STAPELGEK
2023 (Graduation work, WDKA)
Our current way of producing and consuming is not future-proof: We are depleting our natural resources and yet happily continue to buy more and more. It is time for consumers to kick the habit. But how to do this? Recycling, biomaterials, partial systems. It is certainly a good first step towards making less environmentally damaging products, but essentially, shouldn't we just make fewer products? My project focuses on multifunctionality, as a very literal way to reduce the number of products we use and need. The 'Stapelgek' lamp/dine set is a first example of a product that exists in a world where most of our objects are not designed for a single task, but are usable for multiple purposes. The dinner set, consisting of 2 plates, 2 sets of cutlery, 2 glasses, a large bowl and 4 smaller bowls can be stacked into a lamp. The aim of the project is to playfully make viewers think about their relationship with their products and the idea of having less of them.
My graduation proces has been a search into the potential of design to represent alternative futures that attempt to disrupt the desire for more growth. The Double degree allowed me to explore this issue from two sides. On the one hand, within a qualitative study of how higher education responds to the fact that designers are seen as potential change agents to design for a more sustainable, circular future. On the other hand, with the project on this page. The latter is not so much a literal translation of the results of the thesis, however it does stem from the same issue. The two final products are two quests for an answer to the same question: How can we design for a society focused not on more, but on less? For those interested, the full thesis can be found here.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL PROJECTVIDEO
This project is still ongoing. The lamp/dinnerset is currently on show at the kunstkerk Dordrecht .
What other functions could be combined?
Proces
1: Research into consumption culture: from minimalism to hoarders and from optimalized efficiency products to useless goods.
What do we do in a day and how can functions be combined?
2: First version fully made of ceramics
Because the first version was made completely from ceramics it was too heavy and did not diffuse the light. version 2:
