TRIVIAL PURSUITS 2.
INTRODUCTION.
Welcome back to Trivial Pursuits. In last month’s blog we explored chaotic creation, nostalgic references, and questionable taste. Today, we transform those concepts from illustration to mood board in hopes of tip toeing closer to reality. As we have found time and time again, this exercise raised more questions than answers. It turns out, play can come to life in more ways than we could have ever imagined.
No matter which direction we explored though, one idea popped up time and time again: rules. Many, if not all of us, have fantasized of a land free from rules. We picture ourselves romping through the clouds (gravity doesn’t exist here) and bartering with last night’s painting (money doesn’t exist either) to buy hot pink unicorns (magic does exist here). Then reality sets in. There’s no privacy in the clouds! Not everyone values art! Horns are dangerous!
That kind of freedom can be overwhelming. What happens if we imagine the worst? Or can’t imagine anything at all? Could a world without rules actually be a world of terror? It turns out we kind of, sort of, love a little structure. There is something so comforting about coloring in the lines, and something so satisfying about rebelliously scrawling beyond them. To have a starting point, a proposed barrier that we can decide to obey or deny, can be a relief. From establishing to reconfiguring and breaking the rules, this month’s investigation is all about fantasy versus structure.
CONCEPT 1: ESTABLISH
INSPIRATIONAL PLAY: SPORTS & GAMES
A hoop is merely a hoop until rules are applied to it. “Establish” celebrates the human impulse to turn function into fun and back again through the transformation of banal objects into defined games. Whether it is elevating a net into pickleball or a closet into hide and seek, joy comes from the creation of codes and customs. This theme explores directional motions, tactile surfaces, and interactive touch points as methods of instituting rules. Anything has the potential to be an outlet for play with the right guidelines.
IN THE WORLD: INTERIORS AND ATTIRE
As for how this applies to design, we consider the humble stool, a swivel stool to be exact, as a prime example of established rules. A stationary stool has no rules, generally speaking. It exists, one could sit or lean on it, it is fine. However, a swivel offers moments of play. It can be raised or lowered and it rotates around its center. It begs for collaboration but only in its agreed upon ways. Should someone attempt to adjust it side to side or swing it back and forth the system would break down. The rules of a swivel offer a world of possibility as compared to a static seat, yet they also create rigidity in their interactions. This tension exists in many other facets of design. We see it in the elevation of sports gear such as Moniomi’s basketball hoops or CB2’s ping pong tables. These once carefree objects get luxury makeovers with leather, marble and wood, and in turn create a new form of more sophisticated yet less practical gameplay. Gorpcore, sportswears’ outdoorsy cousin, also comes into the picture with seemingly technical details. Take the Lud’O chair for instance, whose drawstring cinch holds nothing together and serves no value outside the amusement of tightening and loosening its grip. Lastly, we turn our attention to fashion and the revival of zip-off pants. Shortening a garment appears practical til you consider where the extra material lives once it’s removed. These pants, and all the examples, raise the question: is it actually purposeful or is its purpose to delight?
CONCEPT 2: RECONFIGURE
INSPIRATIONAL PLAY: WORLD BUILDING
Bend, never break. “Reconfigure” embodies the spirit of redefining the rules, finding the loopholes, and most importantly making it up as you go. It finds beauty not only in one’s ability to imagine what exists beyond, but the ingenuity required to bring it that vision to life. This theme relies on adaptive forms, mash-up aesthetics, and modular components to reinterpret existing expectations. Where there is a rule, there is a clever way around it.
IN THE WORLD: INTERIORS AND ATTIRE
If “Establish” comes to life in a swivel stool, “Reconfigure” has to be a multi-directional stool. There is no right way to approach it, no exact technique to perch on it, but it does expect to be sat on in somehow. It becomes a never ending experiment, an object that begs its occupant to challenge the rules of a seat based on their mood, context, or style in a given moment. This “wing it” approach creeps into other facets of design as well. Take kitchen cabinetry for example. For decades the rule of thumb has been to match the color of each door front or, for the really wild folks, select contrasting colors for the lowers and uppers. In a quiet act of rebellion, new kitchens begin to embrace mix and match hues, unrelated materials, and disproportionate hardware for a look that feels collaged more than curated. It appears in larger scale applications as well, such as walls and room dividers. Unlike traditionally hefty or immobile solutions made from metal and glass, lightweight alternatives like Molo’s paper accordion walls can be shimmied to new orientations on a whim. This adaptive, undefined approach extends into fashion as well. Real life versions of Dr. Seuss’s amorphous “thneed,” a fictional it-is-what-you-make-it garment, take over tiktok in the forms of anything from body-sized scrunchies to Stephanie Uhart’s Fluff dresses. This begs the questions, if fluff can be a dress, what can’t be? How far can the rules be bent before they no longer exist?
CONCEPT 3: BREAK
INSPIRATIONAL PLAY: MAKE BELIEVE
The limit does not exist. “Break” tosses out the rulebook entirely, relying instead on intuitive invention ever so loosely based on reality. It pokes fun at utility, choosing instead to find pleasure in nonsense. This theme banks on unexpected colors, bizarre proportions, and impractical applications in the pursuit of making. In this dimension, form does anything but follow function.
IN THE WORLD: INTERIORS AND ATTIRE
“Establish” is a swivel, “Reconfigure” is multi-directional, and “Break” says f it all. In terms of a stool, this theme is a Jinyeong Yeon’s barely there piece of furniture. It is crumpled, uninviting, and teeters between uneven legs. It follows none of the rules of good design, ergonomics or construction and barely offers a real surface to sit upon. The only promise it makes is that one could take a seat if they dare, but it doesn’t guarantee a comfortable experience. All in all, it delivers more as a good story than a usable object. This rings true across a number of avant-garde designs these days. It is certainly apparent in shelving, which has gone from practical storage to decorative display and most recently into the realm of art with pieces like ven de Klomp’s Soft Cabinets. The cupboard, made entirely of soft foam, bends and droops with the weight of books, records and dishes to create a precarious if not unsafe piece of furniture. Equally intriguing is the introduction of tulle in everything from cabinets to clothing and even cord covers. These designs, traditionally intended to conceal what lies beneath, end up drawing more attention to their contents through attractive colors and ephemeral materials. Finally, we see it come up in fashion with wildly disproportionate designs. Oversized pants become shirts and gloves become trains in Beate Karlsson’s creations, all of which look almost 2D in their cartoon-like arrangements. All this makes us wonder, at what point does dysfunction actually become an asset?