reflection on the final project
what will it do?
My project is to start a movement at the intersection between the slow movement and the low tech movement. The objective is to bring more awareness and promote a more resilient lifestyle, having a different approach to technology and reconnect with ancient techniques, rituals. It takes shape with:
- events to make this movement become part of our culture, our rituals,
- objects or devices to readapt ancient techniques to today’s context and create a new “slow esthetics”
who’s done what beforehand?
Isolated initiatives exist, objects, workshops or tutorials have been done before.
What is different here is that we want to connect this low tech approach to today’s culture.
what will you design?
I will design a collection of objects that propose a new contemporaty approach of forgotten techniques.
- Fireless cookers that integrate in today’s kitchens
- Solar ovens for a home or balcony use
- Fermentation accessories (weights, jars) with ceramics
- Evaporative cooler devices with ceramics
- Home bike generator to generate electricity
what materials and components will be used?
We want to use material that is durable and recyclable. The pieces we make should all be able to have a second life in case they are not used anymore. For the previously mentionned objects, the main materials will be wood, aluminium panels, fabric, clay.
where will it come from?
The idea is to use a maximum second hand material or scraps of wood, fabric, aluminium. It would also be ideal to collaborate with local manufacturers and workshops to be able to use leftover material, buy pieces already cut at the needed size, and use machines, ceramic kilns etc.
how much will they cost?
There will be 2 or more versions of each object.
One that can be made at home by anyone using already available material so the cost will be limited for people wanting to use it. For us we will make tutorials and tips to find the material available.
We will create other versions with a nicer esthetics for people to have in their homes. I have not estimated the price yet but ideally, I would also upcycle parts from other objects or electronics for these too. This is not only to reduce the price but also minimize our use of resources.
what processes will be used?
Processes will be a mix between craft, handtools and digital fabrication.
Electronics will be reduced to a minimum their use will be for two main reasons:
- electricity generation (motors, generators, converters…)
- data collection: either to measure temperature, energy produced… the be able to improve the devices efficiency, measure our impact and convince more people to use them
how will it be evaluated?
Measuring impact is a fundamental part of any project. In our case there will be qualitative and quantitative elements that we will evaluate.
quantitative:
- efficiency - duration of cooking with “slow appliances” compared to traditionnal ones, energy saved by replacing traditionnal by slow ones… The way to collect it could be via a platform on which anyone involved in the movement could upload their data. We will also do it ourselves first to communicate about the impact of this approach.
- diffusion - number of people attending the events, number of events, number of devices sold, number of interactions on the social media account of slow lab, downloads or views of the tutorials
qualitative: this is the most difficult to measure as what we want to create is a cultural shift towards “slow”, slow cooking, slow growing, slow farming, slow fashion, slow travel… and build a community around it. We will be able to evaluate it via observations, interviews, conversations with people we are involving and will need to define some criteria that we want to follow.