Design
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27/09/18
Beazley Designs of the Year 2018 asks viewers to vote for their favourite project in the exhibition. But how do you begin to compare a ski jacket made of spider silk proteins with an operating theatre that fits into a backpack?
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The shortlist at 'Beazley Designs of the Year 2018' gives a dynamic overview of today’s design climate. Many address current and very relevant global problems. Topics covered include the environment, gender identity and fake news. Tackling big issues such as these can often lead to great design.
I found so much of the exhibition thought provoking. When it came to writing this post, I realised I had something to say about at least half of the 87 designs on display. But obviously I’m not trying to write a novel, so I've tried to be selective. Below I’ve picked out some interesting finds, some great design, and some not so great design. Interesting findsFranchise Freedom dancing drones – Studio Drift
This is performance artwork at the interface between technology, science and art. Franchise Freedom is an autonomous swarm of 300 Intel® Shooting Star™ drones, imitating a flock of birds. Dancing across the night sky to classical music. It creates a real experience that you can feel and see with your own eyes in the real world, not only through a screen. I imagine in real life this is totally mesmerising. Think of the whoops of delight at a firework show. I can imagine my Grandad being perplexed at the idea. We have plenty of wildlife that’s equally as fascinating, there’s no need to fake it. And think of the Northern lights, they must be just as (if not more) spectacular. But I don’t know, I’d love to see it. I like the juxtaposition of technology and nature. I think it’s be pretty cool. Aravrit – Liron Lavi Turkenich
‘The typography of peace’. Aravrit is a stylised writing system that merges the Hebrew and Arabic alphabets, hoping to promote coexistence in Israel and beyond. It works by merging the top and bottom parts of letters. In Hebrew, most of the identifying characteristics of letters forms are near the bottom, and in Arabic they’re in the top half. Based on this Turkenich combined each of the 22 letters in Hebrew with each of the 29 in Arabic to create an Aravrit alphabet with 638 characters. SurgiBox
An ultraportable, on-demand, rapidly deployable surgical environment that aims to make surgery safe for all. Essentially and inflatable tent with sleeves, SurgiBox can be used as a sterile environment in remote areas or disaster zones. It reduces patient exposure to airborne particulates, and the providers exposure to patient-derived fluids. Great designSelf-healing e-skin
Electronic skin, designed to sense pressure, temperature, humidity and airflow, offering a realistic sense of touch to people with prosthetic limbs. The flexible membrane is made from polyimine laced with silver nanoparticles to provide improved mechanical strength, chemical stability and electrical conductivity. Fully recyclable, the polymer is also self-healing, enhancing the durability and reliability of the device using it, and has potential applications for robots. This one got my vote. I like the idea of adding more than just functionality with a prosthetic. Although the design has many practical elements, I particularly enjoy the emotive aspect of this product. Ori Systems – Media Lab
Current population growth and urbanization means that small space living is ever relevant. With huge numbers of squeezing into cities, every square meter is valuable – arguably too expensive to be static and unresponsive. Ori creates dynamic environments for small spaces to act and feel as though they are substantially larger. It is essential robotic furniture. With the touch of a button (or a few words to your Amazon Echo), a room can be converted between bedroom, living room, or somewhere in between. The system is flat-packed and assembled on site. Plug into a conventional electrical outlet and it’s ready to go. I think this is great design, it’s a creative solution to a very relevant problem. It reminds me of something straight out of the 2050 IKEA catalogue. (Although it is big, which seems contradictory. But I suppose the idea is to optimise space, not create it.) Falcon 9 - SpaceX
On noticing this part of the exhibition, I almost walked straight past. Elon Musk seems to earn a lot of bad press whether it’s over expensive publicity stunts, twitter feuds or anti-union stories. My opinion of him is constantly changing, however, I can’t deny that his designs are some of the most innovative in the world. SpaceX is doing things differently. NASA spends billions on single use rockets that are destroyed on landing. Falcon 9 is the first orbital class rocket capable of reflight. It made history in 2012 when it delivered Dragon into the correct orbit for rendezvous with the International Space Station. Since then Falcon 9 has made numerous trips to space, delivering satellites to orbit as well as delivering and returning cargo from the space station for NASA. But it doesn’t stop there. Falcon 9 was designed from the outset to deliver humans into space and under an agreement with NASA, SpaceX is actively working toward this goal. This is great design because it’s not afraid to be ambitious. It makes people excited for the future. QuickSee – PlenOptika
QuickSee enables eyecare for all. It’s an easy to use, transportable autorefraction device. Traditional autorefractors are bulky so can’t be transported and costs thousands; too much for poor regions of the world. In developing countries there is often limited access to specialist eyecare, meaning people are unable to obtain prescription glasses. This affects their quality of life, educational potential and job opportunities. QuickSee provides measurements in about ten seconds, without the need for optometry training. It costs about a third of a conventional autorefractor and is small enough to be held by the patient while performing the exam. Using low-cost technology to disrupt the healthcare industry is, to me, great design. Paperfuge – Manu Prakash
Inspired by a 5,000-year-old toy (the whirligig), the Paperfuge is a hand powered centrifuge that spins blood samples at 125,000 rpm. It separates plasma from a blood sample in 90 seconds (faster that most commercial centrifuges). This is a critical step in the diagnosis of infections such as HIV and malaria. Unlike a centrifuge it doesn’t rely on electricity or complicated machinery. Paperfuge weighs about 2 grams and costs on 25 cents to make. I think this is great design as it empowers healthcare forces with limited resources to work better, faster, and cheaper. Not so great designMarsBoot - Liz Ciokajlo with Maurizio Montalti
If humans were to travel to Mars, there would be very limited room for taking the necessary supplies. Ciokajlo and Montalti have solved this dilemma by producing a boot grown out of mycelium, fed with human sweat. After my initial reaction, I had questions. How much sweat is needed to make a boot? How is it collected? How long does it take to ‘grow’? Would your boots be made from your own sweat or someone else’s? The work also seems a little premature; we are nowhere near ready to send humans to Mars, never mind create the conditions to make it inhabitable. But I suppose some great design is never implemented. I actually think that this is highly innovative and impressive design (albiet a touch ugly). The future seems to involve human occupation of Mars – and the Mars One program shows there are plenty who are keen to be the first inhabitants. Research and projects like this push the limits of what people perceive is possible, are what will enable our future to be exciting. The only reason the MarsBoot really ended up in this category is that it stuck in my mind. There were other designs in the exhibition that I wasn’t especially impressed by, and have forgotten about. The thought of growing a MarsBoot made a real impression – which probably makes it great. |
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Design Museum, London - Beazley Design of the Year Exhibition
Design Museum, London - Beazley Design of the Year Exhibition