The value of an attempt...

By taking a look at ‘Treetents’ by Dré Wapenaar, we can attempt to analyze how design really has the potential of changing the world. The tents were originally designed for England’s Road Alert Group – members of which were opposing the destruction of forests for motorway expansion. Wapenaar designed these tents so that the activists could protect the trees and have a safe and comfortable place to sleep during the project. Sadly, the project was never fully realized and was not implemented into the desired situation. Instead, the tents were sold to a campsite in the Netherlands in 1998, where you can now rent one for approximately fifty pounds per night, with enough space for two adults and two small children.


What frustrates me about this is that the designs original goal was never met. They are now being used in an awkward in between space, stuck between nature and that of civilization. This isn’t to say I’m not happy that they’re being used because I am, but it just comes to show that designs may not always fill the niche that people want them to. Imagine an Amazonian rainforest with each and every tree with a treetent parasitically attached to it. I’m not exactly sure how effective that would be but it is creating a rather absurd visual in my mind. Maybe the treetents had to be sold to a campsite as to gradually introduce such a smaller scaled idea into society and spur criticism about its sheer existence as a design; as well as determine its potential for the future. In my opinion, no matter if a design project is successful or unsuccessful in achieving its intended goal, it will almost always be beneficial as long as it spawns this kind of criticism and pushes design to do better for the future. An attempt is better than none at all.

References:
Antonelli, Paola, ed. Safe: Design Takes on Risk (New York: Museum of Modern Art,
2005).
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/11/21/treetents-by-dre-wapenaar/
http://www.ardoer.com/nl/camping/hertshoorn_camping_de/home/verhuur/de_boomtent/