In his blog entry titled “Chill Out,” Russ discusses the emergence of a niche that “people are exploiting,” a preparation for “the results…concerning the planet’s predicament.” I assume Russ is also referring to designers in this statement?
After browsing the SAFE website (introduced to us by Jennifer in last week’s lecture), one thing became apparent: designers are increasingly using their work to comment on the world around them and are becoming less concerned with functionality (though, of course, functionality still remains).
Recently, there has been an intense focus on Muslims and Islam in the American and Western media, most of it “characterized by a more highly exaggerated stereotyping.” One of the larger ‘risk societies’ that dominates the headlines is the so-called threat of terrorism. Speculations about the latest conspiracy to blow up buildings, sabotage commercial airliners, and poison water supplies seem to play on Western consciousness; simultaneously, this has opened up a new playground for designers. Tobias Wong (featured in Icon #41), for example, has created a range of products that reference the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including “Box Cutter” and “NY Pocketbook.” He has resorted to this type of work because he is “frustrated that other designers don’t.” In addition to these statement pieces, the SAFE website also sees designs such as a metal headscarf by Galya Rosenfeld.
“Design Against Crime,” a workshop initiated by Central Saint Martins, focuses on the role of the woman’s handbag in crime prevention; fliers such as “Keep Your Bag Safe” (by Sean O’Mara) compliment designs such as the “ZipZip” bag by Georg Hansis and the “Karryfront Screamer” bag by Adam Thorpe. Similar explorations into ‘keep-safe’ handbags have also been explored by Miriam van der Lubbe; her piece “Me and my Beretta” is a leather handbag moulded into the shape of a gun; “we made this because we didn’t feel safe on the street and wanted to express this,” comments van der Lubbe.
Returning to the issue of “the planet’s predicament,” a series of projects have also emerged in response to climate change. Toby and Dave from &Made, for example, undertook this theme for their self-initiated project, “Climatised Objects,” in which “the flagship piece, Either Oar, a solid timber dining table was inspired by recent spates of flash flooding in the UK. In times of need, the deceptive contemporary dining table transforms into a life raft; the legs and partial table tops are removed to offer themselves as oars.”
Perhaps Russ is right in suggesting that such products are unnecessary, but maybe they become necessary as indicators of what is taking place in our world today. In a world where the media has become completely useless at providing a balanced account of global events, it might be quite possible that design fills this space. However, it is not so much the expression of the government (and what they want the masses to believe) that is being projected, but more so the valuable expression of the individual designer’s perceptions.
The immateriality and invisibility of ‘risk societies’ means that all knowledge about it is “mediated and…dependant on interpretation.” The mass media provides a visual presence for the hazards associated with dilemmas such as terrorism, crime and climate change. The inescapability of interpretation makes risks “open to social definition and construction, putting those in a position to define risks – the mass media, scientists, politicians and the legal profession – in key social positions.” Perhaps now is the time to include the profession of “the Designer” into this list?
References and Further Reading:
After browsing the SAFE website (introduced to us by Jennifer in last week’s lecture), one thing became apparent: designers are increasingly using their work to comment on the world around them and are becoming less concerned with functionality (though, of course, functionality still remains).
Recently, there has been an intense focus on Muslims and Islam in the American and Western media, most of it “characterized by a more highly exaggerated stereotyping.” One of the larger ‘risk societies’ that dominates the headlines is the so-called threat of terrorism. Speculations about the latest conspiracy to blow up buildings, sabotage commercial airliners, and poison water supplies seem to play on Western consciousness; simultaneously, this has opened up a new playground for designers. Tobias Wong (featured in Icon #41), for example, has created a range of products that reference the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including “Box Cutter” and “NY Pocketbook.” He has resorted to this type of work because he is “frustrated that other designers don’t.” In addition to these statement pieces, the SAFE website also sees designs such as a metal headscarf by Galya Rosenfeld.
“Design Against Crime,” a workshop initiated by Central Saint Martins, focuses on the role of the woman’s handbag in crime prevention; fliers such as “Keep Your Bag Safe” (by Sean O’Mara) compliment designs such as the “ZipZip” bag by Georg Hansis and the “Karryfront Screamer” bag by Adam Thorpe. Similar explorations into ‘keep-safe’ handbags have also been explored by Miriam van der Lubbe; her piece “Me and my Beretta” is a leather handbag moulded into the shape of a gun; “we made this because we didn’t feel safe on the street and wanted to express this,” comments van der Lubbe.
Returning to the issue of “the planet’s predicament,” a series of projects have also emerged in response to climate change. Toby and Dave from &Made, for example, undertook this theme for their self-initiated project, “Climatised Objects,” in which “the flagship piece, Either Oar, a solid timber dining table was inspired by recent spates of flash flooding in the UK. In times of need, the deceptive contemporary dining table transforms into a life raft; the legs and partial table tops are removed to offer themselves as oars.”
Perhaps Russ is right in suggesting that such products are unnecessary, but maybe they become necessary as indicators of what is taking place in our world today. In a world where the media has become completely useless at providing a balanced account of global events, it might be quite possible that design fills this space. However, it is not so much the expression of the government (and what they want the masses to believe) that is being projected, but more so the valuable expression of the individual designer’s perceptions.
The immateriality and invisibility of ‘risk societies’ means that all knowledge about it is “mediated and…dependant on interpretation.” The mass media provides a visual presence for the hazards associated with dilemmas such as terrorism, crime and climate change. The inescapability of interpretation makes risks “open to social definition and construction, putting those in a position to define risks – the mass media, scientists, politicians and the legal profession – in key social positions.” Perhaps now is the time to include the profession of “the Designer” into this list?
References and Further Reading:
- Safe: Design Takes On Risk, MoMA.
- Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World by Edward W. Said.
- Icon Magazine, #41.
- &Made, Toby and Dave.
- The Risk Society and Beyond: Critical Issues for Social Theory edited by Barbara Adam, Ulrich Beck and Joost van Loon.
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