JETTISON
New objects and the digital detailed story of how they come to be once they were discarded.
Synopsis
This project emanates from the understanding that there is a pressing need for change, from the highest industrial echelons right down to the individual. This needs to come about for the sake of the environment. Taking into consideration Thackara’ s three step plan, this project is in a sense is a mapping of hard assets in that it is based in the concept of the found object. The project’s intend is to search for and repurpose discarded and forgotten objects, while along side creating a digital platform in which the story of the new objects can be known. By so doing it aims at challenging the way in which we relate to everyday objects.
Background and Context
A very brief review of the state of the situation would be as follows. With the advent of mass production came mass consumption and with it an almost interminable array of discarded objects. It can be argued that we could as an exercise of restraint (and because we can and not just wait for the moment until we will be forced to) stop designing and producing new objects from entirely new materials. In other words, a complete adherence to the cradle to cradle production as in McDonough and Braungart’s manifesto. And this is where this project lies, in the search for new possibilities of practice.
The background set for this project, can be situated within a wide scope of practices. Theory wise this project partially draws from postmodern philosophy, in particular from Jean Baudrillard’s writings. In practice this project can be linked to the modern art movement Arte Povera and the mindset of making the most of what is at hand (bricolage).
In the book The System of Objects, Jean Baudrillard argues that there are four instances in which objects acquire a certain value. First is the functional or instrumental value of the object, this is in regards of what it can actually be used for. Second is the economical value, related to the worth of the object whether it might be monetary value or value related to other objects. Third is the symbolic value, the added value that individuals embed upon the object. Fourth is the sign value, in which the object itself becomes a representation of something else, e.g luxury or attractiveness. Today’s mass consumption, in my view is due in part because we seem to be stuck in a loop between third and fourth. That is surrendering to the tyranny of the latest and greatest objects, and by so doing placing monumental amounts of symbolic value to products we don’t really need. And with those actions we expect to achieve the fourth; a positive image of ourselves through what the objects supposedly convey about us.
In a sense what this project is about is the rethinking of unwanted objects and it intends to be more in terms of second instance aforementioned. That is contemplating the discarded objects for their actual material value and not just for their symbolic or sign value. In other words, discarded objects still have a material worth so even though they have been degraded in the vast system of objects they are still tangible matter which can be put to great use.
In terms of materials I believe that, this project can be partnered with the italian modern art movement Arte Povera. They too employed the use of found objects as materials for new creations. Where the two differ is in their motives. Arte Povera’s were to question the institutions through the use of prosaic materials. Fact that leads me to believe that their practices were not entirely driven by environmental consciousness. As for this project, it is aware of the environmental problem caused by accessing brand new materials for every creation thus the revaluation of unwanted objects.
Bricolage
: construction (as of a sculpture or a structure of ideas) achieved by using whatever comes to hand; also : something constructed in this way
As defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Based on the definition above, I believe that the Jettison project will be in it’s tangible form a true exercise of bricolage. Mainly because it’s constructive process is just that; the search for new uses for broken down and rejected objects, or employing them to construct something else entirely different. In general terms for the bricoleur the problem comes first, then he/she goes about finding a solution for it with what is readily available. In this project that process is somewhat reversed mainly because there is no explicit problem. The conundrum presents itself more in terms of first having the objects and then contemplating what can be done with them.
This project’s context is predominantly within the DIY mentality. A few examples of practices are design sponge, the catalan project makea tuvida and in a more digital side make zine. All three practices have detailed procedures on how things can be made, with specifics on what materials will be needed. Even going as far as to having a difficulty rating for the maker to be prepared for the task ahead (make zine). In Makea’s case and the main reason why I chose them is that everything that is in their Recetario (which translates as recipe book) is made from discarded objects. found in the streets of Barcelona. In a more artistically oriented production the exhibition Manuf®actured can also serve as context for this project. Especially in the projects by Jason Rogenes and Régis Mayot , due to their use of a materials that are seldom thought of as any thing more than rubbish (foam and plastic containers respectively).
The Brief
In the Jettison project the brief is addressed in a triple manner. Firstly because it is making use of Thackara’s development methodology. In particular the first point in which he stresses that there should be a mapping of local assets. Thackara divides such assets into hard (materials and resources) and soft (people and organisations). I believe that at the core of this project there is a mapping of hard assets, even if is in a somewhat unconventional way. That is because the project involves the search for discarded objects in what can be described as a foraging type action (if only in a urban setting) and put them to new uses. Secondly the project will address the brief by undertaking the theme of sustainability establishing that all (with minor exceptions of glues and things of the sort) the tangible materials used within the project are recycled and locally sourced.
The third approach in which the brief is addressed is through the creation of a graphical interface where the story of the object can be consulted. Starting from the location where the object was found, detailing the process of how it is transforming into a new object and ending at what it finally became. In other words a timeline that does not necessarily have to be consulted in a linear manner.
Description
As I mentioned above the gathering of the objects to be used in this project will be by using the tactics of the found object. I intend to visit various op-shops around Canberra in search for objects that can be put to good use. I will bring the objects home and repurpose them in some way while all along photo documenting the process.
Digitally I need to learn how to make and implement the interface whether this might be with processing or some other tool. My intend is for the interface to be very visually oriented with a colourful and organic aesthetic. By having the interface being almost fully graphical with very minimal text and an organic possibility of navigation (non-linear) I feel that a more playful an engaging experience for the user can be achieved.
-the digital as the glue that holds everything together-
