On Saturday I saw something that was pretty striking. I went to the MOMA to see a variety of things, but I was stopped in my tracks by Song Dong's Project 90 show. The piece of work on display is called Waste Not. Here's a snippet from the MOMA description:
(A view of the show shot from above by sixteen-miles via Flickr. Our iPhone didn't cut it.)
Experiencing the piece, I went on a little journey of revelation. I wondered where and how the artist's mother stored everything. I imagined how she might have imagined using what was kept. I saw how foresight and thriftiness becomes a daily, necessary activity: self-insurance against an uncertain future.
In the end, I realized how little I was doing with what I was consuming and how carefree I felt in my ability to consume more tomorrow. I definitely consume this many bottles in a year, yet I marvel at how this woman kept them or found those that others failed to keep (via sixteen-miles).
So back to business design... It made me wonder...
How might we better design products so that they can
be there tomorrow for us or for someone else to use them or get value
them?
How might we make thriftiness a daily routine? Something to be cherished? Something thrilling?
How might we make one person's trash another person's recyclable? In urban or rural environments?
How might we consume less, yet enjoy more?
Any other ideas?
