Topic: Algiknit – a material revolution through the kelp. Aleksandra Gosiewski in conversation with Beau Bree Rhee
Topic: Leaf Island: David Bergman in conversation with Joshua Harrison and the Leaf Island Project team
- How do you define the role of a designer or artist? More broadly what is the role you see of creative industries today in the world? Has this class changed how you might define what design or art is or can be?
-I would define the role of a designer as someone who could be the starting point of changing something within the world. At the same time define an artist as someone who could have a big influence on the people and the world.
-I could really see the creative industries achieving become more influential to the world due to the wealth and adequate of food and materials for the most part of the world. When people fulfill their survival needs; it is more likely for people to seek more mental fulfillment such as life quality, the materiality of what they use and etc…That is why I believe in the very close future, the creative industries will achieve a much higher exposure.
-This class has pushed me further in the sense of thinking more about how designers and artists could be the ones who could really help the production become more environments friendly. Designers and artists are not only the people who can create beautiful things. But they are also the people who have the ability to redesign the whole system of factorial or reproduction world; or change people’s definition of certain views of fashion or beauty in many different aspects. Someone who can create huge change by redefining what should be considered to be good-looking; creating new materials to substitute for the old materials and creating a new trend. Since we people are always visual animals. - How have the events or this class changed how you think about collaboration and systems?
-In my opinion, I see collaboration and the system as when people create products; people tend to choose the affordable choice of material instead of eco-friendly material. This is totally understandable since the goal is mostly to make a profit out of the actions. But down to the root of life and earth, we are all creatures on the earth that we base our life on this same planet. And naturally, everything on the earth is born to be in the process of the life-cycle. For example, the rain is there for irrigation plants, trees. Trees and plants take carbon dioxide away to refresh the air. Human and animals breathe the air, their excrement goes back to the plants and help them grow better. But many things that we do now are breaking the life-cycle of the natural world, such as creating plastics that are indecomposable materials since it is cheaper to use. But at the end of everything, we all need to think from the perspective of the natural world and our future generation about the importance of our collaboration and the system. All of those we do will have a big influence on how our future generation will live with. - Did you hear or see anything that inspires you to think about your own personal goals in this class? Any concrete ideas for your individual project?
-It is very interesting for me to know there are really people out there who are trying to work with materials such as Kelp to create products to make profits out of them. This help me with a vision of my own project as something that is not just an experiment but could possibly be something that can bring to the table and push it further as something that could become material that might be able to use to create products in the future. Maybe I could try to make my bio-material as material for art pieces or as material that could cooperate with the natural world. - It’s always good practice to jot down 3-5 quotes (can be ideas, facts, scientific knowledge, statistics, etc) that speak deeply to you.
-Kelp is the fastest growing organism. Helping the sea and taking in carbon dioxide.
-AlgiKnit is creating a new method of producing products that could be very helpful for the future generation; problem solver; not only creating but also creating with fine materials.
-Solving problem within the root.
-Understanding what the material is and what it is coming from.
-abundant material; could grow 2 feet a day.
-Kelp support oysters, lobster, filtering water, and etc… (wildly grow kelp)
-“Extremely powerful people; have the ability to bring new ideology and technology to live.”
-upgrading the system/work within the system; existing manufacture; adding a new method.
-Upper Manhattan has a cooler temperature during summer than the Lower Part of Manhattan due to the reason that the Upper side of Manhattan has more green lands.
-Redesigning the green land within Manhattan, Leaf Island.
-Importance of natural material…recovering Manhattan.
– 80% cheaper for solar panel systems now compared to 201os by MIT and 99% cheaper compared to 1980s.
