DESIGN COLOR

Storytelling
-Imperfection can be beautiful (crystal glass is used in a rough way, not how it is used to)
-Poetic way of production, intuitive way of making something

Design Practice
- challenging the classical way of producing glass
- very materialistic approach, lets the material speak, this pushes the materials to other boundaries and lets us look at certain quonotations of certain materials in another way
- questioning the traditional way of producing

Context
- ? questioning the use of a certain object? is it only aesthetic or can it be functional?
- questioning the functionality of a glass? making the opposite out of it, instead of being light and fragile, makes it very heavy and robust

Use of Materials
- see above in Design Practice
- explores the material itself which then finds a purpose

What interests me
- still a very understandable object
- usable
- not too abstract
-

Storytelling
- reusing a material (plastic) and finding a new purpose for it
- recycling
- material focused, lets material speak
- material before function

Design Practice
- finding own ways of reusing plastic, not the traditional "clean" way
- makes own tools to use the material, these tools also determine how the object looks like (plastic extruding gun)
- maybe first focus lies on tool and then sees what can be made out of it, instead of thinking first that it has to be a chair

Context
- referencing/quoting the past (barok) bringing it to the present

Use of Materials
- explores the material itself which then finds a purpose

What interests me
- spontanity that can be seen in the end result
- letting the material speak
- making tools that are not common in production circuit

1.) HOW DOES ATELIER NL USES STORYTELLING AS A TECHNIQUE WITHIN THEIR PRACTICE?

- Profound Material research
- transparant production and material
- localness
- not abstract
- questions our traditional use of material, resp.is reviving again traditional use and questioning current uses of glass and clay (which we do not know anymore where it comes from)
- social and inclusive (also inclusive for sectors that you do not directely link with design, like farmers --> above picture from POLDERLUNCH)
- local sourcing and production
- Design Practice: - research driven - archives - own material library making - product design

2. )WHAT DOES STORYTELLING MEAN IN YOUR OWN PRACTICE?

I do not yet really manage to do a lot on storytelling. I am fascinated by everyday objects and would like to integrate in my design practice more consciousnes towards these objects that we use everyday. To let people get an understanding about the richness of the materials that are used, the complexity and beauty of the techniques and the history and symbolysm that comes with it of these objects. This i would like to communicate in an indirect way, in a way that people can sense it, but that is not too obvious.

3.) WHAT ARE THE COMMON GROUNDS BETWEEN THE SHOWN PROJECTS IN THE LECTURE OF ATELIER NL?

- Using local raw materials
- inclusivenes towards other disciplines (like farmers or traditional craftsmans/women)
- first experimental approach resulting in a everyday product that is very applicable in domestic context (experiment ends in commercial product)
- mapping of the resources
- making a material archive

4.) QUOTE out of the TALK:

- "Looking at the things that are unseen!"

- "This is the way we would like to work. We are really intreged by the material. We want to discover all the possibilities that there are and show all these very beautiful structures and hidden colors that are normally not seen."

The Algae Lab, a bio-laboratory set up in collaboration with Studio Klarenbeek & Dros in order to explore the potential of growing micro- and macro-algae locally. Atelier Luma

Charlotte van Alem is researching the potential of stranded jellyfishes to make a subsitute for leather.

1. ) How do you reflect on sustainability within your practice? How can/is your discipline incorporate this focus?

Textile is one of the most polluting design sectors. (at least thats what they say). Out of a EU report about the textile industry, it says that only 1% of all textile produced is recycled.
Despite a growing social trend for sustainability in the EU textile and fashion industry6, Europeans consume on average 26 kg of textiles per person per year - a significant share of these coming from third countries. Each item is used for a shorter period, resulting in 11 kg of textiles discarded per person per year (what is known as the so-called ‘fast-fashion’ phenomenon). (EU innitative : EU strategy for textiles)
--> this means there is a lot of waste. It is a big questionmark on how to make this sector more sustainable. Because even when you start recycling the material, often it is needed to add new fibre to the recycled ones, to make it last long and make it strong. Maybe the focus should be more on last longing and biodegradable materials...

2.) Which potential could living colors have in the future for the arts and design disciplines?

- Helping to break down chemical colors and transform them into bio degradable colors
- give room for new "prints" on old shirts, because the prints for ex.anyway disappear. (sort of blank canvas effect after f.ex. 1 year use. )

3.) QUOTE:

"Maybe the problem is not the pigment or the color but maybe the problem is us. We, that decide, that a good color that stays forever is a good color, but if you look into nature, that never happens".

4.) 2 examples of bio design practices:

Algae Platform - Atelier Luma
Medusae - Charlotte Van Alem