Issue 003

ISSUE 003SUMMER 2014

M E S H

FEATUREDdavid bynum

finn mageestudio banana things

andrea zitteltanner bowman

allon kapeller-libermann

MESH is a publication that aims to critique the

three-dimensional form, who makes it, and why

they make it. We strive to erase the walls between

mediums and focus on the ideas rather than the

end object.

In issue 003, MESH explores the

rebellious side of design: found

object versus creation, re-designing

systems that shape our surroundings,

the anarchy of information displays,

and limited architecture. Any physical

design that questions the

contemporary is explored in

the following pages.

SUMMER 2014

Creative DirectorCassie Stepanek

WritersTaylor KigarRaine BlunkAstoria Jellett

Cover Photo // PhotographyPat Bombard

Copy EditorRaine Blunk

Layout DesignCharlotte Croy Hudson

Special thanks to:Mary Roberts

Without you we would be lost. Thanks for keeping us on track.

InformationMESH Magazine is a quarterly design publication founded in 2013 in Savannah, GA. The magazine is on the web at www.meshmagazine.co and on Facebook.

SubmissionsMESH considers submissions of unique design projects year round.

Please email us [email protected] with project details.

contents issue 003

005

007

013

017

an introduction fromthe director

social distortion

what do bananas,ostriches and kangarooshave in common?

creating critical objects

021andreazittel

025

029

tannerbowman

the newrule(s)

An INtroduction From

For our third issue, we wanted to touch on the misunderstood aspect of design, the anarchistic. Objects and spaces that push the boundaries of what already exists.

Initially inspired by the Japanese practice of Chindogu, this issue uses freedom to challenge the suffocating historical dominance of conservative utility. o

The archetype is dead and the world is moving in a new direction. In todays culture, change has become exponential and society must adapt to the rapid growth of products. In order to do that we need to rework the way that we think - not see, touch or feel. The layperson must accept this truth, the designer must abandon the preordained rules if we intend to reorient ourselves.

The designers in this issue have done just that.

Each of the designers featured rethinks concepts that have existed since the human race began: lonliness, time, light, sound and thought manipulation.

One designer questions the purpose of the camera and uses the existing form to distort the concept of capturing images. An artist, who was never trained in design, uses architectural space to test the human condition in regards to what is possible during times of solitude. A student in Chicago completely redefines the way in which people measure and calculate information. Every article in the following pages rebels, contravenes and honestly just raises hell.

ominance of conservative utility

006

design photography

article

david bynumpat bombardastoria jellett

mesh mag

It is the Saturday night before St. Patricks Day in Savannah, Georgia. Brick historic

buildings house charismatic bars with

doors open, bright lights and brighter

smiles, eager for the wads of green that

tourists are about to unload on their

countertops. The sky is clear black and

every street from Broughton to Bay

blocked off, pedestrians only. They take

the advantage. The mass moves like a river

through the streets, splitting into channels,

following paths and paces less by choice

and more by instinct.

They all converge in Ellis Square.

Inebriated strangers stagnate on ledges

like algae on rocks, open containers in

hand. They wear lime felt hats, plastic

beads, kitschy t-shirts, sunglasses at night.

Drunk frat boys yell gracelessly, high

heels falter on cobblestones, and the

whole thing reads as some half-baked

Dionysian farce in fifty shades of green.

Moving articulately, cutting swiftly through

the throng, is David Bynum with his

retinagraph.

Excuse me. Do you want a picture?People have to yell over the pop music,

eyes wide in the dark. The couple sitting

on the bench is skeptical, but the woman

says, Sure.You have to look in here. Its a new kind of camera.Whats it gonna do, squirt water on you or somethin?No, no, absolutely not. Its gonna give her a picture. He holds up the retinagraph, the lady puts her eyes up to the device, and

theres a bright flash.Oh, shit! she cries as it prints out a message. Bynum hands it to the man and

the couples friends gather around to look.Wheres the picture!Its in your eyes, Bynum says. Its developing right now.

He moves on, cutting through the crowd like

a shark through schools of lesser fish. He is

poised with squared shoulders and

windblown hair, scanning the crowd

through his glasses, asking politely.

Excuse me, would you like a free picture?A frat boy, clearly shitfaced, throws his fists

up. Free pictures!!A brunette girl copies him. Free pictures!This is a new kind of camera though, it takes a picture of your eyes, like a reverse

camera, Bynum explains.Is it gonna give me cancer? the guy asks.No, it wont. Wanna try it?Is it gonna suck my soul out? the brunette

cries as Frat Boy, with a glowing green

necklace, leans into the retinagraph

Bynums holding up. Frat Boy steps away, looking back and forth between the

retinagraph and his friends, as if waiting for

their go-ahead.

You just have to look into the eyepiece and smile.He does, it flashes, and he leans back, eyes

closed. Woah.

Bynums professional field was born out of the early 20th century urge to combine the

tradition of art with the novelty of mass

production. Design is, in its most basic form,

creative problem solving; industrial design

(ID) is the solution of products. The

Industrial Designers Society of America

defines the purpose of ID as to optimize the function, values, and appearance of

products and systems for the mutual benefit

of both user and manufacturer. Industrial designers synchronize function with form,

all in the hopes of making it easier for

human beings to exist in the world.

Different schools of ID range from a

complete rejection of aesthetics to

borderline sculpture. Bynum was educated

in the latter, graduating from the Savannah

College of Art and Design in early 2014. At SCAD I tried to push my skills into what

seems like a typical industrial design skill

set, he says, but I dont really fit into that. The idea that we as designers are always

trying to improve the world and make

things better.

He found his fit with Chindogu, a Japanese

concept of product design that completely

rejects consumerism. As the invented word

translates, a chindogu is a really weird tool, one that seems to solve a common, everyday problem, but would be impossible

to actually use. Either it is impractical (a

small broom affixed to the toe of a shoe so

you can sweep on-the-go) or socially

embarrassing (the all-day tissue dispenser: a

hat with a roll of toilet paper on it).

Inherent in every Chindogu is the spirit of anarchy, reads rule no. 3 on the official website. Chindogu are manmade objects that have broken free from the chains of

usefulness. They represent freedom of

thought and action: the freedom to

challenge the suffocating historical

with a destabilization of the social order.

Picture yourself in a caf, calmly clacking away at your computer with your mocha

latte frappe venti double shot whatever. If a

stranger plopped down in your lap and

started petting your hair, youd be a bit put off, wouldnt you? Bynum wants to be that stranger. But first,

he needed to learn how social

awkwardness works. Disguising his study

as a human factor survey, he built a

working prototype for a hyperphallic soap

dispenser. The user grasps the device and

social

distortion

dominance of conservative utility; the

freedom to be (almost) useless. It is ID anarchy.

Im not a political anarchist, but I think Im a social anarchist, Bynum says, manipulating the sociality of an environment. He spent the last ten weeks of college investigating the dark side of design. His purpose: to challenge unspoken codes of conduct, to disrupt the

flow of the everyday mundane essentially, to burst your personal bubble.

That is how an awkward encounter begins:

pumps the mechanism to eject foamy soap

from the top. Awkward.

Upon realizing how the soap dispenser

worked, one guy, whom Bynum describes

as a dude-bro male type, just got really weird, he got all, he got chichi, and he

wouldnt look me in the eye anymore. He receded inside of himself, and Im just sitting here. Passive regulation of an awkward encounter means simply sitting

and allowing the awkwardness to fade,

resulting in a heightened sense of time. If

Dude-Bro Male wanted to alleviate the

tension, he could have made a joke about it:

active regulation, laughter. Instead, he

steeped in social mortification.

It gave Bynum an idea. If you insert yourself into these situations and start

making these changes, you realize, Oh, wait. I have control. Part of that control is the ability to embed information specifically, visual information. Advertisers

do it constantly, and this kind of subliminal

messaging has always interested Bynum. He

wants to see if he can embed information

through product design, and in doing so,

distort the social order.

Bynums retinagraph is essentially a Polaroid camera, a thermal printer, and a

viewmaster. Inside, theres an Arduino

program and a 70 ground number of

camera flash circuitry. Think of an

afterimage -- a bright picture flashes and

when you close your eyes, you still see it

afterward. That is what the retinagraph does

to you.

I ask if I can try it. Were outside, in a caf courtyard, and the daylight is broad. It may

not work as well, since my pupils are small

and letting in little light, but Bynum says at

night it would make an imprint lasting at

least ten minutes. Well see. I put my eyes up to the viewmaster part,

looking into blank screens. Bynum presses

a button and a bright light flashes in my

eyes.

I see it. A triangle, a circle, a square, and

some lines in between.

Now if you close your eyes-Its blue -- then its purple --The retinagraph prints something out of its

Polaroid component. Not sure if it prints very well outside, Bynum mumbles. He hands me the receipt-paper printout. You

are the circle. North is the triangle. Go to the

square.

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their go-ahead.


closed. Woah.




















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square.

Im not a political anarchist, but I think Im a social anarchist. Bynum says. Manipulating the sociality of an environment.
























retinagraph.



















their go-ahead.


closed. Woah.




















things better.























































to you.








eyes.






square.

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square.

mesh mag

creatingcriticalobjects

FINN MAGEE

design article

images courtesy of

finn mageetaylor kigarfinn magee

With the state of design in a throttling

consumerism standstill, its nice to see some breaths of fresh airsome designers embracing the wistful, the do-it

yourself, appreciating design for designs sake. We need people to solve problems, to

shake up the milieu, to reconstruct the

world in a new off-kilter process. Finn

Magee is one of those people.

Currently based in London, Finn was first

trained as a product designer at the Royal

College of Art. Hes one of those designers thats very mindful of the current rift opening up in his field. He knows a

creative appetite cannot be fed by

advertising work alone, and that design is

something deeper, something much more

essential and substantial. Finn defines

himself as a creator of critical objects and

is endlessly interested in their theory and

consumption.

His most recent creation was a sweep of

three gicle print posters, one with an image of a desk lamp, another with the

image of an old-school nightstand clock,

and the last of a speaker. They are named,

respectively, Flat Light, Flat Time, and Flat

Soundand each one of them works. The lamp poster will light your bedroom. The

clock will tell you the time, and the

speaker hooks up directly to your iPod.

Why, you may ask? Why the hell not. Flat

Sound is probably the most impressive out

of the three, just because skimping space

shouldnt mean skipping sound quality. This poster was the last installment added

to the series, made in conjunction with

Warwick Audio, and its the thinnest commercially available speaker, measuring

just barely 4 mm. All three posters are for

sale, with a limited edition of 50 per

design (the lamp available in several

different colors). Flat Time is already

completely sold out, and the other two are

quickly following down the same path.

The posters are 420 x 594 mm, and have a

minimal background, simply a photograph

of each object, sitting on the wall, waiting

to be used.

But how do these products fit into the

bigger picture? Put simply, Finns approach to design is refreshing because

he embraces how design affects life. How

it changes our environment and how we

can utilize it for so many different

purposes. On his website he has a page

featured to all the design hacks he

happens upon on a day to day

basisfrom a fishermans rope repurposed as a lock at a pub by the sea

or a mudguard guerilla-jointed over a bike

tire with cling filmthis is a designer in it

purely for the love of solving problems.

The simplest ideas are almost always the

best, and he knows it. Summed up by Finn

himself:

There are only two rules:

1. If its supposed to move, but doesnt; use WD-40.

2. If its not supposed to move, but does; use duct tape.

This is the spirit that we need in

designa hands on, whimsical, no boundary approach. We need to get the

theory off the screens and ads and into

our streets and living rooms. The

techniques of advertising can be used in

this process, and Finn does it well. His

products are humorous and unexpected,

but he instills in it the soul of real purpose

and action. Hes inspired pretty heavily by this Steve Dunn quote about advertising,

and I think it perfectly encapsulates Finns balance between heart and ad work:

I started wearing suits and talking about brand values. And presently, like all

reforming addicts, Im gradually taking every day as it comes. God knows, I still try

and find value in it. But it should only

ever be a small part of any creative life.

Creative enrichment can be found in so

many activities and places, so my final

words of advice are: do advertising, but

dont let advertising do you.

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consumption.
























to be used.















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consumption.
























to be used.















himself:






















016

What do

bananas,ostriches,

andkangaroos

havein common?

DESIGNstudio banana things

ARTICLE

taylor kigar

IMAGES COURTESY OFstudio banana things

Studio Banana began as a small start-up

in Madrid and is now an international pool

of connected departments covering

services in communications design,

environment design, and process design

facilitation. One of their many initiatives

called Studio Banana Things is

internationally known for their fun,

whimsical approach to problem solving

and design thinking. What first put Studio

Banana Things on the map was their

product the Ostrich Pillow, which went

viral on media everywhere, featured on

numerous websites, talk shows, and blogs

all over the world. Called a napping

revolution, the Ostrich Pillow is an all

around head cushion that acts as a pillow,

eye mask, and noise reducerperfect for long flights or when you need to get some

rest at the office. The product was so

successful that quite a few companies

started making knock off versions

illegally. We all know that imitation is not

only the finest form of flattery, its also a great indication of a brilliant idea.

After another successful Kickstarter

campaign and collaboration with the

Innovation Quarter at Bangor University in

the UK, Studio Banana Things is back

with their next product, the Kangaroo

Light: an inventive, playful personal LED

light that can be used anywhere. Because

of its flexible hexagonal joint design

made with a silicone exterior, its soft, foldable, and bendable, perfect for

finding things in your bag, using as an

ambient or personal reading light, a

nightlight for small children, or simply to

take portably on a long drive or while

camping.

The light is also splash proof and its 24

built-in LED lights are Arduino compatible,

allowing you to completely customize and

program it to flash in patterns, to adjust

the intensity, or to just have it randomly

flicker for a more ambient effect. The

battery is Lithium-Ion powered and runs

for about 2.5 hours, rechargeable by an

included USB Port.

Studio Banana is an exemplary design

company, and every day theyre proving that its possible to fuse together creative, passionate design while still solving

problems. True to their mission statement,

the studio recognizes that in our

increasingly complex world, these

problems can no longer be solved with

fragmented tools and ideas. Solutions can

only be arrived at with transdisciplinary methods in order to truly innovate and design for tomorrow. By working at the

intersection of all creative disciplines,

Studio Banana operates with an equal

participation between clients and partners

to create novel products, but, above all,

they acknowledge that creation and

collaboration is really based on trust. Not

only the trust between a designer and

their client, but the trust that a designer

has in their own intentions. Its apparent that in every one of their products, the

passion of novel design stands above all

else. This is a company keeping the art of

design paramount to any client s whims or search for profit. Its design for the sake of solving problems, and design for

the bettering of our lives, even if its just to show us a little more fun.

You have just emerged from your Wagon

Station at A-Z Encampment, a subspace of

Andrea Zittels A-Z West community just outside of Joshua Tree National Park. For

one month, you will live in a pod set

against the dusty horizon, sharing a

compost bathroom and communal cooking

area in the middle of desert with eleven

other like-minded creators and makers.

You will build sculptures between cacti in

the High Desert Test Site. Your notebook

will fill with sand from exploring and

drawing and scribbling on pages nestled

between stone outcroppings in the sun. As

the days pass, you will start to reevaluate

what it really means to need something -- you have the entire desert before you,

fellow artists beside you and the bare

necessities at your back. What else could

you need?

Before A-Z West was even a glint in the

sand, Zittel dedicated her personhood to

understanding the social construction of needs as described on the Zittel.org website. In the early 90s, Zittel launched

the Office for A-Z Administrative Services in

a 200-square-foot apartment which

doubled as her home. This would be the

space in which she would create her first

experimental projects, including A-Z Living Spaces, a set of modular furniture that, as its namesake claimed, included all the amenities (from A-Z) one person

needed to live with limited space. Since

1992, Zittel has been creating clothing to

wear throughout four to six month periods

in an attempt to understand the stigma

surrounding wearing the same outfit twice.

For Zittel, isolation its variety of forms has

been both comforting and challenging.

Back in Joshua Tree, 14 years has grown

A-Z West from a temporary autonomous

zone to a functional and active community.

Zittels original A-Z office in Brooklyn has become A-Z East, and as A-Z West

continues to grow, Zittel has begun

renovations on a not-so-secret secret cabin.

On her blog, Zittel explains the need to

re-isolate herself in an already isolated

world by saying that A-Z West is an amazing place to work, and to meet an

incredible group of people who are

constantly passing through but for someone with slightly anti-social

tendencies, such a public life can at times

be a bit rough.

So what does public life look like to Zittel? In a 2013 lecture at Boston

University, Zittel described the inability for

her to A-Z her boyfriend (who would break all of the A-Z furniture hed sit on). In 1991, after six months of wearing the

same outfit to work every single day, her

boss ironically asked her if shed worn the same thing the day before. In 1998, she

continued, her installation Raugh Furniture was covered with nude models to discourage people from sitting on it

because it was so fragile. Instead, Zittel

quipped, the showgoers took off their own

clothes and joined the models on the

sculptures. She spent years paying off the

gallery for the destroyed work.

Even after so much time embedded in the

artistic community as a maker, Zittels public life that is so deeply fused to her

real life just doesnt translate efficiently for others. She explains this disconnection

in relationship to A-Z Living Spaces and the collectors whove purchased them:

These experiences were heavily mediated [A-Z Living Spaces] didnt work for other people the way they

worked for me. There was something

artificial. When somebody does an art

experiment and someone tries living in it,

its a novelty. Someone will do it for a day or two, and then theyll use it as a guest room or an exotic experience, but its not a life experiment, which is how they

functioned for me. My own experiences are

the only ones I can control.

Thanks to Zittels work building and

expanding the program at A-Z West, artists

have the opportunity to unearth their own

social construction of needs. But the one month period residents can stay at the

Wagon Station hardly compares to the

lifetime of work Zittel has built around her

own experiences. In that sense, it seems

that Zittel hopes A-Z West can reach far

beyond the constraints of time and space to

impact the experiential processes of its visitors long after theyve left the desert. What do we need as humans -- as artists --

to survive the heat of the real world? Can

we integrate our experiences and

interactions into our ever-present desire to

create? And what, if anything, can fuse the

gap between the two?

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its design for the sake of solving problems, and design for the bettering of our lives.

Even if its just to show us a little more fun.


















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AndreaZittel

designarticle

photography

andrea zittelraine blunkcourtesy ofandrea zittel

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compost bathroom and

Issue 003

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