Mingei Haver Tube-Bags
Inspiring utilitarian craftsmanship through simple weaving.
DESIGN CHALLENGE
Ikigai seeks rewards of meaningful lives of engaging flow, social Moai emotions, and joyful daily living. While Singapore ranks 7th in Global Wellness Index, it untenably consumes faster than what 3.6 earths regenerate yearly. Here, Aristotle’s Teleology and brings into question the granted purposes of designing in the material world: could design values become the account of how each use of material can proliferate joy?
Soetsu Yanagi first expresses the notion of Mingei (handcrafted art of ordinary people) in his description of Chinese ceramics made in the Song dynasty. Mingei was characterised by its cheap production by hand in quantity, its utilitarian functionality, and made by anonymous crafts people. In the world of Mingei, as one involves himself with simple making, one is also greeted by ‘flow’, and is thus immersed in delightful engrossment of making.
How might we inspire utilitarian craftsmanship through simple making with a ‘cheap’ material like plastic bags?
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CONCEPT
The world of ‘Mingei’ (folks-craft) transpires generations of unknown craftsmen. ‘Mingei’ Haver Tube-bags bring the same spirit of experienced ‘flow and joy making' into current lifestyles, via simple weaving, gifting, extending and proliferating new 'experiencing-life' to the quotidian plastic bag.
VISUAL GALLERY
PROJECT BACKGROUND
ABSTRACT
This project is the outcome of a phenomenal experience design studio, “Designing for Ikigai Economies”. The studio strives for a fresh take to the notion of sustainable economies through the Japanese philosophical perspective of Ikigai, or ‘reason for being’. Emphasis is placed on connecting phenomenal narratives across Ikigai - experiential qualias, memetic narratives, sustainability and Moai communities.
PROJECT DETAILS
Type of Exercise | Team of 3
Supervisor | Ash Y. S. Yeo
Partners | Brandon Ong, Tarn Yui-Ting
Duration | 11 weeks