Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Peer Comments

Ginny Kwok
http://ginnykwok.blogspot.com/2011/10/glamour-hanging-light-upcycled.html?showComment=1318997941178#c7463280980224048570

Kirstie Cocokios 
http://kirstiecocokiost.blogspot.com/2011/10/upcycling-lamps.html?showComment=1318998399765#c198816181961469595


Christine Liang
http://mad-attic.blogspot.com/2011/10/upcycling-project-2.html?showComment=1318998891995#c62199356271705760977

Kevin Peng
http://kevinpeng3373311.blogspot.com/2011/10/blossom-light-shade.html?showComment=1318999427165#c5428660031953611552

Vivian Ngo
http://vindustriald.blogspot.com/2011/10/project-2-rationale.html?showComment=1318999885736#c4340621861972959565

Rationale

‘Upcycled Utility’, the aim of my design for this project is to express how recycled material can be used to create sophisticated and elegant pendant mood lighting. I wanted to accentuate both the fluidity and the rigidness of the material (polypropylene) and by creating this lighting design, it allows me to playfully produce a somewhat literate form of a beehive, which paradoxes how something (the material)that’s so artificially man made can depict to the notion of nature. Originally I wanted to re create the conventional design of the lamp shade, this form intrigued me and by trialling with various folding techniques with the polypropylene I was able to construct the conventional ‘lamp shade’. With the intense foldings they create depth and form , I was intending to create a tower however felt that too much material was being used and was uncertain about how the connections of each shade would. Although I liked that Idea, I continued to expand and delve deeper on the shape and folds applied. Before hand the material I was testing with was more rigid and hard, making the forms more rigid, however in the final role of polypropylene softer/thinner thus creating the more fluid form.Eventually over trial and error I was able to create a more elegant and simplistic form, which was more environmentally efficient as it used less material, and thus capable to make numerous lights out of one single sheet.

Instructions

Project 2 Upcycled Utility

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Bill Moggridge: What is design?

Bill Moggridge: What is Design?
Bill Moggrigde’s “What is Design” establishes the broad spectrum of what ‘design’ can be. Throughout his talk, Moggridge describes the variety of ways design can be explored through prototyping, social networking and innovation. Through the process of creating ideas, we are able to construct versatile innovations , and re invent previous creations to adapt to modern society.
Human interaction is a key element to the designing process, we learn by doing and most of what we do is subconscious. We use this for design to harness our attributes and through various methods, learning and analysing are able to provide thoughtful design.
Moggridge states that design is no longer just about creating a product, but now days more about thinking how design creates a feeling of what it is. We explore three significant elements consisting of context, personal and social environment. Rather than just design things today, it has now expanded to health and well being too. We are continually making design more accessible to society, making everything we do more interactive and beneficial.
Social networking, technology allows us to have a greater intertwined connection such as the Tangible Earth Demonstration that communicates using media. The flexi glass earth, is computerised and moves through hand movement gives a whole new dimension of design.
By making design more accessible, such as the social innovation of getting water, they’ve  applied a sustainable book on how to achieve cleaner water. So the design process now has delved to a much deeper level and significant focused on a social impact. Moggridge describes how we continually have sustainable design and yes we should choose materials that save the environment , but we should also look into the greater aspects of renewable energy. Such as the organic insulation made from mycelium which is much more beneficial and made entirely from organic materials.
Design is no longer about just creating new products to be aesthetically appealing, but rather to be explored at a greater aspect on how it can be beneficial socially and environmentally as well.