date: April 17-22, 2012 location: Milan, Italy
For this years Milan Furniture Fair Droog Lab proposes a future scenario where companies, some real (BioCouture), some imagined (Crow Works), address the scarcity of raw materials in radical new ways. BioCouture features in the exhibition (image book and material swatch) as an example of a future design company based around raw materials generated using bacteria.
This is Droog's speculation:
Our economic system is in turmoil. Our resources are becoming scarce. In the meantime, we stick to the same economic models, producing more products, producing more waste.
What if, in an alternative economic model, income tax is replaced with tax on raw materials? What would this mean for the design industry? Will designers offer alternative ways of creating materials, will they specialize in upcycling, concentrate on services, go digital, or do something else?
“Material Matters: a future furniture fair,” features 20 design companies— both real and imagined—that might come to thrive given the change in policy. The imaginary future fair aims to inspire designers to develop alternative business models urged by material scarcity and economic upheaval, striving for a real fair next time. Material Matters takes part in Domus Open Design Archipelago, a collective laboratory that previews the future of design, located at the beautiful Palazzo Clerici.
The real and imagined companies include:
Crow WorksTM trains crows to collect bottle caps. Sea TreasuresTM fishes plastic debris from the sea and turns it into commodities on the boat. UPTM offers a range of goods made with dead stock. GalleryTM sells what used to be ordinary goods as collector items. Play ShopTM gives you the feeling of a shopping experience without the option of buying anything. Waste WatchersTM teaches you how to outfit your house without buying new products.
“Every year a visit to the International Furniture Fair reminds us that the design industry is saturated. This is our 20th time at the fair, and we wanted to imagine under what circumstances the design industry and the furniture fair might show signs of change,” says Renny Ramakers, co-founder and director of Droog.
DOMUS Open Design Archipelago
Public transport: MM 1 Duomo / Cordusio
Wed - Sat 11:00am - 10:00pm
Presentation partner: Domus
Featuring work by: 2012Architecten, anothermountainman, Christien Meindertsma, Dirk Vander Kooij, Droog, Fernando Brízio, Han Koning, Humade, Jet Vervest, Joshua Klein, Louise Maniette, Markus Kayser Studio, Studio Swine (Alexander Groves, Azusa Murakami, Kieren Jones), Suzanne Lee, Tarmo Piirmets, Tejo Remy
Droog intern: Luis Giestas
Droog Lab: Here, there, everywhere
Material Matters is part of the Droog Lab series, ‘Here, there, everywhere’. The series speculates how situations worldwide can inspire new directions for design. Project locations include New York, Moscow, Belgium and China. The initiative is funded by Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, City of Amsterdam and local partners.
