CRADLE TO CRADLE DESIGN

This Ted Talk revolved a lot around the question “what is our intention as species?” William McDonough makes an incredible point on community and trust. He expresses that we can’t exchange value for a very long time if we don’t trust each other. That made me think about how as consumers we blindly trust companies from our childrens toys to the blanket we use to go to bed, but if we take a moment to read the tags we would realize the hazardous aspects of these products. And when we try replace it with something else we don’t realize (or we do but we keep it hidden) that we’re taking the attention off of the new materials by saying that we’re “no long using paper” for example but the consumer doesn’t realize that the new material is still a destroying factor. I think the idea of creating something for which designers can analyze their products for human and ecological healing is incredible. It’s also important that they created a protocol so companies can send it to their suppliers since most of their products go straight from supplier to consumer. It’s an amazing way to make sure products are safe for our children and ourselves.

THE ROUE TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Alex Steffen discussed how 1/3 of our planet is made up of kids, which to me means two things. The first is if we don’t take care of our planet it may not affect us but it will most definitely have an effect on our children and what kind of world and environment do we want our children to grow up in is something we don’t think about as much as we should. The second is if 1/3 of our planet is made up of kids then we should be educating the younger generation on how to help save our planet because in the end they are the ones who it will effect the most. I also agreed with what he said about cellphones. The fact that a majority of people in developing cities own a cellphone means that what is true for cellphones is true for all technologies and new tools are equally able to make their way into the developing world.

GROW YOUR OWN CLOTHES

What I am still amazed about after learning about this at the Material ConneXion is the way you can use kombucha to make your own fabric. It is one of the most unique and ecological ways to create clothes especially in the fashion world where most of the materials used are parts of animals. But there are many ways in which we can improve this. This idea of creating leather or fabric out of bacteria is very well thought out and manageable. Of course it needs more work and thought since it fragile and it can’t withstand the rain but if this were to develop further it would truly be revolutionary. It could also be useful in developing countries in order to make clothes in a sustainable and efficient way. It’s also an amazing material that can be used to make indoor products.

One of the materials that inspired me the most was the Pirarucu Fish Skin Leather. This material caught my eye from the color to its texture. What also interested me was the way they used fish scales to make leather which is not something that I ever thought was possible. I also think it’s inspiring in an ecological way in order to use the whole animal instead of throwing away the parts we don’t eat. If i were to use them in a project I would do a home mini bar collection with a champagne ice bucket, coasters, a flask, and a tray all made of the Pirarucu Fish Skin. I would also have a collection of utensils with a matching brief case or a collection with a purse, gloves and sun glasses.

The way they made high resolution raised printing patterns on fabric was very interesting to me. It’s such an easy way to create detailed patterns that would otherwise be very hard. With this technology I would probably want to create furniture, packaging design or clothes.

The last material that caught my eye was the translucent sheet. What amazed me the most was the fact that it’s produced as a secretion from bacteria which are fed a sugary solution in this specific case, pineapple juice. The ecologic and natural factor of this material is the most fascinating part and bringing this into market products would be an incredible step forward for commercialized products as well as fashion.

For this assignment we had to pick an object and scale it up.. I first started out by measuring all the dimensions of my shoe, I then doubled the number in order to maintain realistic proportions. I found this assignment very fun, the process took a lot of time and patience but the end result was very satisfying. It was also helpful in understanding how to keep a ridiculously large object proportional and realistic to its original size.

For Project 3 we had to create a map of New York in a literal or abstract way. I decided to collect pictures of writings on the walls and sides of the streets and conversations that people were having with each other on metal railings. I then put them in photoshop cropped out the parts that I liked most and put them in conversation with each other. I really enjoyed every thing about this project, not only the end result but the process as well. It was eye opening to experience the city and pay attention to the little details in streets that I usually walk by without noticing. It made me feel like I had a secret key to these people’s emotions and lives. It’s also interesting when you realize that you have no idea how old these people are, what they look like, who they are but it doesn’t matter because in some way you can relate to them and that’s what makes it beautiful.

The goal of Project 2 was to create a wearable object connected to one specific community of our choice. My initial inspiration was Cubism in the early 20th century. Cubism was an avant garde art movement that revolutionized European paintings and sculptures. I’ve always had a passion for structured and architectural designs  so for my wearable piece I combined the both. I first started by creating my mood board. I collected images of shapes and patterns that inspired me. I then sketched out the type of design I wanted my piece to have and created quick mock ups out of paper and cardboard on the mannequin as well as on Illustrator. Once I had a good idea of where and how many triangles I would need I started to think of which material would work best. I knew I wanted something I had never worked with, I thought of plexiglass but it would have been too heavy on the body so i decided i would use polycarbonate. I cut each triangle by using a hook blade, I then drilled two holes at the bottom of each triangle and used a chemical liquid to meld each side to each other in order to make a 3D triangle. I then traced the mannequins dimensions on muslim, placed the triangles and attached them with a piece of beige thread. Finally, I decided to keep the triangles see through because i wanted the models skin color to show through the piece.

One of the pieces that caught my attention immediately was Eric Fishl’s painting A Visit to – A Visit from the Island. This work of art was probably the strongest political piece in the room. The painting shows a diptych of two beaches. On the left hand side we see what looks like a beach in a fancy resort. In the front we see a nude white woman laying down on a surf board sunbathing, to the left of her is a white man scuba diving and directly behind is two other people standing in the water. Their body language expresses a relaxed and care free notion on this hot sunny day. On the right hand side, on a stormy beach we see dark skinned people, in the middle of a crisis desperately needing and calling for help. The scene looks like it could possibly be refugees fleeing. The message immediately hits you because the white people are completely oblivious to the reality of these tropical beaches and the struggle and pain that people of color are going through. To them, this is just a “paradise vacation” and an attempt to run away from their jobs, families and their “so called reality”. It made me realize how unaware people are when it doesn’t concern them or how people never think of what used to be here before them and the things people have gone through in order for places to be possible.  For me, the most powerful connection between the two figures dressed in white. Both look like they are caught in their own trauma. The figure on the left is the only one covered, her posture makes her feel lost, uneasy and worried as she chews on her nails. The figure on the right is in emotional pain while not knowing whether to keep trying or running to the shore. These details are what allowed me to enter the painting and the story.

Another work that was really interesting was “Real Violence”  the Virtual Reality piece by Jordan Wolfson. Even though I was only able to get through maybe 7 seconds of it, it completely messed with my mind. I think the scariest part of VR is that you get so involved with what’s going on inside the goggles, your mind gets so carried away that you forget your body is still in the “real world” and it’s scary knowing that you could wander off into a dangerous place without even being aware of it, or see things that you won’t be able to forget after. I took my goggles off before being fully immersed in what I was seeing because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to take the goggles off. Overall it was a unique experience, one I would probably never do again.