Seksten

Symposia #5 Reflections Tradition & Modernity

1. Find an object at home of Danish design (preferable something that you've used or bought here) that is aesthetically pleasing but turned out to not be very functional. discuss why it didn't work properly and how this relates to the designer understanding material and craft.

I haven't purchased many Danish designs yet as most of my money  has been spent on food and beverage. Because I am a bag girl I have chosen to compare two different items I have used since being in Kobenhavn. One being that of a Thai decent and the other a manufactured piece "Made in China." The first is a hand crate bag which was given to me as a gift given to me when I was 15 years old from my best friend Nattapong Tassawong. His neighbor at home in Bangkok hand crafts and sites beautiful bags. It has lasted me nearly 6 year without any fault and holds a certain amount of sentimental value. I have used and abused it and it has continued to stand the test of time. It's aesthetic qualities are beautiful and equally it has functioned. Being  more of a satchel it fails as an organizational tool for travel...while it suited me at home perfectly for a purse-like item it wasn't going to do the trick for traveling. After 6 years of use I decided it was time I buy another bag to bring with me on my journey to Kobenhavn. Upon purchasing my off the rack TJMaxx find designed by Franco Sarto I wasn't expecting anything too extravagant. It's synthetic materials and less the perfect design was good enough for me. In the two months that I've been here it has worked as a tool of transporting and organizing my goods, however has lost a zipper and suffered several stains and tears.

I think it safe to assume that the Franco Sarto bag was designed and produced without much thought to the materialization and longevity of the bag. It was designed as a travel item and probably won't last me forever. In comparison to a hand crafted bag from Thailand the material knowledge and thought put into it probably wasn't as significant. It certainly isn't as special as one of my classmates from Virgina has the same exact bag while I know no one has the same exact Thai bag that I do. Both bags are probably worth around the same amount of fiscal value. We've talked about the aura of a hand crafted piece and the sentimental value an original holds. Under those judgments of value my hand crafted Thai bag for sure is more valuable as is the quality and craftsmanship better. If I were to loose the Franco Sarto bag I wouldn't care less, whereas if I lost the other I would be devastated. The person who created my Thai bag understood the material they were working with and created a piece that is irreplaceable, aesthetically pleasing and functions well. I think that the understanding of material directly relates to the quality of the products and my satisfaction of the design.    


2. Lookring towarrds the future: What possible changes in industry would lead to a change in the relationship between designers and manufacturers? Are there no new designs as the authors emphasize in the readings, where all new designs are based strictly off of designs pre 1970's, or do you think there is a new eco-friendly and innovative Danish designs that help the world?

I think most importantly in the future will be the understanding of materials from a designers stand point as well as the manufacturer and the communication between both parties in the design process. As we switch our designing and production methods to that of which are more sustainably sound we need to thoroughly understand the nature of the materials we are using. As new products and materials are being developed it is important we understand their last effects on the environment and those whom come in contact with the products. While a designer might chose the right material for a product, like lets say and all natural fabric covering for a piece of furniture, the sustainability of the piece could be completely shot when the manufacturers use machines that pump massive amounts of CO2 and pollutants into the air.

I think that we will continuously look to the past for design ideas. As we've mentioned in class many a times what can be done has been done etc...however I think with the environmental challenges ahead we have an opportunity to redesign and rethink the way we make things. While perhaps the styles and shapes of our furniture may not change, the way we build them, the materials used to construct and adhesive them, the way they are shipped and the way they are treated when we are through with them can all change. In that the design industry has the ability to be reshaped and molded into a new more environmentally sound system. I think as designers it is important to not only think about our designs but how these designs can be produced...how these designs effect the user and how these designs can last and be recycled when we are through with them. While designers once thought of designs for all people we must now think of designing for all...people and equally importantly earth.