Future Innovation by Erica

http://aod-pod-uk-live.akamaized.net/mpg_mp3_med/modav/bUnknown-832db746-dfd2-4285-a5ea-3b15c1fd6bb9_p051661m_1493220784054.mp3?__gda__=1493761906_8ad4bf66ceffb6601f35c82c7574703c

Reading this article on plastic waste is very interesting.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/adidas-shoe-from-plastic-ocean-waste-2016-11

12/01/2017  Evaluative Report      Task 8   Reflection

During this expanding practice unit, I have learnt more about Sustainability design. We have covered various lectures with Gabrielle Miller about materials,circularity and speed within this field. The Ted Ten strategies has been very important to explore and I am more aware of where I can identify my work with up cycling of old clothing and materials. 

The Ted Ten (2) Design for Cyclability and (8) Design to reduce the need to consume are the strategies that fit well with my views. I also know that in the future I want to do more with natural dying with fabrics. (3) Design to reduce Chemical impacts.

  Technology in the future has been very interesting and I felt very engaged with the new ideas that might happen in the future. I have watched a program series called Black Mirror and this I found very disturbing and fascinating at the same time. I find it interesting that what we are watching on the internet and through film and TV programs that the possibility of a different world to live in is actually happening. 

The workshop was an engaging experience. Being teamed up with another person to investigate the Iphone was a great way to learn more about the speeds of fast and slow business models. We redesigned a new product idea for the phone. Team work is important in workshops and to find out about someone else’s ideas in recycling is very interesting. We all think differently, this helps develop more awareness and is very exciting. I benefited from this experience as I find it hard to voice my opinion in front of others.

 In my own practice I have tried to make sure I have used old clothing or discarded pieces of material to create new designs. I have upcycled clothing and successfully created a new from old design. Looking at the trends for 2017/2018 has been great to be inspired for new ideas. I have learnt new skills in the print room to help me continue to develop more innovative ideas in my work and to be sustainable. I have researched various information on the internet and books to help my knowledge of sustainability grow. I have been interested in newspaper articles, magazines and online resources , which have been related to the lectures. It’s good to know that the public are becoming more aware of sustainability.

Looking into how things are made and how we could improve materials has opened up my mind to all sorts of different possibilities. The lecture with Nick from Openspace helped me realise how fantastic it is to have a business that helps others develop and helping local companies stay in business.They achieve more by looking after people in the area. They create more jobs and keep costs down. Reducing waste has been invaluable to the making of the furniture. Green and organic materials are important to the planet we live in. This has been very inspiring , I hope I can make a difference in my life to the future of the world and helping people to understand the importance of sustainability.

References

https:/www.opendesk.co/

http://www.tedresearch.net/teds-ten/

Materials

http//www.instituteofmaking.org.uk/materials-library 

Design

http//www.dezeen.com/

Birdsong Task 8 

This is a website owned by Sarah Beckett and Sophie Slater. They have launched a fashion range to support women’s organisations that have had funding cuts from the government. Most of the groups they look after are struggling because of the cuts. They sell the products to help the groups because they find it hard due to lack of time. Some groups have helped migrant women to get jobs but can’t keep afloat due to rents going up.

I think this is a great idea to help others, when they are struggling to make a business work. They keep people employed and help to achieve a small profit for themselves without taking too much money. I would like to help more people with problems in manufacturing, I have skills in retail and now with my knowledge of how and where clothes are designed i could make a difference. My skills in print design have helped me re design old clothes.This fits into the way I want to work in the future. 

“The material world is not just a display of our technology and culture,it is a part of us. We invented it, we made it,and in turn it makes us who we are”

-Mark Miodownik, Stuff Matters (2014) 

This fits into Ted Ten no 7 Design for ethical production

  Reference 

  Edmond ,L.(2016)Supporters of women's groups have fashion line sewn up,Evening standard 14/11/2016.p.31. 

Tech Revolution 

 Headworks is a company that is trying to get our attention by 3D talking mannequin heads while we shop. While we shop in a retail store we will be walking past these talking heads.that will be able to help us buy They will be able to find out information about us from our phones and know what we have been interested on the internet. 

I don’t like this idea, it means our privacy is disappearing. I would not like to be confronted by these as I walk past.

 Reference 

25/11/2016 Blog Task 7

Nick Ierodiaconou from OPENSPACE

Today’s session was about ‘Material Culture’. Nick came in today to talk about his furniture company openspace. He talked about the consumption of materials, his company works collaboratively with locals in a town near where we live to produce furniture. The materials are made from one piece of MDF. which is saving on wasteful  materials  He has reduced his costs to the public and the products are made in small factories.

 He uses 3D digital fabrication. His challenge was to connect people ,designs to manufacturers. He now has over 500 factories helping every where in the world. He has helped local business and helped people out of work. He designs desks which are designed online and you can download the measurements for a fee. The designs are tracked to see who is making it? You can choose how you want it made in exact measurements.     

I enjoyed listening to Nick, I think his company is forward thinking and unique. The future of  where and how items are made is very important. Keeping business local is a wonderful idea, so many small company’s are having to close down due to larger factories reducing costs by items not being made very well and with cheap labour.  The idea of using one piece of material is great and reduces waste.

Reference

Colour Project Exhibition 

22/11/2016

Apple Switch

18/11/2016 Task 6

 What is your new product’ name?s    My new product is called Apple Switch. I have chosen this name as I like the thought of turning the product around into something else. Switch means an act of changing to or adopting one thing in place of another.  

 Describe your new product innovation    I have drawn the ideas in the above picture. I have chosen the idea of sending an iphone back to apple so that it can be adapted for a phone that you could rent. The phones could be rented from pop up shops at the airport or local towns. The phones could be charged by solar charging for short term holiday rents and given back afterwards for someone else to use.   

Reflective questions

1 What did you find most interesting about this workshop 

It was interesting to realized how old objects can be discarded so easily with no thought about its further use. How objects are made and how it effects the environment we live in.   

2 What did you find most difficult and challenging in the workshop?

I found it hard at first to look at the object, unable to open it and really look at what was inside? How was I going to make this sustainable?

3 Did you find it useful working with objects?

I found the object was more interesting as I looked at it on the internet. I was able to find out how it was made. Having it in my hands was useful for the information on the design but it was a challenge. Apple make these phones so that you can’t open them. 

4 Do you think this workshop helped you to understand the speed of materials,production,use and recovery in order to help you design with a better approach to sustainable design?

This workshop was very useful to understand the speed of materials etc.  I will make sure that when I design for the future, my knowledge from these workshops have helped me with sustainability in design. Old items can be new again.

This fits into Ted Ten no 1  Design to minamise waste

References

The fast slow design chart from our workshop 

14/11/2016 Task 6 

 The I phone was difficult to work on. I think we have placed the object in the right parts of the chart.

References

Session 6

Workshop on new approaches for investigating the speed of the material.

18/11/2016

In this workshop we had to look at our given object (iphone 3Gs)and find out more about it. I teamed up with another girl, we both observed that it has the classic apple logo and how it had aged with a few scratches and some tarnished silver. The owner would have used it regularly. Looking on the internet we found out that it was made of alliminuim, plastic, poly carbonate and scratch resistant glass. Its made by a machine and parts of it are handmade.There were harmful chemicals called Benzine and n-Hexane used ( which causes blood disorders ). These have now been discontinued since 2014. On the internet we found that it had been designed in California and assembled in China in July 2007.

Relationship between the object and the viewer

It was nice to feel,a good shape and handy to use.I think that when the new models came out you care less for it as you want the next one.It is small,smooth,sleek and curved. Heavier than the new ones and you would feel lost without it. Taste has adapted over the years with new styles that are more in fashion. Each design is more accessible than the previous one.

Speculation 

Apple made this for ordinary people use it to contact others, listen to music and internet on the go.The more new designs that are released reduces the value that this phone has. It was made in a time where ethical production wasn’t so important. I think the owner would have had it for about a year or two? depending on the contract? then it would be kept as a spare in case the new one broke.The journey of this product would have come from China by boat or plane.

To sum up this object, is that it is used every day by ordinary people. Without it we panic as it is like your best friend. When it gets broken we get upset but we are quick to buy a new one and throw the old one away or put in the drawer.

References

Material Journey

11/11/2016 Blog Task 5

This task is to record the materials we touch or use on our way to uni and how will I change them ?

I start my day with brushing my teeth . I think about what I am putting in my mouth ? is this product good for me? It has fluoride in it, we are told how important this is for us.I have often thought about using something else but will it make my breath bad?

Next I wake myself up with a hot shower. I use mint tree shower gel,on the bottle it says its natural? I wander whats actually in it? Maybe it could be more natural if i used real plants and made it myself?

After a shower I always use body creams to make my skin soft.  What is in this product? I use Clarins as it is suppose to be one of the best products for your skin. Am I putting a healthy substance on my skin? Maybe I could make this with natural oils from plants but would they smell nice or horrid after a while.?

Deodorant is the next on my daily list. I use Sure as its advertised for being long lastIng for a fresh smell. I am aware of odd smells on the journey to uni everyday. I have tried an Aloe Vera deodorant but they don’t have the same effect for freshness. I think this is an on going problem and I will look into this more.

Porridge oats are a must for me in the morning with skimmed milk. This product is not very interesting to eat but I know this is very healthy.  I often have fresh fruits with it and a tiny amount of honey. It would be great to have my own bees in the garden and have fresh honey every day.This would help the environment and keep the bees from dying out. Maybe I don’t have enough time to produce my own honey at the moment, also i am a bit scarred of bees.

A cup of tea is my next daily part of my routeen, I have different herbal teas and this morning I am having fresh mint. This product is produced with naturally caffeine free and is ethnically 100% organically grown.ingredients. Is It ? This makes me think about maybe I should grow my own mint in the garden as it will be my own brand, just add water and no caffeine is in it at all.

Getting dressed in the morning is always rushed so I normally wear a lot of black. I jazz it up with a scarf, this morning it is cold so I have a scarf my mother bought for me in the Spanish market. This is a copy of a Louis Vuitton, I am sure it has been made somewhere far away in a poor country. I do feel a bit guilty, maybe I should buy more scarfs from the charity shop.  

Shadows from France 

10/11/2016

Black Mirror

9/11/2016

He looks like a shadow 

Reference 

9/11/2016 Blog Task 4

The idea of what will happen in the future is such an interesting subject. I enjoy watching unusual documentaries and science fiction films. After last weeks lecture I watched an episode on Black Mirror, a new series about the future. In this particular episode it was about how when people are not wanted any more in your life you can simply press a button and they disappear. They are still in front of you but you can’t hear or see them anymore ! I thought this was a horrid idea, how could you just do that to someone without trying to solve a problem? We could end up being very lonely if we all deleted each other. Imagine having a chat with someone and just because you didn’t agree with them, they simply stopped the conversation with this gadget. Made you disappear and not hear you.

References

9/11/2016 Blog Task 4

Technology is evolving and there will be a lot of change in the future.

 The lecture this week was very interesting on this subject. I went away thinking about the slides we had been shown. Its interesting that the films we watch with unusual ideas of computers taking over could be a reality.

looking at the film ‘Her’ about a depressed man seeking a friend was worrying that a person who cant find love will adapt to falling in love with a voice on a computer. I can understand that if you are lonely and need company then this would fill in a gap but not as a permanent partner. 

This idea for the future is happening and maybe it will develop into an actual robot or living image. I hope that this wont happen, you can’t have real feelings for an artificial person.   

Speculative design Task 4

Propose a potential future scenario that relates to my work and interests.

A one size outfit would be a good idea.you could adapt it with various button holes for a tall or short person. It could be made locally with the help of charity shops.Old fabrics joined together. The people could have a weekly session when they help in the charity shop. A workshop could be available out the back of the shop, taking it in turns to help sell items and produce new items from old. This would also be a great way to teach people new techniques.   

This fits into Ted Ten no 1 Design to minimise waste 

References

8/11/2016 Blog Task 4

The Dress That Reacts to Emotions and Moods, and turns invisible. 

This garment is the idea of  Studio Roosegarde . The inventor Dan Roosegarde wanted to be challenged to make a dramatic design. He is intrigued with the idea of the extension of our skin. He comes from the Netherlands and he thinks we should be able to express ourselves. It is called Techno Poetry.

 This garment is  Intermacy 0.2., a dress specially designed to express in a visible way the excitation. The most important feature of this piece of clothing is its ability to turn transparent. A small invisible sensor that detect the heart rate and the variation on the body temperature transforms the foil into clear plastic. It has electrical e foils around the bust area. These become invisible .A concept dress for the future. He says that the material has some form of an intelligence. 

 I think this dress would not be acceptable to wear in the public. I don’t see people wearing this garment in daily use. Maybe it would be better used in a performance for on the stage. This is not a sustainable idea, using electricity and plastic would not be good for you to wear. To have electrical currents on the body could cause external and internal damage.

I like the idea of a thin fabric which is transparent but not to show the naked body but to reveal different layers of materials of colour and pattern.I am working on a fabric which shows reflection and repetition of shapes in an image. 

  References 

http://www.coolweirdo.com/awesome-smart-clothes-that-become-invisible.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y04V6kfDP4