Final Project: detechnologized desk lamp

I wanted to take the concept of detechnologization one step further, beyond the simple mechanics and construction of the lamp to a more systemic and conceptual level.

The final lamp seeks to detechnologize and despecial the technological object. The new lamp requires no wiring, no springs, no knowledge of metallurgy or welding, industrial processes, or anything beyond the skills and tools of the Copper Age. Relying only on knowledge of wood and copper craft traditions, the aim was to allow a return to an object-based rather than technology-based understanding of everyday items.

An object can be crafted with an intelligent understanding of materials, without specialized notions of technology, and despite highly primitive construction, the intelligence of its materials allows it to function within a technological context.

The lamp has two major innovations: the live jointing created by the specific manner of cuts in the wood which take advantage of the natural spring tension of the material in order to maintain tight joints in the face of material wear, and in the copper surfacing which is simultaneously a part of the object's construction and conductive function.

The lamp can be placed on any surface with 3 volts of DC current running through it, and it will automatically turn on. The copper will form a complete circuit. The principle idea in this case is to change the paradigm in which we interact with technology which must be turned on or off, activated or monitored. Rather, these objects are on when they are placed in the context in which they are meant to be used, and off when they are taken out of that context. Here, the lamp turns on when placed on any surface (a desk) which has 3 volts of DC current running through it, and off when it is removed. The switch is its location.

The lamp is furthermore completely disassemblable in 10 seconds, and collapses into 4 compact lengths of wood. The lamp is completely portable.

This removal of specialized knowledge and most specialized components allows for a return to an intuitive understanding of the objects which function around us, and a direct visual connection to how our technology works, not hidden beneath bundles of wires and layers of material. We can return to a tactile, immediate understanding of our technological environment.

updated desk lamp

working on getting the lamp to have true stops and a self-limiting range of motion that would allow it to stand properly at all times--the rubber bands are also replaced here with hair ties, which work better as a result of the friction and limit it places on the elasticity of the band, allowing for a maximum length and reduction from that maximum.

Also starting to look at the wood itself as a live joint with spring tension inherently within the material: the joint for the base is made this way, with two pressure relieving slots cut in.

The base is also hinged into the lamp in two places: from the primary vertical member, and the lower diagonal member, allowing for counterweighting to happen both when the lamp's center of gravity is more forward and backward. The hinge allows the relative position of the base to the lamp head to change.

amplifying body gestures

the body

Ben Brady and I teamed up to think about fashion that can start to respond to the body in a more intimate way.

We decided to look at ways in which clothing can amplify body language, not only serving as an index of bodily movement and gestures, but amplifying them visually and reinforcing them physically.

this can hopefully happen through simple mechanisms of stretching, pulling and reveals which are designed in relation to lines of non-extension and by examining forces involved in specific actions.

low-tech articulated desk lamp

Three chunks of wood, two rubber bands, a light bulb and some wire

Articulated desk lamps are somewhat complex mechanical objects that require an industrial context to produce, given the usual components of factory made metal parts, springs, screws, and cast plastic elements. I wanted to design a version of a desk lamp that could be produced in completely non-industrial contexts, with only naturally available materials and resources--excluding the light bulb and wiring itself, sadly.

If you want to learn how to make one, instructions are up on instructables.com!

Sourcemapping: IKEA

For our sourcemap assignment, I decided to look at my IKEA bed and try to understand where all its various parts came from. I started by poking around IKEA's website, and found a few generic documents about IKEA's commitment to 'global responsbility' and 'social practices', but no specifics about where they source their material.

Unsatisfied, I decided to try calling IKEA--after several transfers, I finally got the phone number for IKEA's executive customer service, where I politely inquired as to the countries of origin for their products. I was told that such information was confidential, and not given out to the public. When asked why such information was not given out to the public, IKEA responded that that kind of information is "not for consumers to have". weird.

However, after a bit more poking, I found this great document. It's a research document put out by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences that looks at where and how IKEA gets its wood. Apparently, the top 5 suppliers are Russia, Poland, China, Romania, and Sweden. Armed with this knowledge and basic knowledge of where tree species grow, I could begin to guess as to where IKEA's wood comes from.

However, for the rest of the materials, I had to guess based on known production centers of certain materials, and main sources for steel.

The conclusion seems to be that your average IKEA product is made of materials sourced in Eastern Europe, Asia, and possibly Africa, assembled in China, and shipped to the USA.

lonely man's recipe book

lonely man's recipe book

A Processing code that randomly generates recipes for the least discerning of customers

written with Ben Brady

utopia

My conception of urban utopia is one of heterogeneous collage and intervention. What I find problematic about most American built environments is the constant desire for homogeneity in an effort to establish a fiction of history and continuity. I think that this can only lead to a distopic homogeneity which essentially halts the continued evolution and growth of built forms. I believe that this evolution and growth is precisely what lends urban environments depth and richness, and that the urban fabric should be treated as a site for experimentation and juxtaposition.