playfulness, creativity and engagement are constantly linked. Conveyed to the consumer, the relation between the sweet treat and the individual creates an environment of playfulness as it

is an enjoyable attitude, entertained by this activity of locking together small edible blocks. However, more is hidden behind this attitude. Human’s behaviour is challenged by making them use their own creativity which is pointed out through how the physical and visual product enables their interest. With its geometry, its bright colours, its minimalistic aesthetic, its balance or its clean organic shape (Figure 3), the consumer is placed in a child environment. An engagement relation opens new ways of interaction with the product where at any rate, each consumer’s curiosity studies the chocolate’s mould, grabs it, turns it around, mixes it and matches it with another one: it is about experimenting and discovering. The entire design is enforced by its tangibility that grants to understand its shape, to touch it, feel it and see it, as well as its attractive easy small-sized manipulability, allows free movements with the hands from

1. Complements, designed by Universal Favourite and Bakedown Cakery, 2016 © Complements.

2. Interlocking shape designs, designed by Universal Favourite, 2016 © Universal Favourite.

the flavour selection to the cube construction. The size is key, as design theorist Chaim Ophir Gingold’s underlines when he says that “the miniaturization diminishes the world to a scale that feels safe, is easily understood, grasped and placed under the reign of a player’s thoughts, imagination, feelings, and manipulations” (470). Furthermore, through its ephemeral and sensorial stage, the relation between the chocolate and the consumer creates a realm of design through a playful modular engagement based on originality and individuality.

Seeing that the chocolates give the opportunity to engage in a playful environment, the consumer will be placed under a sensation of pleasure.

As I suggested, the sweets were conceived through a creative crafted ‘out of the box’ thinking process, as something that went far beyond what is normally set and expected. While

playing, I have observed that we are not only using our human abilities and intelligence, but also sensations. When adults are engaged in arranging the blocks with creativity and curiosity, as a child does, they also encounter aesthetical pleasure which responds to a feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment. Moreover, if something transmits pleasure, it also transmits aesthetic qualities such as beauty and attractiveness. Along with this design, Complements highly represents this delightful sensorial stage. Though, it is fundamental to first point out that the relation with the material world, allows to create this engaged and enjoyable sensorial act of playing.

Supported by anthropologist Daniel Miller’s relevant observation in his work Stuff, the interaction with materiality is a key feature of human enrichment and development. For centuries, objects helped us expand our capacities, enhance ourselves, create identities or

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26 even offered us new possibilities in a chaotic world. What creates a pleasant sensation is the connection with the real object itself.

The connection with materiality turns out to be a strong and necessary quality for us to perceive and feel.

In this sense, the idea of playing with the different staircases, to take time to look at each of them, to admire and appreciate them, to feel the texture and analyse the geometry, makes the aesthetic pleasure even more powerful.

Because of its materials, the modular relation slows down between the chocolates and the individual, provoking this pure hedonistic reaction and creating many sensory awakenings. Acquiring Complements, the purchaser cannot escape from sensory domains of sight, touch, taste and smell. These little treats are thus edible designs conceived to give an outstanding, surprising, sophisticated and delicious taste to our palate as, when mixed and

3. Complements, designed by Universal Favourite and Bakedown Cakery, 2016 © Complements.

built together “something truly special happens, a uniquely mouth-watering flavour greater than the sum of the parts” (Universal Favourite np). Nevertheless, what makes this creation even more attractive is the visual language (Figure 4). The clean staircase shape, the vibrant mix of colours with elegant painterly and marble-like finishes, the patterns, the uniformity and the tangibility, are assets that are perceived and appreciated. In The Aesthetic Pleasure in Design Scale, authors support the idea that “items that measure hedonic value, include: ‘captivating’, ‘stylish’, ‘premium’ and ‘creative’” (87).

Following this, the aesthetic pleasure transmitted through the chocolates, is a mix of visual satisfaction and stimulant senses, where people will find beauty, novelty and originality.

To summarize, Complements is a synonym of a contemporary design that is not only offering us sweet treats to taste, but also pleasant and playful objects. From their creation to their consumption, relationships between the designer, the consumer and the chocolates were constructed under stages of creativity, imagination, engagement and curiosity. Because of how the edible little sculptures were gastronomically and graphically conceived, they convey for any individual from kids to adults, an immediate appeal to play and interact. At the same time, this strong relation with its materiality awakens human senses to a satisfying and pleasant beauty.

4. Complements, designed by Universal Favourite and Bakedown Cakery, 2016 © Complements

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h t w e a s n h W e g i e n r orld: n g i G or Sav Dopper’s mission of fighting plastic with plastic John Huth

he earth’s plastic waste problem along with its causes of biodiversity loss and destruction of natural habitats is as present as ever before.

Decades of mindlessly abusing single-use plastics, trapped in the ‘kleenex culture’ as referred to by Victor Papanek in his book Design for the Real World, is finally catching up to humankind and society is desperate for solutions. Luckily, Dopper, a Dutch company is there to save the oceans with their sustainable, reusable plastic water bottle design. Or so they claim. In this paper I will be critically analyzing and reviewing the Dopper Original water bottle with the central focus on challenging the company’s claims and demystifying whether the user is being greenwashed or truly contributing to a better tomorrow.

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The Dopper Classic water bottle is roughly 25cm tall standing upwards, it holds 450ml of water and is manufactured out of BPA/plasticizer

and toxin-free plastics such as Polypropylene, Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and Thermoplastic elastomer.

The Dopper Original is sold in seven different colorways and each unit can be purchased at a price of only €12.50.

The design has incorporated a sleek feature of a bottleneck with a double function as a cup when unscrewed at the lower half while the bottle also includes a top lid for fast access and use of its full water capacity. When purchasing the bottle online it even gives the customer the option to customize the cup with various patterns, text or even personal images.

Now what makes this water bottle so special and how is it planning on saving the planet? To begin answering this question we must address the core problem this company is challenging, which is single-use water bottles.

According to the Cradle to Cradle Centre, in the United States alone

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over 450,000 singleuse water bottles are used every minute of which less than 20% end up being recycled resulting in 8 million tons of plastic entering the ocean every year (C2C-Centre, 2014).

The Dopper company claims and advertises that by purchasing and using one of their reusable bottles the buyer stops 5 kilos of plastic and 200 single-use bottles in total from entering the ocean annually. Additionally, the customer is promised that 10% of the profit made of each sale is donated to clean drinking water projects running in Nepal. While the Dopper company is already claiming to do so much to fight the single-use plastic waste problem it is also notable that the Dopper Original water bottle has in fact received a Cradle to Cradle bronze certification.

This means that the product is entirely recyclable and remanufactured into a new Dopper product when returned to the seller, thus becoming part of the circular economy (C2C-Centre, 2014).

While all these claims may let the Dopper company appear as a sustainable and active player in fighting pollution, there are still other factors possibly contradicting the company’s values.

Dopper is fighting plastic with products are recyclable and Cradle t plastic, and while the specific materials used to manufacture the company’s o Cradle approved, even if without intending to do so, this type of low prized, fashionable product still plays an active part in the Kleenex Culture as described by Victor Papanek. In his text, Design for the Real World, chapter 5, Our Kleenex Culture: Obsolescence and Value, Papanek identifies that the consumer behaviour of a throw-away society is driven by the technological obsolescing of products.

The obsolescence of products can occur due to wear and tear of the items but also because of more fashionable products reducing the value of existing ones. When discussing the obsolescence of Dopper it is noticeable how low the prices are and that the main material used is still plastic. Regarding the pricing of a product V. Papanek states that “a second way of dealing with the technological obsolescing of products lies in restructuring prices for the consumer market.” (Papanek, p.99).

With the cost of the bottle lying at only €12.50 including a 2-in-1 cup and bottle feature and the option to customize your product with stylish colors, patterns and personal images, Dopper is insanely price competitive.

While the selection of materials was seemingly focused around the core idea of the ability to reintroduce all resources used back into the production of new bottles, it is questionable why the company decided to do exactly that over completely eradicating plastic from its product line. How come the company did not chose to produce a much more durable product using materials exceeding a life span far than the one of plastic products? To put it in Papanek’s words “Such items, combining usefulness, bright color modish design, comfort, extremely low cost, light weight and easy ‘knock down factors’ with eventual disposability, naturally appeal to young people and college students.”

(Papanek, p.99) This raises an important point: while the company may sell us the perfect combination of features, looks and price today it may not appeal to us anymore as soon as a new and better one is introduced to the market.

Is it possible that Dopper isn’t just looking to save the oceans but to also make a quick buck claiming to do so?

1. Dopper bottles in seven colorways ©Dopper

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Overall, the Dopper company is on the right path. Their Dopper Original water bottle has received a highly praised certification by the Cradle to Cradle Centre and is setting an example for the plastic industry. Whether the Dopper company is out to make a profit and benefit from our society’s consumer culture or truly to clean the oceans and fund drinking water projects, Dopper is challenging the obsolescence and value of the single use plastic water bottle. While the use of plastic itself is still questionable in first place, more products need to be designed suitable for the circular economy, either as a BPA/plasticizer and toxin-free good or by introducing new innovative solutions eradicating plastic entirely.

2. Dopper bottles blue, structure ŠDopper

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The Stockholm Rug: An attempt o f e l l n e a g r h e u c t l t he cu to Mass Production Adelaida Balthazar

he alarming amount of trash polluting Earth and the lack of connection with our material world are rising concerns often present at the centre of contemporary conversations (Simmons). However, these issues are but consequences of the culture of mass production that the world has been immersed in since the Industrial Revolution. Technological developments that took place during the 18th century, such as the water frame and power loom, mechanized process of weaving and with it the textile industry. As a consequence, textiles began to be mass produced, which dramatically lowered the prices of final goods (Berman and Jirousek). Nevertheless, these unbelievably low prices also led to a decrease of the perceived value of goods, which introduced us to what famous climate

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activist Victor Papanek referred to as the ‘kleenex culture’; a society were objects are injected with obsolescence and are produced with an expiration date in mind (Papanek). Furthermore, machines made for mass production replaced the work of artisans and caused a shift from engaged labour to a systematic activity (Forty).

These quicker, more efficient ways of production continue to this day.

However, the world seems to be entering a phase of awakening, with countless demonstrations that reject the culture of mass production taking place (“Trend: Employee Activism”). So much so, that large corporations have begun to listen.

The willingness to change can be witnessed in Ikea’s Stockholm rug, which attempts to challenge mass production with a more traditional, engaged process.

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According to the company, the Stockholm rug is different from massproduced alternatives because it is made of durable materials that will ensure a long lifespan, challenging the throw-away culture.

Additionally, it is handwoven by skilled craftsmen (rather than machines) making each one unique (“Stockholm”). But, to what extent is the Stockholm rugs’ attempt to challenge our broken relationship to the material culture successful?

The cycle of constant purchase and disposal of goods stems from the ends of the Second World War, when the idea of changing a car every three years was normalized and even promoted as fashionable by car manufacturers. For pragmatic reasons, cars are now kept for longer (Papanek). Nevertheless, we are still submerged in a throw-away culture. To understand this phenomenon, it comes in handy to explore the concept of stylistic obsolescence: the idea that products are designed to feed a system of quick rotation in which it is fashion, rather than functionality, that determines a product’s lifespan. Stylistic obsolescence is particularly concerning because it presents itself as a response to consumer’s desires, rather than

as the manipulative strategy to keep business alive that it really is. These changes, added to the heavy promotion of new models, make objects in perfect condition “wear out”, and instil in users the fear of falling out of fashion if they keep objects for too long (Maycroft).

It is then no wonder that consumers feel comfortable with disposing a rug large enough to cover an entire living room, even if it’s in perfect conditions, to acquire the newest trend. This process is even less distressing if said rug was purchased for under 50 euros, something made possible by mass production (“Mainstays Sheridan Fret”). With its Stockholm rug, Ikea is apparently rebelling against this culture by setting durability as one of its main objectives. On their website, they express that it is made of 100% wool and cotton (both durable materials) and that it is “easy to vacuum thanks to its flat surface”. Furthermore, they emphasize that “the rug has the same pattern on both sides, so you can turn it over and it will withstand more wear and last even longer” (“Stockholm”). Since it is expected to survive for generations, the Stockholm rug is priced at 199 euros, a value significant enough to provoke a second thought before being discarded in a few months. This seems to place the rug in a different category to the sea of mass-produced options flooding the market, making its value closer to that of a family relic than to that of a box of Kleenex. However, there is a disjunction between Ikeas’ promises of durability and the true expected lifespan of the Stockholm rug. Due to its quality materials and easy cleaning, the functionality of this rug could easily withstand through decades (“Hand-made vs Machine-made Rugs”). But what about the artificial expiration date embedded in the rug by stylistic obsolescence? If this was truly meant to be a long-lasting product, it would portray a design based

on neutral aesthetics as to escape the obsolescence of desire (Mont). As expressed by modern architect and theorist Adolf Loos, products become timeless when they are stripped of ornament, which allows them to separate themselves from aesthetic queues (Lobos). his idea is supported by Lobos, when explaining that durable design must be so honest and simple that it is not subject to changing taste and thus will never go out of style (Lobos). With this in mind, the fact that the Stockholm rug is bright yellow and decorated

with a white net pattern becomes problematic. The stylistic choices of this rug are closer to those of the seasondependent world of fast fashion than Lobos’ idea of timeless design. Due to its flamboyant colours and pattern, this rug inches closer to be the equivalent of a Forever 21 t-shirt (meant to be worn only a couple of times) than to a Gap denim jean that can be used for seasons on end (Caro and Martínez de Albéniz). In this sense, Ikea may be producing a higher-quality rug with the potential to survive the physical wear

Photograph of Yellow Stockholm Rug in Living Room. Inter Ikea Systems B.V. 1999-2020 ©IKEA.

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33 of time. But at the same time, they are knee-deep in the culture of mass production by making sure through ornament that it is fashion, and not necessity, that leads to the industries’ desired outcome: the swift obsolescence and replacement of domestic goods.

Although mass production is widely linked to the environment, it also affects the human aspect of production and the relationship between the chain and the end product. One of the most significant changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution was the shift in the role of the craftsman from an individual invested in his work to a machine-like entity following a systematized process (Forty). Before the 18th Century, a single craftsman was responsible for the entire process of bringing an object to life, from the idea to the actual sale.

But this model couldn’t cope with the demand of the wealthier social classes for cheap, uniform goods. To ensure consistency, jobs were separated into a number of small tasks, so not a single worker could make significant modifications to the end product (Forty).

But by doing so, the bond between the craftsman and his craft was lost, and replaced by a mechanical, tedious form of labour in which an object was the result of dozens of unengaged hands. This corresponded to Karl Marx’s second stage of capitalism, only to be succeeded by the complete take-over of the machine (Forty). Just like in most other industries, this became the staple of the rug industry, since a hand-made rug required months to years to be complete, while a machine-made rug could be inexpensively produced in just a couple of minutes (“Hand-made vs Machine-made Rugs”). With this in mind, is yet again surprising to learn Ikeas’ Stockholm rug is entirely handmade

by Indian craftsmen. This can be seen as an attempt to bring value back to

the craftsman and thus re-establish the bond between product and manufacturer.

However, there is yet again another incoherence between Ikea’s promises and practices. The company prides itself on the fact that their carpets are “handwoven by skilled craftspeople” and “each one is unique” (“Stockholm”).

This statement almost elevates our hopes to believe that the craftsman is allowed to be an active component, rather than a mechanical link, in the manufacturing process. In the end, what ultimately distinguishes a human being from a machine is the engagement and input that only a person can provide to an object (Sennett). But by also promising consistency and showing users a picture of the exact rug they expect to receive, it can be inferred that there is no actual creative room for workers’ ideas on the final design of the rug, and that rather than an expression of their genius, this product is the result of following systematic and restricting instructions. Then,

if there is no room for creativity, and workers are more like reproducing machines than inventive entities, is there really a difference on whether the Stockholm rug is created by metallic or human hands?

All in all, the promises made by the Stockholm rug attempt to challenge the culture of mass production. Nevertheless, there is a clear disconnection between the idea behind the promises they make and the product that they ultimately offer. The rug is made with durable materials capable of withstanding the wear of time, but by being ornamented it is still subject to fashion changes and a contender to the throw-away culture. And even if it is skilled craftsmen rather than machines who produce it, the fact that there is no creative input from the workers on the final piece makes this almost irrelevant. The result of this endeavour is an interesting premise with an ambiguous execution, that leaves the user confused as to what the value and use of this rug should be. In essence, it is but a highly priced commodity that in a couple of years might suffer the same fate as its mass-produced counterparts. Regardless, I believe there is still an intrinsic value in a large corporation, such as Ikea, even proposing a product that directly threatens the system that keeps them afloat; even if it is not effective in its pursuit. All left to do now is sit back and hope that just as the Industrial Revolution was the spark of mass production, this idealist proposal is the spark of a rebellion against the status quo.

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x O ymoro e h T n of nable Fashion i a t s u S Francesca Norrington

ver the past few years, sustainability has become an increasingly important topic in the field of design. Yet, the word sustainability arguably has been heavily overused and interpreted in many different ways to the point where it has loss any real sense. In this essay, I am interested in re-evaluating sustainability in the context of fashion, that some consider its polar opposite. It is very difficult to find an exact definition of sustainable fashion, but we can perceive sustainability as “the quality of being able to continue over a period of time” (Cambridge dictionary) and fashion as “a style that is popular at a particular time” (Oxford dictionary).

According to these definitions we could ask ourselves to what extent is sustainable fashion a plausible concept bearing in mind that fashion in its nature is temporary?

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It is without a doubt that the fashion industry has a very big impact on the environment. According to author James Conca, “Second to oil, the clothing and textile industry

is the largest polluter in the world” (2015) and “Nearly 20% of global wastewater is produced by the fashion industry.”(UN Partnership on Sustainable Fashion and the SDGs 2018). Through such information, it is difficult to grasp how such a damaging industry may have a sustainable alternative as every aspect of this industry is deeply rooted in selling something new. When analysing fashion, it is important to distinguish fashion as fulfilling form above function. This distinction is what can be argued as the central cause of the waste created by this industry due to the great part of the products bought being not genuinely needed by the users and merely acquired to fulfil a desire or a want.

Sustainable fashion has become a very prominent topic in recent years, mainly due to consumer pressure.

As mentioned by Ecothes, “12.5% of global fashion companies have pledged to make changes to their processes in favour of adopting more sustainable practices by 2020.” (2019) Accordingly, there is a clear shift

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35 failure of Ecofashion depends heavily on the acceptance by the consumer of sustainable and ethical consumption.”

(11) Critically, many commentators such as Lister view the fashion industry as a two-sided conversation where the consumer is crucial to success and thus is also crucial to the likelihood of the industry’s change. In the concept of Eco-fashion, the brands that are willing to produce sustainable clothing need the consumers to adopt this trend for it to be effective as after all the fashion industry is a business, driven by profit and growth sourced through the consumer.

1. Sustainable Fashion, © ABU Generation Z & The Fast Fashion Paradox

in the market of fashion as many companies are realising the crisis and the urgency of climate change.

Nevertheless, even though changes are being made, such changes cannot transform the nature of fashion. Mere greenwashing will no longer suffice to the consumers, instead, there is pressure to transform the process not just in the materials used, but also to re-design the product’s life cycle from raw material through to production of every component right through to distribution. Nathalie Aurora Lister in her thesis Fashion Me Green, argues that “The success or

The fashion industry has grown at an uncontrollable rate and continues to do so in response to global demand.

Due to this, trends and styles are constantly shifting requiring excess production leading to excess buying and consequently: waste. As mentioned

by Katie Roberts,

[t]he fashion industry has moved to a less sustainable model of operations. We once had four fashionably distinct collections that corresponded with the change of seasons, we now have 52 weeks of the year where any goes and trends come and go as quickly as the life cycle of an internet meme. (2017) This in itself highlights the growing issue that fashion (even if labelled sustainable) is built on constant turnover. The industry retains a permanent linear economy fueled by consumers and their specific choices.

This process arguably allows space for change however this change needs to take place not just in the large retail companies but also within the mind of the consumer and their purchasing choices. We can observe this through Evans Alexander’s poem Fashion:

This particular set of stanzas, although written in 1887, is particularly interesting in its relevance to the concept of sustainability today. The poem touches upon the relevant themes of the addictive aspects of fashion set within the products but also in the general design and configuration of the shops and events that market the industry. This demonstrates how fashion in its nature requires an unusual form of addiction within the consumer that cannot coincide with sustainability. Evans further presents the idea of dimming of reason where he suggests that there is a loss of consciousness so to say within the active reflective abilities of the buyer becoming somewhat at a loss of reason and unable to control her/his choices.

And now to modes, she is an abject slave; But bow supreme to fashion’s idol swell, And follow modes, though leading straight to hell.

The tyrant fashion wields a despot’s sway, He purse depletes and dims proud reason’s ray; (Evans, 1887)

2. Sustainable Fashion, © SVENSSON

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36 It seems to portray the consumer as an inactive being merely consuming unconsciously and fashion as an active being controlling that very consumption.

I would argue that for any slight shift to be made, the consumer needs to regain consciousness and take control.

Sustainable fashion, I would suggest is an oxymoron. Yet, we can find certain examples where production, materials and environmental impact, as well as the implications of fast fashion, have been considered. An example of this is House of Sunny, this brand “only produces small runs of each collection in a bid to act against fast fashion” (Williams, House of Sunny). In their philosophy, they work on only designing a set number of two collections a year that coincide with the seasons. Through this very simple process, they are directly tackling what Katie Roberts previously criticised and are forming a new perspective on how we as consumers should buy clothes.

Although reasonable in her claim, there are examples where brands have taken into consideration the growing issue of fast fashion and have built a sustainable brand that values quality over quantity.

More examples are Zena Presley, “Promoting slow and ethical fashion” (Davis 2019) and Misha Nonoo that works primarily in ‘one demand’ production instead of batch production as well as a more recent example with Gucci, announcing that, “it will cut the number of fashion shows it holds every year in an effort to reduce waste” (BBC, Gucci slashes ‘stale’ seasonal fashion shows).

Further examples where clothing brands have successfully produced clothing through careful and ethical production are Cinta The Label by Amy Sturgis, BITE, Misha Nonoo and more. But, in analysing the strategies and methods of the above-mentioned brands they are in their nature contradictory. Although

sustainable in their production, they are not sustainable in their marketing strategies as their entire business relies fundamentally on the manufacturing of desire and thus on the consumer to buy new clothes.

As a result, I would argue that the only way for fashion to become sustainable is for it to no longer be ‘fashion’ as it is today but instead to adopt a function over form philosophy through the active role played by the consumer.

Another example of this is the brand &other stories, I particularly like this brand so I recently joined their mailing list. Although they mention on their website “we want to reduce the environmental footprint in the fashion world and are working to do our part by engaging more circularly and sustainably practices.” (“Values & Sustainability — & Other Stories”), I continually receive emails encouraging me to buy new clothing from a never ending array of choices all of which most likely will be fashionably obsolete within a month. I would argue that this process is not sustainable because although it is claimed that the clothes are sustainable in production, the minor marketing that encourages a regular buying pattern immediately discredits the environmental integrity of the brand.

From my perspective and concerning the previous research, fashion as a concept with its current definition cannot be associated with sustainability due to its nature of consumerism and planned obsolescence.

Such brands like &other stories in contrast to House of Sunny are technically brands that sell fashion that is sustainable but the key difference between the two is the consideration of planet over profit.

Any brand that presents itself as ‘sustainable’, but markets products in an attempt to convince their customers of unneeded clothing are contradictory.

Fashion refers to a style, a constant moving system that is always being updated and requires the systematic renewal of a wardrobe. This process in itself limits the durability of a product.

Furthermore, the fashion industry produces a considerable amount of waste and so at this point even though there is a shift where companies and consumers are taking into consideration their impact, sustainable fashion is not yet a concept that may be applied to such a wasteful and damaging industry. Upon reflection, we can understand that the words sustainability and fashion simply cannot be associated as their meanings are opposites. Fashion demands planned obsolescence whereas sustainability demands durability. There are examples where certain brands have taken into consideration issues such as fast fashion, material use, recycling and more yet these are regularly contradictory in their philosophies as they still depend on the consumer’s need to buy more, continuing to sell a style even if that style is sustainability. Therefore the oxymoron of sustainable fashion is not entirely problematic in its wording so much as it is problematic in its generalisation.

However, before we may tackle the concept of a sustainable process of fashion we may first place attention upon the issues of consumerism. After all, the fashion industry is driven by the consumer and her/his choices — until the consumer can be persuaded to regain consciousness and take an active role in her/his purchasing patterns there is little hope of an environmentally friendly approach in the industry.

3. Williams, Sunny © HOUSE OF SUNNY.

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Epilogue Edgar González

“The field of design has evolved from a simple focus on product to include a more complex concentration on strategy”.

Bruce Nussbaum

reativity can be trained; it is a fact. This constitutes the main purpose of the Bachelor in Design: to prepare designers to take on the world’s complex, fast changing, and unpredictable challenges. In order to accomplish this goal, students have to be educated not only in knowledge and skills but also in developing a collaborative spirit and a critical mindset. Our program aims to train the best designers who are ready for the challenges of the globalized, hyper connected, and hybrid world we live in.

Designers usually respond to questions.

Nevertheless, sometimes the designer’s role comes prior to that. The designer plants those questions in order to push the limits of what is possible even further. It is urgent that we ensure the emergence of such intelligent design, and this can be only accomplished through a practice of design that is characterised by fierce and rigorous critical thinking.

Designers should not only reflect upon how designed objects best fulfil the desires of the users, but also on the

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implications of what is being designed and how it can effect society.

Design is something that starts in the designer’s head, hence the word ‘project’. It refers to the projection of an idea from the head of the designer in to the world.

This is why the theoretical production of designers is as important as the physical counter part. This has, however, been relegated from the spotlight, throughout history.

The objective of of the Bachelor in Design’s Annual Journal is to focus the spotlight again on the critical and theoretical frameworks that sustain the designer’s thinking process. The magazine showcases the written production of our students, the intellectual debates and production of thoughts that do not have a physical representation in our annual exhibitions. Besides, it is the start of archive of the concerns and reflections of our theoretical classes.

written during the first and second year of the bachelor, show an example of our understanding of design; of how ‘written design’ can produce new values in today’s society. They demonstrate how design can function as a place holder for questions; how designers do not only produce objects or solutions but also participate in critical thinking, which will push our boundaries forward.

Enjoy our second issue, Breaking the Grid: a place to discover the curious, critical and constructive written words of our students!

The publication is created by a team of students and professors. These essays,

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Works Cited INTRODUCTION: THE PARADOX OF THE GRID Apollinaire, Guillaume, The Cubist painters.

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3. DISSOLVING CULTURAL BORDERS

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4. THE MODERN HIEROGLYPH: COMMUNICATING THROUGH IMAGES

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7. GREENWASHING OR SAVING THE WORLD: DOPPER’S MISSION OF FIGHTING PLASTIC WITH PLASTIC

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