design with a conscience

Transcription

1 Chr ist ien Mein der tsma design with a conscience

2 Evoked by curiosity Christien Meindertsma uses materials she is fascinated by and curious about. Her process involves the isolation of a specific item or process followed by intense research. Her fixation with her materials motivates the quality of her studies, which is often incorporated in the end product. wild bone china

3 Exploration of Materials Meindertsma uses raw materials for her products. She investigates the history of her materials to forge an authentic relationship between product and consumer. Her work highlights a deeper meaning in everyday things, drawing out a hidden message, often obscured by industrialized culture. the flax project

4 Exposing the unknown Meindertsma defines herself as a designer specializing in how things are made. Her work exposes the hidden processes behind the products, parallel to our lives. Her products aim to reveal the history of its materials to demonstrate the ambiguity of our surroundings. Solid Textile Board benches

5 Flax Chair Meindertsma specifically chose to use flax as the main material of the chair. Created through a combination of flax fibres and polylactic acid, it is fully biodegradable. The flax chair incorporates the harvest process of flax into the chair s design.

6 The Flax chair was the big winner of the Dutch Design Awards 2016 Meindertsma is using the flax chair as a stepping stone as a long-term research into the qualities of flax as a material. She has spent several years researching flax to fully understand its potential uses in other furnitures and even clothing.

7 The chair helps in understanding the complexity behind creation processes. A low maintenance crop, enriched with European history, contributes to the renewable nature of the end product. The chair boldly represents Meindertsma s attention to detail, and thorough research prior to the creation of the product. Her conservative approach is implemented in the construction of the single panel seat followed by its v-shaped legs.

8 "My work is all about how we consume. To me it's important to know where things come from. Generally, our products today are so cheap, you know there's something wrong. Things are not made in a good way. I want to make things that are. I want to make the story behind products visible."

9 Pig Christien Meindertsma has spent about three years researching all the products made from a single pig. After its death, she discovered that the pig contributed to 185 trackable products. She has turned her findings into the contents of her book Pig The book consists of 7 chapters: skin, bones, meat, internal organs, blood, fat, misc.

10 The book does not contain any social issues because her interests was in the pig itself, how widely conserved it is, and how one pig can give so much to the world. Pig shows how cut off the general population is due to industrialization. Meindertsma's work exposes the blur between product and production by introducing the pig as part of daily life to prove the lack of perception people have for the materials used in products.

11 Christien Meindertsma can be defined as a designer with a conscience. This can be attributed to the quality of her research on a single aspect and its relation to both daily life with consumer. Pig embodies these values because its content is the result of her research on something so specific, that reveals the ignorance invoked by industrialization.

12 I think that, in order to take better care of what s behind our products -- so, the livestock, the crops, the plants, the non-renewable materials, but also the people that produce these products, the first step would actually be to know that they are there.

13 Christien Meindertsma approaches her work with a circular system. Commencing with a deep study on her idea, she delves into an intense research session. This leads to a reflection on the material choice and the possible outcomes it leaves behind. Her choice of materials unmask the underlying theme often concealed by the rapid industrialization of products.

14 We should know more about the products we consume and the materials they are made of. I think a simple interest in them, what they are made of, who makes it and how, would already be a great step forward.

15 References Biodegradable Packaging. (2016). Materia. Retrieved from Chin, A. (2009, August 28). Christien meindertsma: PIG book. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from Choi, L. (2009, May 23). The flax project design by christien meindertsma. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from Christien Meindertsma [Photograph]. (n.d.). Zeeuws Museum. Retrieved from Flax Chair. (n.d.). Damn Magazine. Retrieved from DAEXPO_documentatie_Nick_Bookelaar-9233.jpg Flax Chair. (n.d.). Dezeen. Retrieved from Flax Chair. (n.d.). Dutch Design. Retrieved from flax-chair-furniture-design-christien-meindertsma-bio-plastic-fiber-enkev-dutch-design-week-2016_dezeen_hero.jpg. Flax Chair Furniture Design. (2016). Dezeen. Retrieved from Louisiana Channel. Christien Meindertsma: Design With a Conscience(2015, September 05). Retrieved September 24, 2017, from Margolies, J. (n.d.). Pig Retrieved September 24, 2017, from Max Lamb benches. (2017). Frame Web. Retrieved from Frame-Guide-Milan-Central-Kvadrat-Really-Max-Lamb-benches.jpg. Neira, J. (2016, October 31). Christien meindertsma wins dutch design award with flax chair. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from One Pigeon [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from One Sheep [Photograph]. (n.d.). Vimeocdn. In Sheep. Retrieved from Ottoman. (n.d.). Thegoodhub. Retrieved from Pig (n.d.). Lorenza Mercello. Retrieved from Pig Book cover. (2009). Design to Improve Life. Retrieved from Pig Cover image. (2017). Annie Blown. Retrieved from Pig Product. (2012). Ted X Taipei. Retrieved from Plastic Fiber Dutch Design. (2016). Dezeen. Retrieved from Regine. (2008, August 10). PIG 05049, a conversation with Christien Meindertsma. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from Tucker, E. (2016, November 18). Christien Meindertsma designs fully biodegradable chair using flax. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from The Flax Project [Photograph]. (n.d.). In The Flax Project. Retrieved from