Patrick's Critical Design Blog

Hello everyone, as promised, here are updates on the development of our final prototypes. At this time, though, I won't provide any spoilers. 😉

We are now in the process of making our prototypes a reality. The lab space is brimming with options, from high-fidelity parts to unprocessed, low-fidelity materials (every substance can inspire our original thoughts and pique our creativity, as we figured out today again). We began by starting the 3D printing process (after learning how to use the machine; a special thank you to the people at the institute who assisted us in using the machinery) and then moved on to building our other objects and preparing the necessary parts for the laser cutter. ✂️

The bottom line is that today was a huge success, and a tonne of work was accomplished! ✨

... which somehow took (several) weird turns

anyways, in our last class we had to create a future world with a new technology + telling a story of a fictional person

this was the result and yea well, take a look yourself (also we totally did not run out of time at the end)

We started off with if/then exercises continued in defining ridiculous concepts regarding these developed concepts and finished off by creating a dystopian story about it ✍🏻

You may be wondering what this has to do with critical thinking; the answer is (apart from many other reasons):

Foster creativity: By challenging you to think of uncommon or unexpected scenarios, these exercises force you to think creatively and come up with fresh concepts. The ability to be creative in this way is crucial for critical thinking.

Call for information analysis: When developing a notion or story, you must take into account a variety of information and factors. To create a cogent narrative or concept, you must critically evaluate the circumstance and consider the many bits of information.

As a continuation of my first post about ecological design, I wanted to find some samples which in my opinion handles the concept of ecological design interestingly. But before that, short recap about what ecological design:

Ecological design can be defined as design that minimizes the environmentally destructive impacts by integrating itself with nature's own flows.

Modular Bee Habitat System

Starting with something crazy, this is a module system, that provides nesting support for native bee populations. It can be installed anywhere and is optimized for small spaces. Also, the nesting itself is made from recycled hardwood and bamboo while the module shell and the internal module is made out of recycled plastic [1].

critical-nana: I find the core idea of this pretty nice, as bees are an essential part of our eco system, you are giving back something to nature which is very eco design. However, I do not totally understand the use of plastic - the job could also be done by wood or other materials, so it would 100% bio-degradable. However, I mean it is recycled plastic, so it would make a good use of plastic which already exists.

Bamboo Iron

In this sample the designer took on a project to challenge themselves to work with bamboo as a material. Bamboo is a sturdy, easy-to-grow, and eco-friendly resource, and it has even been used as a building material for houses in some parts of Asia, so why not try to make household items too? [2]

“It’s sustainability can be exploited to make so many different things” - Saksham Mahajan, designer of bamboo iron

critical-nana: Also, nice concept. If you try to consider the disposal stage of house hold items, it is unnecessary hard to find a way to dispose them without harming the environment. Bamboo is also a very fast growing material, perfect for items which are widely used.

Wasteware

This designer is actually from Vienna! Together with an chief, she created the collection, a range of tableware made out of leftover food. The waste collected was dried out and afterwards blended into a paste which was held together using mycelium. Water or breadcrumbs were added to the mix if needed. The spark of this idea was the crazy amount of food waste in Europe and at the same time the huge amount of waste of single-dishes [3].

"So I thought about ‘connecting’ these two issues and trying to make new materials out of food waste" - Barbara Gollackner, designer of Wasteware

critical-nana: I am not so sure about the production, but I can imagine that probably a lot energy would be used for it. Also, would the tableware also affect the taste of the food itself?

STRAWS

And now something we have probably all seen already before, non-plastic straws. Metal straws are nice for at home but for take-out shops not an option, so paper straws it is. However, we all now how paper straws get soggy and after a while it just falls apart while you can enjoy a drink with a little bit of paper taste. A company designer an alternative straw made out of dried stems. It does not soak and is of course still bio-degradable.

critical-nana: This product itself is actually a first world problem, you can just drink straight out of cup. But straws exists and take-out drink shop exists, so this is a nice solution to the soggy paper struggle. Maybe the production is also not as elaborate as paper straws, where you have to get paper first while these stems are essentially "done" already.

[1] https://www.yankodesign.com/2021/01/01/this-modular-habitat-system-was-designed-to-save-the-bees-it-is-their-good-place-neighborhood/

[2] https://www.yankodesign.com/2020/02/02/a-bamboo-iron-to-smoothen-out-the-wrinkles-in-sustainable-living/

[3] https://www.yankodesign.com/2023/04/03/a-viennese-designer-shows-us-what-to-do-with-leftover-food-make-reusable-tableware/

A little bit different to the topics I have addressed here, but something I have seen often in my daily life while scrolling through social media. Asian beauty standards might be not so very different from the west, however the mentality is vastly different. While in western media there is the trend to stay natural and "love yourself" in China and many other east asian cultures it is often encouraged to adapt yourself to the beauty standards, even often by your own family members.

QOVES Studio described it pretty nicely and also the reasoning behind:

Double Eyelid Tape

This product is extremely common through East Asia. The aim of double eyelid tape is to either create a double eyelid or to make it more pronounced by taping a small piece of plastic film on your eyelid, which in result creates a fold [1]. A double eyelid make the eye in general appear bigger, which is a beauty standard in East Asia.

Skin Whitening Products

While this one is not as common as the first example, it is a representation to achieve the east asian beauty of pale skin. Through the use of this cream it should brighten the skin. I should add that mostly it is not working or the cream could cointain some serious harmful ingredients [2].

Nose Lifting Clip

A tall and small nose is also favoured in East Asia. This nose clip is inserted in the nose which raises the nose bridge and also narrows the width of the nose [3].

V-Shape Face Slimming Mask

A v-shaped and slim face is another ideal, especially in South Korea. The mask should tighten the skin, especially around the chin area, enhancing the V-shape .

critical-nana: Instead of going in depth to every individual products, I will make summary here as the core issue is the same. The goal to reach a certain beauty standard is not per se a questionable thing to do, but the mentality behind it. Also, while some products here, like the eyelid tape, cause no harm to the user, the skin whitening cream could contain toxins, which could cause health issues and are probably also useless. There are even more extreme and weird products but I wanted to introduce products which I have seen people use and are actually pretty common.

[1] https://www.amazon.in/AGE-CARE-Invisible-Sticker-Stripe/dp/B07BYL44RF

[2] https://www.ebay.com/p/16028331230

[3] https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005003247365323.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2deu

The next thing that catches my attention is… I have noticed that there are very creative ways to fix and beautify (parts of) a city. Thus, successfully bringing some excitement and imagination to the normally dull and lifeless urban environment. I found some cool examples showing these:

"Urban Geode Project", which involves creating fake geodes from paper mache and placing them in cracks in the sidewalk or other urban areas to add a bit of sparkle and surprise to the environment.

"Pothole Art", which involves filling potholes in the street with creative designs like a mosaic, a drawing or other creative ideas to draw attention to the need for repairs.

"Pothole Gardens", are another way of pothole art which involves transforming potholes into miniature gardens to draw attention to the need for repairs and to create a greener and more sustainable environment.

"Lego Patchwork", is a creative project in which cracks and holes in walls are repaired and filled with Lego bricks, creating a unique and visually interesting style.

"Street Furniture Hacking", which involves modifying public furniture like benches and trash cans to create new and unexpected uses for them.

"Moss Graffiti", which involves creating graffiti using moss instead of spray paint, is a more eco-friendly and sustainable alternative.

"Street Art/Chalk Art", which involves creating art on the street or sidewalk using chalk or other temporary materials to add colour and creativity to the urban environment.

Let's take a closer look at some of the potential issues and drawbacks to the projects mentioned in the previous post: 

It's important to note that temporary solutions like pothole art, moss graffiti, and paper mache geodes are not a substitute for permanent solutions that address the root cause of the problem. 

Before implementing any project, it's essential to consider the potential environmental impact, such as the impact on drainage or the natural ecosystem caused by pothole gardens or moss graffiti. The use of plastic in the Lego patchwork project could also have negative environmental consequences. 

Projects like pothole gardens and paper mache geodes require ongoing maintenance and upkeep to prevent the situation from worsening.

Additionally, it's important to keep in mind that these projects may have limited impact and could potentially create safety hazards for pedestrians or cyclists. Alterations to public spaces should prioritise accessibility and safety for everyone.

Here are some of the design movements that these projects can be connected to:

The use of bold colors and playful shapes in these projects aims to make public spaces more welcoming and inclusive, much like the aesthetics of queer design. Rainbow crosswalks are a clear example of a project with connections to LGBTQ+ activism. 

Projects that create new and unexpected uses for existing structures or objects align with the principles of afro-futurism, like the urban geode project or the pothole (art/garden). They also highlight the importance of community engagement and cultural identity in shaping public spaces. 

Projects like pothole gardens and moss graffiti prioritise sustainability and natural materials, such as ecological design.

Projects like pothole art and street furniture hacking incorporate local culture and history into public spaces, which aligns with the principles of indigenous design.