Julia Lohmann

Grace in decay. 
Cow stomach lighting, concrete and wool table, soap cast chair

UpDroog: New business models for the repurposing of materials

Droog, through UpDroog, has been branching out to explore new models of production and distribution for tangible goods made of dead materials. UpDroog defines dead as materials that have already played out their role as finished products and have lost perceived value through use. UpDroog uses those leftover goods as raw material for "creative re-interpretation in order to bring leftovers back into circulation." They claim they're an alternative to recycling but it's unclear in what way they differ. UpDroog is also claiming to be an investigation into alternative business models. Unfortunately, they haven't made clear what those models are; how they're different; or how they are effectively being applied. The model they've provided looks fairly traditional and has defined value in terms of profit. I look forward to seeing some of the details flushed out and would be very excited to see what their service system looks like especially with human-centered and ecological values as their centerpiece.

time/bank

time/bank is a platform where groups and individuals can pool and trade time and skills, bypassing money as a measure of value. Focused on the field of culture, time/bank believes everyone has something to contribute and that it is possible to develop and sustain an alternative economy by connecting existing needs with unacknowledged resources. Their hope is to create an immaterial currency and a parallel micro-economy for the cultural community, one that is not geographically bound, and that will create a sense of worth for many of the exchanges that already take place within their field—particularly those that do not produce commodities and often escape the structures that validate only certain forms of exchange as significant or profitable. The service, run by the artists Julieta Aranda and Anton Vidokle from the e-flux network, is inspired from a long history of currency systems based on mutualism and labor theories of value.

Referencing Notgeld Currency and Ithaca Hours, time/bank appears to tap into the role currency exchange can play on stabilizing and personalizing communities. One thing I challenge is the transactional nature of their payment process. It seems incongruous with the ethos of their over-all project. While the activities and efforts that are exchanged celebrate human connection and interaction, the actual exchange of currency--the physical gesture--still feels like the legacy of a commodity-driven process. "Every Time/Bank transaction will allow individuals to request, offer, and pay for services in "Hour Notes." If time/bank wants to embody structures that dismantle existing assumptions of value, how might they evolve the transactional payment process into something as meaningful and experiential as the rest of their service.

Alec Soth

Know his work. You'll be better for it.

Design as process, not product

Here's an accessible, high-level synopsis on the role of design. Benjamin Winter addresses the challenge designers face in explaining what design can do and how it's much more than material outcomes. Take a look at Shareable for the full article.

"Design is often characterized by its products rather than its processes. Tell someone you’re a designer, and the first question they’re likely to ask is: 'What kind? A graphic designer? A fashion designer? Maybe an architect?' But the artifacts produced by these specialists are not what define design. Design is about problem-solving and opportunity-seeking, not predefined material outcomes. It’s about seeing problems as opportunities for innovation rather than obstacles to progress, and simply creating more products isn’t the solution to all problems.

Design is capable of much more. In addition to products, communications, and environments, designers today are creating whole new services, systems, and experiences. The field is expanding: taking on new challenges, bridging new disciplines, and inviting new practitioners. As a sharer, you might be a designer yourself. By developing new collaborative consumption strategies and cooperative business models, you are practicing design, whether you know it or not. The goal-oriented creativity that goes into these projects can be largely intuitive, so it often goes unrecognized or simply uncharacterized as design. However, with some simple design strategies, you can be more deliberate about what you do intuitively and better direct your creativity to meet your goals.

Whether you’re planning a small charrette or a larger project, there are some basic elements, common to most design processes, that you may want to incorporate. By no means do these elements constitute the definitive design process. Like all design processes, the one below is a variation, an adaptation, a hybrid methodology. It’s also not as linear as it might seem in writing. One should expect to cycle through and repeat some stages of the process as new insights and information emerge. Use what works for you, experiment, and integrate your own techniques. Your process is yours to design. Hopefully, the following suggestions will simply provide some guidance through the challenging work of creating something new."

FoodHub: Public platform for direct food exchange

This is an important time for food and for its makers and consumers. The local food renaissance, which some small pockets of the country are enjoying, have been constrained by lack of connection. A peach farmer needs a buyer at the precise time his peaches are ripe. A caterer gets a last-minute request for duck: Who’s got some today for an event tomorrow? Restaurants open, restaurants close; it’s hard to keep track of who might want your fresh creams and fruit jams, and how you can get those products on the right truck. FoodHub is addressing these issues by positioning itself as a matchmaker. FoodHub aims to create an environment of relevant discovery that addresses a farmer’s needs as different from (but equally as important as) those of a caterer, dairyman, or distributor. It offers its members the opportunity to develop long-term relationships as well as one-time-only single connections.

FoodHub defines itself as a dynamic marketplace and online directory that makes it easy and efficient for professional food buyers and sellers to research, connect, and do business. FoodHub gathers food producers, professional food buyers, and the associations and suppliers that serve them both, in one platform.

The service is scale-neutral meaning they support anyone from a box to exchange to a semi-truck filled to the brim. They also handle a number of distribution models ranging from self-deliver, meet-ups and formal delivery services i.e. UPS. Once a connection is made via FoodHub, buyer and seller negotiate pricing and order details, execute the transaction and coordinate the exchange of goods independently. There are no transaction fees associated with making connections on FoodHub. If based in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska or California and fit one of the following descriptions, this might be a good service to check out.

Shaping Traditional Oral Knowledge

Sweet Mary. What beauty thoughtful design offers. This in from Jihyun Ryou who is thinking about traditional oral knowledge and how it accumulates from experience and passed not only through words but through our senses. Exploring the issues of waste and preservation, Ryou takes a critical and provocative approach to addressing food and tradition through the design of everyday objects. Why default to refrigeration and high-tech solutions when we can tap into our personal histories to find viable and delightful approaches to navigating our daily lives and needs. Enjoy!


Keeping roots in a vertical position allows the organism to save energy and remain fresh for a longer time. This shelf gives a place for them to stand easily, using sand. At the same time, sand helps to keep the proper humidity.

An egg has millions of holes in its shell. It absorbs the odour and substance around itself very easily. This creates a bad taste if it’s kept in the fridge with other food ingredients. This shelf provides a place for eggs outside of the fridge. Also the freshness of eggs can be tested in the water. The fresher they are, the further they sink.

We tend to think zucchini, aubergine, cucumber, etc. as vegetables.But they are biologically fruits. This shelf gives them a space to be outside the fridge. Also through the ritual to water them everyday, they will stay fresh.

Droog Lab

Image from the article A.B.C.D.E.‚ An Open Discussion on Design Process by Francesco Galli for Domus

Droog Lab is a design platform run by Droog in collaboration with local partners and designers worldwide. With a goal of defining the next generation of global design, the Droog Lab seeks inspiration from diverse societies in a series of eight projects from 2009-2012. Lessons learned locally are translated into globally-relevant design outcomes and publications.

Droog Lab seems focused on the potential of locally-driven projects and uses a process which engages with established or professional design groups to facilitate discovery and co-creation. Some of the issues that have been identified include a future state of collaborative consumption, and the impact of informal economies, transparency, and service-based platforms versus object-based solutions.

In my opinion, Droog may be discovering what others of us have been uncovering around the future of design and quite frankly, how the world is evolving. Specifically, contextual design that is highly resilient involves working cooperatively i.e. horizontally with local communities to uncover processes and solutions that are able to address local needs and celebrate their specific talents and experiences; That there is a need for real flexibility in design offerings. People have become active producers not just passive consumers and subsequently want and need to bend, tweak and mash offerings to their unique situations; And recognition that intangible service systems are products in themselves and are fundamental to how people interact with one another to share and exchange resources and experiences.

I very much appreciate the Lab's working principles. Please read their report for a more detailed explanation of each:
1. Celebrate differences.
2. Visit to learn, not to change.
3. Observation is your greatest tool.
4. Take an optimistic perspective.
5. Listen to anyone.
6. Experience the ordinary.
7. Get used to mixing.
8. Be open to the outcome.

New Work by Tomas Alonso

There's a tension to Tomas Alonso's work. One one hand there's such lightness in the simplicity of his construction and gestures. They draw you closer and create a desire to understand. Not quite elegant, but still delicate in their thoughtfulness. So why, on the other hand, does his work also feels aloof, without a generous, warm inviting spirit. If his furniture is inspired by human gesture and intended to get into people's hands, why do I feel his pieces are greeting me with indifference. It seems a battle of heart and head are taking place in Alonso's process. Maybe a few more cycles of exploration until he brings those two lovers closer together.

Swapping Clothes for Fun, Creativity, and a New Economy

I was recently out in San Francisco and had a chance to cross paths with Sarah Brooks who is the Director of Social Innovation at Hot Studio. She’s also a writer with the online journal, Shareable. She wanted to understand how design methods and tools can be applied to developing and building locally-based, informal economies. She was kind enough to write this article on Give-and-Take.