Project Concept Statement

The non-fiction book, ‘The Green Imperative’ written by designer, educator and ecological visionary Victor Papanek is a statement and an urgent call to alter the way we use our resources to create meaningless and unnecessary gadgets and junk pieces that contribute to clutter, land waste and pollution. “Unless we learn to preserve and conserve earths resources and change our most basic patterns of consumption, manufacture and recycling, we may have no future” (Papanek, 1995) Papanek argues for that we should all be involved in caring and responding to our planets ecological issues. This can be accomplished at the individual and family level through small everyday practices and by joining similarly minded consumer initiatives or groups. As a designer I must examine and reflect on what I can contribute from my specific role in society and ask myself, “What is the impact of my work on the environment?”(Papanek, 1995) Victor Papanek advocates the positivity of  simple actions from individuals and the empowerment gained by participating in an affirmative action. He also argues that his “primary conviction as a human being, a designer and an ecologist is: Nothing Big Works - Ever!” (Papanek, 1995) This conviction ties in with my design ethos of small scale production which responds to need and demand rather than producing for the sake of production. 

 Australia has been identified as one of the highest waste and landfill producing countries of Western nations. “In 2019, it was estimated that Australia produced over 76 million tonnes of waste or 1.4 kg per person per day.” (Lee, 2022) This number is unfortunately on an upward trajectory and unless society as a whole adopts new attitudes towards recycling, up-cycling and mending instead of disposing what has been purchased the destruction of our natural environment is inevitable. Abandoned furniture can be viewed every day on kerbsides littering the environment with chemicals, toxic fumes, metals and unnatural fibres.

My design concept responds to the problem in a highly hands on, designer-maker centred process which includes the utilisation of the ancient art form of marble dyeing and transforms it into a modern design. Through up-cycling, preloved quality objects, the aim is to use natural resources and materials to reinvent and further the lifecycle of the objects. Through this method the impact on nature, the economy and the living world is minimised. The majority of resources used are able to be sourced from small businesses or are already owned, pre-loved items. The materials used to transform the objects, whilst being modern in style, are sourced with the environment in mind in order to minimise the disruption between humans and the natural life cycle. Sustainability and the concept of re-upholstery is successful and valid because it meets the demands of a modern society and cultures through the use of objects from the past, creating the ultimate marriage between culture, environment, and the economy. (MOLLENKAMP, 2022) (Alexa Papas, 2022)

The key elements of the design solution and concept are to create new objects from quality pre-loved items that already exist in the world. To meet the needs of a modern society and culture through the upholstery of the pre-existing quality object and to reduce the economic impact of purchasing mass-produced, cheaply made and toxic products. These elements are vital in communicating exactly what the process involves and how not only a skilled artisan but the everyday person can create a valued object that impacts the environment positively. (Alexa Papas, 2022)