PRODUCT(ION)
Description
It is an interdisciplinary design and art exhibition as well as a lecture & talk series, that was realized in April 2019. University-internal and external positions and projects from different fields were presented focussing on the furniture industry. The starting point were questions about the sustainability of products.What is the Topic?
Different aspects were discussed such as consumer behaviour, price, value, appreciation, material, production, sustainability, our relationship to them and the final disposal. We wanted to show the connections between individual processes. More transparency and knowledge about manufacturing processes were intended to help aspiring designers as well as visitors and consumers to become self-determined and aware of their global responsibilities. The series of lectures provided impetus for new approaches such as alternative production processes. Furthermore we focused on a collaboration between design and science. The guests were: Oliver Schübbe, Prof. Julia Lohmann, Lynn Harles, Giuseppe La Spada and Prof.in Mareike Gast.
Why does it look like this?
To raise awareness within the widest possible audience, we have chosen the medium of an exhibition. The exhibition is classified in the social design and can’t be reduced to only one complete product. The exhibition is more about the visitor's experience of identifying himself as part of the system to recognize his influence. The primary colors white, black and yellow were used. Yellow embodies the future prospects - the sustainability aspects of the exhibition. In addition there was a research area with turf, which could be used for independent research in the ‚nature’.
What is special?
Various positions were presented in the compilation of artistic and product design-specific works. Each theme was supported by a specific exhibit and additional textual information. The weekly lectures increased interest and rose awareness about further sustainable and interdisciplinary approaches. The exhibition invited us to recognize our own role in the system and our own market power.
What is new?
Reflecting human consumption and manufacturing as well as thinking about the consequences of the furniture industry made visitors of the exhibition question our usual patterns of behavior. This provoked considering the individual importance and appreciation for a product.