Design Brief
Our linear society partakes in a wasteful cycle of consumption and disposal which is causing irreversible harm to our planet. Ideas to combat this issue such as Slow Design and Emotionally Durable Design, focus on engaging object experiences to challenge consumers behaviour to reduce wasteful trends. These design frameworks incorporate ideas of storytelling and embedding narratives within objects to engage users with their possessions. This project aims to design an object that encourages the formation of narratives and storytelling, as a route to reducing consumption rates.
Key Research Findings
Consumption and Waste:
We currently have a linier system of designing objects that endlessly harvests raw materials 1.8 times faster than our planet can regenerate and creates objects that are inevitably thrown away.
Unsatisfactory Solutions:
Recycling encourages wastefulness and is an end-of-pipe activity. The circular economy can also encourage wastefulness and isn’t perfectly circular.
Desires:
Consumers are seduced by the incandescent glow of modern objects, leading to the endless purchasing of new possessions, often before current belongings are worn out.
Shifting User Behaviour:
Sustainable design must be capable of changing users’ behaviour, as end users are the ones who determine the end of an object’s lifespan.
Slow Design and Emotional Design:
Slow Design and Emotional Design can initiate behaviour change by focusing on holistic, sensory design that strengthens relationships with objects through engaging and immersive experiences.
Storytelling:
Possessions are more than objects; they are storytellers that users share experiences with. Design is now more focused around creating a compelling story for people to experience.
Project Direction: Co-Authorship and Storytelling
The Process
Manufacturing
Outcome
Craft is a handheld bowl for everyday use. The bulbus form and ridged texture encourages interaction, promoting co-authorship to occur. Its versatility makes it suitable for a variety of foods, increasing its usage time and co-authorship opportunities. Its form and glaze reflect a handcrafted sub-narrative and further draws users to the bowls lip, encouraging interaction. These neutral tones don’t detract from the bowls form, and the subtle cut-out gives users space to rest utensils or use it as a thumb rest. This bowl acts as a blank canvas that users can drape meaning onto over time through interaction and prolonged usage.
Everyone has a favourite mug... What about a favourite bowl...?
More than a bowl... A vessel of memories...
