Sunday 14 December 2008

Extendable Storage Surface - Response to crisis


Following crisis of will I have concentrated on the crisis in the place here effects of this kind of crisis can be of grater repercussion than in others.

Motivation to work therefore is essential for our life style.

Can the work space motivate people to do what they are there for?

I have prepared a questionnaire asking people about their activities motivation related to heir work space. I have received answers from 14 people of different gender, age (21 – 32 years old), and nationality. Based on those comments I have drawn two main conclusions.

1 conclusion: cluttered workspace is highly unpopular and causes reluctance toward any activity in the place of work among over 80% of respondents

2 conclusion; regardless of the level of care about the work space people tend to personalize it with different kinds of objects of special meanings useless in the process of wok but essential for building relation to the place. To make them feel more comfortable and eager to come and work.

Those two tendencies are contrary in many cases causing the space always full of details on the surfaces which meant to be free for work. I would like to take it out off the way of other commonly used surfaces: desktop and shelves and expand it according to increasing or decreasing needs

I am introduced to Jo-Anne Bichard which was involved in the welcoming workplace' design research project with Jeremy Myerson. I am meeting her after Christmas to see whether her knowledge about this kind of space can feed my project in any way.

Until this time I came out with proposition of an element for space, being neither furniture, nor a board but can be helpful to organize the mementos in quite flexible way according to the arrangement of the place. This will be roughly based on the rule of jigsaw puzzle but not strictly in its iconic but maybe rather splash-like shape and maybe with 2 or 3 complementary elements or cluster elements with interlocking sides.

In small version it requires only one element attached to the wall, beam or a piece of furniture on which more of those elements “live”. It can grow in different directions and have different curvature depending on the stiffness of the material and be reinforced in different places of its range. They can create a frame for photograph, pin up surface, a small shelves for figurines, small models. I can imagine it made of cut wood as it is here, solid cut polypropylene, rotation melded polypropylene, cast stiff polyurethane - plain or finished with textile cover or with a layer of other material.

I can see some resemblance to some architectural elements like keystone or kind of tiles. It could be a kind of flexible wall in different sizes of basic elements.

I did found similar way of using form in Leaning Moulds of work of Maruja Fuentes, or Blob Wall by Greg Lynn,

I can imagine that he producer of this kind of objects is placed in the home-office equipment and stationary sector of market. I would consider:

Habitat

MUJI

3M

The other kind of product it could be developed is a kind of structural

wall or multi-element furniture.

Sunday 7 December 2008

Thursday 4 December 2008

Interim show

Poster illustrating the crisis of will, lack of motivation, laziness, avoidance.

Design by Maciek Wojcicki