Ektopia

You know that when you get a book in the post and the dust jacket is made of sandpaper that you’re handling something more than a little out of the ordinary. For me, that book was [Art]ifact. It’s published by the innovating Victionary and distributed in the UK by PGUK and thankfully (for me at least as I can’t stand the feel of sandpaper anywhere near my fingernails) the dust jacket that protects the embossed thick card cover is further protected (and protecting) by a clear plastic cover. This is where you get the second hint at what you’ll discover during your trip within this intriguing book. Below the title is reads “Inspiring ideas for sandpaper” followed by 40 random ideas; the first being “use as a book cover” followed by such thoughts as “make a pinhole camera”, “make a glittering ribbon”, “use as toilet paper to make fun of others” and, my favourite, “scratch where it is itchy”.

Ektopia has its own design category and if you look trough it you’ll find loads of innovative pieces that border both the realms of art and design. To be honest, I didn’t really realise that what I was looking at and enjoying the most in the design world was something quite specific. Sure, I’ve had problems which category to place many of the deigns into - deigns, art or both - but, at the same time, I wasn’t conscious of the fact that these designs were something quite unique, not only in their own right but also as a collection of fascinating art pieces. So, as I turn the pages of [Art]ifact I’ve found many of the pieces that I’ve chosen to post on Ektopia mirrored in this book and that’s something I wasn’t prepared for. It’s not just 2 or 3 either, it’s a lot. That’s what’s made me realise that the design I enjoy most in the world is a certain type of design that I hadn’t (till I picked up this book) realised actually existed.

The designs in [Art]ifact are easier to describe in musical terms as it’s already been accepted into our current tastes. It’s mixing Fugazi and Destinies Child together together. It’s the Breeders mixed with Madonna. It’s the Beastie Boys mixed with The Beatles. One object or idea (in these cases, a tune) and mix them with another object or idea to take then from the ordinary to something completely different. When it’s done badly it’s ignorable, when it’s done well it’s interesting and when it hit’s the mark perfectly it becomes something extraordinary as the object’s context is warped just the right amount to make the original idea recognisable but just enough to make it truly unique too. This is what [Art]ifact is all about.

[Art]ifact is divided into three main sections; Observative & Augmentation, Fun & Function and Interactive & Sensation. Each section is physically divided by a smaller formatted sewn in booklet that holds the thoughts of each designer about their individual product. Section wise, I’m not sure what qualifies each design to be in its particular section really. Each seems to fit into each section equally but I suspect that’s to do with my lack of understanding rather than the book’s creators so I’m not knocking it. A few examples from the book are in order I think…

The IV Drip Feed Plant Pot (above) is as good as any place to start. Take one part mundane and one part medical equipment and you get a passively controlled self-watering plant pot. Now you see it in front of you it seems to make so much sense and it also looks awesome don’t you think? It helps that there are people that can actualise these ideas so beautifully I guess. What about My Turn-Ons? These are massive speakers (see below) in the shape of in-ear headphones. This time it’s not just a remix of ideas buy a remix of contexts; a known object and a foreign size. Actually, if you look in Mixko’s “Art & Creative” section you’ll see that everything they’ve chose to show is win, win, win. They are masters of the [Art]ifact.

Private Public (below) mixes with the idea of wearable contraptions to assist us with privacy when we are using “mobile technology devices” in pubic. This one really caught my imagination when I saw it on WMMNA a while back. It’s more than just an amusing little design though as many of these designs are. This one in particular was designed to prompt discussion about issues of privacy and isolation with technology in public places.

Bin Bag Bear (below) was an idea to somehow change the way we see rubbish bags as they litter the streets before being collected by the local councils. This kind of project borders very closely with much or the urban intervention side of street-art actually. I think that’s why I liked this particular project so much. It would have been as at home in Street Renegades as it would here. When I think about it, it’s the same with the majority of these ideas though. They may not be urban interventions but the designers/artists have intervened with these ideas, designs and products to alter the context and challenge the viewers preconceived ideas about them

It’s a shame that Ben Wilson’s Chairfix didn’t find itself included but I bet that everyone who looks at this book will be able to think of something that didn’t make the final cut. That’s not because the book doesn’t have the best of this type of design but just because there is so much of it about at the moment. So why is this? When I see stuff like this I’m constantly reminded of Laurence Lessig’s words regarding what he calls read-write culture. The digital age has given us the tools to remix and it’s a language that we’ve become fluent in. It’s part of our vocabulary. I think that’s why we are so open to these ideas and products. I digress… the small omission of the Chairfix is more than paid back by the inclusion of my all time favourite mashed up [Art]ifact, the Lapjuicer (below). The brief that the designers were given was to simply redesign the food processor and they certainly achieved this! What a wonderful idea and a sublime object (not to mention the images in the book, which are superb).

These ideas and products make sense to us even though they are not always what they were originally intended for. If you visit the main innovative design site’s, like me, you’ll have seen quite a bit of this book’s content but with the internet’s heavy flow of new data you’ll probably not have the time to remember much of it either. That’s what makes this book so great. it’s a permanent reminder of the wonderful and quirky design goodness that’s been realised over the last few years and I see no reason that this book couldn’t become a series of books in the future. I hope it does. [Art]ifact weighs in at 256 (312 if you include the sewn in info booklets) entertaining pages ad can be purchased direct from Victionary, PGUK and all the usual places including AmazonUK. There are also a few sample pages from the book here. Enjoy.