Design Indaba 2015 kicked off today with an exceptional roster of speakers spanning the worlds of advertising, digital design, furniture and interactive art, but the blue sky thinking from a group of young designers presenting work in progress provoked a wide-ranging conversation about design for the future. In a PechaKucha-style run, the eight members of the "Global Design Graduates" panel represented student work from RCA, University of Stellenbosch, Parsons, ECAL, Eindhoven, RISD and Carleton University. Here's a look at three product design projects worth exploring—take note, it won't be the last time you hear these names.
A Transforming Wheel
We covered the work of Ackeem Ngwenya and his "Roadless" transforming wheel when he was crowdfunding his design education in 2013. Since then, he has graduated from RCA and received additional funding to continue developing his concept for a transforming wheel that can easily navigate the unpredictable road conditions of his hometown of rural Malawi. The young designer shared his belief that, "design and creativity can have a huge impact on developing communities."
The "Roadless" project was created to provide people "something that works in spite of the infrastructure." Since we last wrote about the project Ngwenya has started down the long road of materials exploration in search of something that can be both durable enough for rough road conditions and flexible enough to withstand the rigors of a shifting form. He has also been looking at the "Roadless" wheel as a cheap alternative to more traditional tires by incorporating strips of junk tire with his wheel mechanism
An IKEA Hack for Gamers
When Marc Dubois, an avid gamer and interaction designer from ECAL, goes to IKEA, he sees infinite possibilities in every day objects, not just another affordable desk lamp or colander. Dubois' "Open Controllers" project takes familiar icons from the shelves of IKEA and transforms them into game controllers. Leveraging the technology embedded in most mobile phones (gyroscope, camera), salad bowls and paper packaging become tactile gaming instruments and the light from a gooseneck table lamp helps gamers navigate an on-screen environment. Dubois' most recent project—leveraging Oculus Rift technology—continues his work in how sensory experiences in the real world can augment digital environments.
Bacterial Lights
The mystery and promise of nature inspired Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Teresa van Dongen to pursue the possibilities of harvesting light from biological sources. With a background in the sciences, van Dongen's interdisciplinary practice incorporated the work of scientists from TU Delft to create the Ambio lamp. Captivated by the natural glow of bioluminescent algae that populate warm water oceans the world over, van Dongen seeks to recreate the underwater twinkle that can be witnessed with each tide. The designer fills a glass tube with an "artificial seawater medium" inoculated with bioluminescent bacteria. With each swing on the weighted pendulum, the water becomes oxygenated, activating the bacteria. Although the lighting is not sustainable (the bacteria cannot live in the fixture for extended periods of time—it must be fed, oxygenated and filtered regularly) the experience of seeing the light in action is mesmerizing and will inform her work to come.
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