1) How do you as a designer want to skillfully and creatively meet the realities of the Anthropocene? (What kind of projects and actions do you think might be needed)?
I want to explore healthy materials and incorporate them in my design. Last week at the materials lab I found flower paper very interesting, maybe it could be combined with kombucha leather.
2) Watch the following video on long-life design and answers:
- How would you describe Nagaoka’s “non-designing” design practices?
Designing them not to show latest trend, but to make them function and worth using for a long, long period. And it will not be outdated because the form and function and material are sustainable.
- How do your opinions of “good” design compare with Nagaoka’s? Would you define good design differently, how so?
My opinion on good design is to experiment a lot. I did not give much thought about whether the design would last life-long. So our perspectives are different.
- Nagaoka says that we have entered a new era where people want to buy things that mean something to them, that truly matters, and that we have entered a new era. Do you feel these ideas are specific to Japan or are applicable to other countries too? What evidence do you have of your opinion (what makes you say yes or no)?
I think these ideas are fashioned by Japanese companies. Muji is a store that sells simple designs in which function is over everything, but it does not lose beauty in its products. They are simple and elegant. People start to appreciate such design philosophy. Muji is a Japanese company and now it’s all over the world, China, U.S., UK…
- What kind of design do you think appeals to young people today?
simple, graphic, flat.
- Near the end of the program, the host of the program says the future of design could be, “people who make things with care and people who use them with care” and that this could be a new form of prosperity. Do you agree? Why?
I agree. Designers should care about why they design and how they design, and use sustainable materials that do good to our environment. And users should use things with care, to make what they use last long. Only when our environment is treated with care, we can live longer and healthier.
- What do you think of the student projects shown at the end of the program?
The student grew her own cotton, spun and weaved and made the garment. The whole process is based on her care for the environment. Nagaoka teaches students to design not for its novelty value, and this student practiced it well.
- Do you consider yourself a long-life designer? Would you like to become one?
I do not consider myself a long-life designer, because sometimes I choose novelty and good appearance over function. But after watching Nagaoka’s talk, I realize the value of long-life design, and would like to be more mindful when I design.
- How might the concept of Long Life design be useful to designers working within the constraints of the Anthropocene?
Long life design is part of working within the constraints of the Anthropocene. They both care about environment and saving materials, avoiding waste, avoiding unsustainable materials.. Long life design align with anti-Anthropocene.
3) What is a beautiful object/design that you admire from your home country that has been in production for longer than fifty years? Write a brief description (around a paragraph) about this object’s history on your Learning Portfolio and explain what you think makes it so resilient (able to still be in production for over 50 years). Include an image on your LP and please bring the object with you to class next week (if possible) for presentations.
This is a technique for making porcelain since hundreds of years ago, started in Han dynasty. The porcelain has texture that looks like ice cracks. It used to be considered a mistake made during the ceramic making process, because the temperature wasn’t controlled very well. But later people find the texture intriguing, and started making this kind of porcelain on purpose. Love for such porcelain shows people’s appreciation for imperfect things.
4) Read the following article on kintsugi (Links to an external site.). Lacquer, the base of kintsugi, has been used for repair for nearly 1000 years in Japan. Are there similar practices of repair in your home country? What kinds of design and cultural values do you think enables a process of repair such as kintsugi to be practiced and refined over hundreds of years?
I do not know any similar practices of repair in my country. However, having been a fan of Japan-made thins, from cosmetic products to dinnerware, I love the craftsmanship and tranquil mindset in Japanese culture. I think the design and cultural value behind Kintsugi is to appreciate broken pieces, whether it’s an object or a person’s life. To appreciate what’s not perfect, and to think of something extremely beautiful to amend, to glorify the broken parts, making imperfect things another kind of art.
5) Read through the kombucha leather protocol carefully. What questions do you have? Then, start growing this natural material. Answer on your LP. How does it feel to try and grow your own material from tea and sugar? What do you think will be the biggest challenges for this project?
It feels cool! Feels like I’m making something out of nothing, designing from the very start. I know completely where the materials are from. Feels like I have control over the materials’ origin. The biggest challenge would be keep the temperature high, because my apartment use air condition to keep the place warm, there’s no floor heat.