Relearning to Look and Imagine our Context

We have an idea of what design is. Of how it needs to be thought about. This idea that design has to be as invisible and silent as possible. That good design should not be seen or felt, that it should not have anything to say. It should simply fulfill its silent role.

This idea, recently acquired by our civilization, obliges us to silence our personal, family and cultural preferences. For the sake of “design,” it invites us to remain insoluble in a gelatinized structure that admits less proposals every day.

This boring formality of conceiving an object by its mere discipline, trying to hide the comprehensive spectrum of organoleptic experiences.

You do not have to travel too far back in time to find the turning point, in which design was more complex than a mere discipline. Where the exhibition of preferences and spices was so rich that it generated its own discourse, worthy of the work of the most outstanding film directors in history.

Relational information is highly important in my work and in my practice. I do not agree with the conformist approach and challenge the idea of objects having to follow conventional shapes, colors, textures and patterns. Or worse, following massive industrial processes that are impersonal and harmful for our environment.

In my everyday work, I use digital media to explore and experiment with objects that do not follow norms preestablished by the industry. Not only does the use of digital software allow me to reach unexpected results, I can also reduce the use of physical materials and resources to the minimum. The idea is not to keep our environment clean, it is to avoid generating waste in the first place.

I try to generate images, objects and spaces that can be felt as lucid dreams. Those dreams open the door to new reflections about the use of space and how to carry out our everyday activities.

A subtle oddness is necessary in my always truthful work. If it is too odd, it is immediately dismissed. And on the contrary, if it lacks any exotic agent, then it gets lost in the world without generating any interest whatsoever.

These qualities allow me to create a sort of inquisitiveness, something intangible that awakens our memories.

Enjoying everyday life is like relearning to look. Imagining our own story. And creating our context.

What if what we were taught about design in the last decades is turning us grey, overproductive and generic?

MAIN IMAGE: A Journey into Electric Nature, 2020, by Reisinger Studio, directed by Reisinger Andrés. Image courtesy Reisinger Studio.