Why is it important for designers to be able to produce their own materials?
- Previously, designers does not usually interfere with the development team, which mainly composed of scientists and engineers. Designers are only there for selecting materials that are available. Thus their designs must be based on what is practically achievable or even industrially convenient to produce. The technological aspects are almost not considered, let alone the compatibility, environmental-friendliness, and other aspects of the materials.
- Through emerging material activism and democratization, designers can get hands-on experience with the creation of materials and they are more “independent” to develop a project and have more control to achieve their goals. They also gain more understanding of “the relationship between the artifact and the user, the environment, the life cycle and the afterlife of it”(Rognoli and Garcia, 7). As a result, better designs and better production methods can be developed.
- “Designers work in net- works that enable them to develop new materials, their own machines and systems. They are seeking out ways of producing and distributing their work themselves. These developments offer an alternative to mass production, but also point to different ways of organising our economy and society” (Rognoli et al., 9)
What are your thoughts on open source materials and the business of creating materials?
- Open source materials have large impact on the widespread of material experimentation and recipe accessibilities. Before these resources, an average audience not in the professional realm might not have any idea about the customization of materials let alone the recipes of creating it themself. After the the democratization of material practices, people can learn the ways of creating and achieve “think globally, fabricate locally”(Rognoli et al., 2).
- The business of creating materials started from experimentation and design. In these businesses, more innovative products and methods are created. Not only the design capabilities are enhanced by “learning by interacting” but also mass customization and user innovation are improved as a whole. These small steps can lead to the revolution of current industrial production streamlines.
How can DIY materials and the DIY movement in general can critic from our current economic system?
- DIY materials and the DIY movement “is characterised primarily by reduced economical investments in R&D and technology (which often are low cost) and secondly for the on-demand and on-site production of small quantities of material” (Rognoli et al., 10).
- In essence, DIY movements are not wasting or destroying economical investments in technology, instead they are reducing economic risks and environmental risks on industrial production. And “There are no particular negative effects (in terms of economic and environmental impact) if the production process does not work” (Rognoli et al., 10).
- Furthermore, DIY movements can help develop customized fabrication technologies with lesser waste and lesser money investments. It also allow designers to gain more freedom in design and learn practical skills through interacting with raw materials. The process in making our project is similar to these designers who transform and experiment with materials and create based on them.