Prostheses for home appliances with an identity crisis
Research based speculative and critique design
One of the greatest challenges of developing a circular economy is figuring out what to do with the millions of cheaply manufactured electrical devices that are discarded or disused every year. This innovative project sets out to subvert capitalist consumption patterns and designed obsolescence by reversibly repurposing common electrical appliances for an array of new, and often surprising, alternative functions. These ‘open-source prostheses’ convert appliances associated with convenience – such as blenders, juicers, and bread makers – into tools for domestic manufacturing, such as drills, lathes, and mixers.
This concept encourages people to think about excessive consumption and the alternative paradigm of the circular economy by redefining familiar home appliances into something unexpected and eminently useful.
WINNER STATEMENTIt is very satisfying that the iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD is giving visibility to projects like this one generated with an intention contrary to the capitalist industry which dictates the vast majority of contemporary design.
UNIVERSITYEINA University School of Design and Art
Barcelona, ES