Upcycling comments

Andrew Bae

Simon De Graf

Bec Womersley

Lukas Cibirka

Sarita Parto

Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute long animated video that aims to make us aware of how mindless consumption is harming our planet. Narrated by Annie Leonard, it greatly simplifies what is a massive complicated system, into one that is easy for everyday people to understand. This simplification means that the video has been viewed over 7 million times, something that would have been unachievable if she were to attempt to explain all of the intricacies of production and consumption process. This is both a positive and a negative in terms of the video. As a positive, it really gets the message across that our current climate of consumption is not sustainable and needs to be changed to something that will last (theoretically) a lot longer. The explanation that a linear system cannot be run on finite resources is a great way of representing that eventually, we will run out of "stuff" to make all of the "stuff" that we wastefully use and then throw away. However, the concept of simplifying the entire process is not without its drawbacks. It introduces the possibility that certain facts will be omitted and others altered to help get a certain message across. Such tactics are why many people still view environmentalism with some skepticism because of the truth bending that is sometimes involved. What it also leaves out is that for thousands of years, humans have changed their systems as technology has evolved and enabled new processes to be created. Just because a solution hasn't already been thought up, it doesn't mean that at some point in the future we wont be able to tackle these problems with innovative answers. I sometimes thick that idealistic messages like this can undermine all of the hard work that people are already doing to be more responsible with the resources we have. Also, whilst i agree with many point in the video, painting corporations and governments in such a negative light makes people forget that many companies and governments are already actively trying to change the current situation.
The Story of Stuff is simply a tool that is being used to change the current way of thinking. Whilst it may be a little rough and have its problems, it is none the less helping us achieve something. With some refinement and time, its message could really make people not only pay attention, but actually want to help and change the world.

Design for Life

BBC's Design for Life is a six part series following 12 young British designers that are competing for a 6-month place at Philippe Starck's design firm. As can be expected with any subject specific program that is aimed at the general public, Design for Life would be somewhat entertaining for those with little design knowledge, but somewhat underwhelming and mildly patronizing for people to whom design is a familiar subject. Tasked with "saving British design," these 12 young hopefuls do battle with the hope of becoming the next Philippe Starck, a point that is made painfully clear by the format of the show. The irony is that with a designer such as Starck at the helm, there is no change that his ego would allow any of the contestants to achieve such a title, by reminding them at every possible opportunity that only he may be the chosen one of modern design.

A distinct problem with the program is that whilst Starck has made his reputation based on creativity and outward thinking, Design for Life follows what must be one of the most well trodden paths of reality TV formats. Based loosely on the apprentice, each week the young designers must complete tasks set by Starck or face elimination, then head home and live with each other for the duration of the show. Because of this, BBC have managed to strip the creativity from what should have been one of the more interesting shows of the year.

Once you get down to watching it, one of the more frustrating elements of the show is that Starck seems unable to articulate himself in a way that would remotely make sense to English speaking viewers, let alone those with no design background or any knowledge of design terminology. The suspense over who will be evicted is not generated in the usual way of a reality TV show, but more because we have utterly no idea as to who the winners and losers are in the eyes of the all-mighty Starck. At the end of each show, everybody seems to be at a loss to explain why a certain person got evicted and what they might have done differently to gain a better result. Without the voice over of Adam Buxton, who is brought in to explain things that should be obvious to the viewers, this show would border on unwatchable. 

Objectified

Gary Hustwit's Objectified is a film that aims to educate consumers (ie. everybody) to the fact that almost everything they come into contact with in their lives was conceived and designed by somebody, somewhere. Whilst this relationship between designer, object and user is one probably the largest focus of the film, Hustwit really should have devoted a larger segment to the wastage end of the spectrum. Although there was some footage of recycling plants reclaiming computers and electrical appliances left "out in the cold" after having been replaced, many people know that the real damage of irresponsible design is what is not reclaimed and gets discarded into landfill or our oceans.

The problems dont seem to end with the subject matter, as the interviews with "famous" designers seem to send contradictory messages about what they believe and what we as a planet should be trying to achieve. Anyone with a remote interest in design will appreciate the early footage of Jonathon Ive inside the Apple workshop, talking about what was at the time, Apple's latest Macbook Air. The positioning of this interview is crucial because if placed after someone sending a message about minimising consumerism, Ive would be made to look like a crook, with no thought whatsoever about the environment. Later in the film me meet Karim Rashid who, after telling us that he designs chairs for a living, asks us why chairs are still being designed. This kind of hypocrisy shows us that not every designer acts with the best intentions and that whilst people such as Rashid are in the spotlight, the prima-donna image of image of designers is sure to remain for some time. 

Peer Comments

http://d-antonio.blogspot.com/2010/10/design-confusion.html - Design Confusion