Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Echidna Pack Rational

In the upcycling unwanted assignement I decided to make a bag made out of bike inner tubing. These are the tubings that are inflated on the inside of tyres so they are able to be used. The reason why I decided to use this material was becuase in waste bins there was an abundance of these tubings. These were there becuase they were rendered useless becasue they had either been puncutured or they had been worn down and reached the end of thier life cycle.

The other materials that I decided to use were cable ties, old foam that habe been used in plush toys and a rubber material that is used for light waterproofing.

The outer layer of the bag is made entirely from the inner tubing, small squares that were tied together using the cable ties. This is what gave the idea of calling it the echidna pack, the cable ties gave the same kind of effect to the spines on an echidnas back. The back rest area was made out of a larger tyre that had been taken from a small car tyre. I decided to do this because it would be much more comfortable to have less but much larger pieces than to have many smaller pieces touching the back constantly. The straps that were used are just inner tubing that wasnt cut up but left in its initial state.

Once the outer layers of the rubber had been put together I then decided to sew together a inner bag that would be able to hold the things that are placed inside the bag. This was also where the padding was put into the back rest to make it more comfortable for the user to wear.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Upcycling Peer Comments

Lockley, Mitchell
Waters, Lucinda
Park, Maria
Zhang, MengLei (Claudia)
Boyadgis, Alfred

SEYMOUR POWELL: DESIGNING DREAM MACHINES

Richard Seymour and Dick Powell discuss the entire design process from conception of the implementation of an idea and design. It also looks at the involvement a designer has during the various stages of the process of development.

Challenges are always faced by designers and there are many skills and tecniques that they can employ to faces these challenges. In the conceptual stage the research is undertaken while a broad spectrum of thinking must be kept to allow for inventiveness. Brianstorming in creative groups facilitates for creative thought and fro designers to go beyond their individual limitations. Computers can be then employed to allow for 2D and 3D modelling and rendering, but the two speakers still make sure that people understand that drawing with a pencil in hand is an invaluable tool for designers to record ideas and thoughts.

Throughout the design process, it is important for the designer to constantly refer back to the client and address the target market rather than designing to please one's own needs. The culture of the user should be researched so that the designer can understand who exactly they are designing a particular product for, while the client's parameters should also be kept in mind.

this video is very important in the showing of the steps that must be undertaken for a designer to have his/her designs realised. This follow a chronological proces that helps to make a designer successful.

Annie Leonard: The Story of Stuff

Annie Leonard talks to us about how in history humanities way of manufacturing products has always been in the linear fashion. She talks about how this system of manufacturing is flawed and cannot continue into the future if we are planning to look after our environment and to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come. The figures that she shows us the viewers are showing us how there are patterns evident in the development of products and how this is interconnected with the health of the environment of the planet as well at the social ramifications of it.

In many of the cultures of the world, especially in the western world the throughput of materials is too high. 99% of materials used are thrown into trash after a very limited use. This is to have the main goal of economic benefit of high product development. The process should be of cyclical development with high material recovery. By doing this humanity would alleviate the stress that it places uppon the envirmonment