Funzige Box

ABOUT

Funzige Box is a project by illustrator Funs Janssen (Funzig). The project tells a story about himself and to tell this story he made a box containing all sorts of tools to make prints. People can participate and use the tools inside the box such as a stamp and silkscreen to create their own Funzig illustrations. The main illustration which is made with the silkscreen is a bear, which is symbolic for himself. In addition to this people can add claws for instance with a rolling stamp and people then take their own customized illustration home with them.

CREATOR

Funzig, a studying illustrator at the Willem de Kooning Academie in Rotterdam is an illustrator who mostly works analogue because of his fascination with crafts. He mostly uses black and white with sometimes the addition of one other colour. Funzig – which is a derivative for his name – means vulgar and he likes to search for the border of which can and cannot be done.  Vulgarity is often incorporated in his illustrations as small details.

RULES/RESTRICTIONS

People can only use the ready-made tools but can choose between three colours. The silk screen print and the stamps can be made with different levels of pressure, and the rolling stamp can be used in different ways. The stamps can of course be placed anywhere on the paper. The print can also be customized by choosing which colour is stamped/printed first, the paint is partly transparent.

COMMENTS

The nice thing about this project is that people can actually make the print of an illustrator, something that is not common. Normally an illustration or print can only be bought. In this way Funzig enables people to participate in his process and in this way learn more about him.

Pictures belong to: Funzig

Designed by Animals

 

ABOUT

Front is a Stockholm based design studio. For the Designed by Animals collection they asked animals for help and they gladly lent a paw, helping to create objects like coat hangers, lamps and vases.

 

CREATOR

The design studio – consisting of three women; Sofia Lagerkvist, Charlotte von der Lancken and Anna Lindgren – bases designs on common discussions and experiments collaborating with themselves from beginning ‘till the finished product. They often assign external labourers such as animals, computers or explosions, making the products – and in this instance the collection – collective.

 

RULES/RESTRICTIONS

All products are different. The only thing they have in common are that they are made of the same material with the help of animals. Of course the animals have no idea that they are designing and so they just do what they do normally creating different objects every time. The collection keeps its form because the basic things the animals do are the same, just performed a little differently each time. The designers can stop the designing process at any time when they are satisfied and start finishing the product.

 

COMMENTS
I really love this project since I have been wanting to do a similar project myself, using the behaviour of animals as labour as a means of production. Though I think this project could have been made more interesting by making it less simple for themselves. For instance the paws of dogs creating vases is very literal, I think that is just a beginning stage of what it could be if they develop more on this.

Rijksstudio

ABOUT

The Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands is digitalising their collection in high resolution for everyone to download and use in any way without having to ask permission. This is because the copyright of these works have been expired and they feel that everyone should have access to these art pieces.

 

CREATOR

The platform is created by the Rijksmuseum with Bankgiro Loterij and Cultuurloterij as sponsors. The platform is for open use and every day the Rijksstudio adds photographs. The collection of people making things grows as long as they are using the service.

 

RULES/RESTRICTIONS

There are no rules and restrictions. You do not even need to sign in to download the published photographs and no permission is needed to use it even for commercial use. The only thing that is notable is that some are not available for commercial use because the copyright is not completely expired.

 

COMMENTS

I am in love this idea. Art should be for everyone and even though the pictures are made by photographs, they don’t use the copyright which should then actually be on their pictures. They put a lot of effort into it and don’t ask for anything in return. I think this is a beautiful gesture towards open design and the people of the Netherlands. I would really like to use this platform in one of my designs one day and see what possibilities it holds.

 

LINKS

https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/rijksstudio/

Cancer patient hair jewellery by Sybille Paulsen

ABOUT

Sybille Paulsen is a Berlin based designer who right now focusses on the creation of jewellery made out of hair from cancer diagnosed patients who undergo chemotherapy. Women cut off their hair before it slowly falls out and give it to Sybille to transform it into jewellery within two weeks in which she also gets closer to the patient. It can help patients and their families during this transformation and helps as a starting point for difficult conversations with family or friends.

 

CREATOR

The collection of jewellery is created by the artist Sybille Paulsen in cooperation with the client, which is the patient (and family).

 

RULES/RESTRICTIONS

The collection is in her own hand because she is the only one who actually makes them. The jewellery is only made for female cancer diagnosed patients but it is not made entirely of hair. Some pieces also include precious metals like brass, silver or gold or made of cast-resin pieces in colours that have value to the wearer.

 

COMMENTS

I don’t know if this counts as open design. It is more like a normal project with customer and producer, but then specifically on hair but it might as well be a client buying a table from a table designer but I really like the idea of the project because the designer works closely with the patient and the result is an emotionally precious product made from their own identity.

 

LINKS

http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/07/sybille-paulsen-cancer-patients-hair-chemotherapy-jewellery-tangible-truths/

http://www.sybille.me/

 

 

DIY Draisienne

ABOUT/CREATOR

Andres Bhend is a product design student in Switzerland who has before made Ikea hacks with the Frosta stool with Ikea style manuals included which got quite famous. Samuel N. Bernier is a full time worker le FabShop, a 3D printing shop which is based in Paris. They started to collaborate after the writer of a blog post (Ray) made the suggestion in his post.

RULES/RESTRICTIONS

The collections consists out of various 3D printed parts, the original stool and drawings to match the IKEA style to create a draisine. All the parts were made functional over aesthetical. The file is completely open sourced, the reason why it is in orange in the pictures is because this is the colour of le FabShop. The collection is extended with the addition of a Frosta stool DIY sled.

COMMENTS

I think I got sort of brainwashed by Ikea because I had this project on it last quarter which has immediately drawn me to Ikea hacking for this assignment. It is a huge movement of people that are finding ways of redesigning existing Ikea products to create a different use or improve upon them in specific situations. These designers came together and made some products for children which are very easy and cheap to make. The design is posted on the internet for everyone to use so all that has to be done is go to the Ikea, buy the parts and assemble it. I think it is quite a nice way to make easy products for people at home. The only thing is that Ikea actually doesn’t like people hacking their products but I think they should accept it a little bit more. I like this project because it has so much simplicity in it yet it is thought well through and it is made from the restrictions of having a specific set of materials available.

LINKS

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Draisienne-and-Sled-hack-of-IKEAs-frosta-sto/

http://www.thingiverse.com/LeFabShop/designs