DESIGN WITH CONSCIENCE EXHIBIT
June 1 through 30
OPENING RECEPTION THURSDAY JUNE 7 2007
3337 North Halsted
Chicago, IL 60657
773.755.4343 T
773.755.8332 F
www.idchicago.com
I.D. is proud to present DESIGN WITH CONSCIENCE an exhibition featuring
a collection of objects with utility and beauty that operate in complete
harmony with environmental and socially responsible principles.
The mission of DESIGN WITH CONSCIENCE is to promote self-sustaining
communities of talented artisans in underdeveloped countries. A simple
model: The value of artisan – made goods has always been
appreciated. But with the globalization of trade, village artisans have
become divorced from their traditional markets, insulating them from the
potential demand for their craft. The vision is to introduce into the world’
s artisan communities two essential components : the designer and the
project producer.
The designer can dovetail the capacities of artisans with the needs of the international marketplace. The project producer provides
the logistics, marketing, and art direction necessary to bring the work of the designer and the artisan to the consumer. As project
producer, ARTECNICA partners with such nonprofit organizations as AID TO ARTISANS and the British Council.
Artecnica’s challenge is to develop a competitive product that will encourage the survival of indigenous craft. Fulfilling the mission
requires a smart designer, a savvy and visionary project producer, and a willing and ambitious artisan. The objective is to avoid the
mechanization of the artisan, which devalues his work and undermines the project from both a design and an economic standpoint.
In accomplishing the goal, the assembly line production will be avoided, exploitation of third world labor, and displacement of workers
that often results from monopoly-oriented marketing organizations with global reach. The promise of creating a great quantity of
product at low cost initially attracted the designer in the hope of reaching a larger audience. But now that “designer products” have
become commonplace, the realization that quantity invariably dilutes quality, both actual and perceived. The more ubiquitous the
product, the lesser the demand, resulting in thousands of products nobody wants anymore, thus depleting resources , contributing to
the accumulation of garbage and environmental degradation, and resulting in negative backlash from exploited third world
populations. TODAYS SOPHISTICATED CONSUMER RECOGNIZES A NEED FOR CHANGE. What may once have been a nostalgia for craft is
now becoming an APPRECIATION OF ALL THAT SUSTAINABLE CRAFT HAS TO OFFER, including shared work profit across borders, cultures,
races, and religions. THE TRANSFORMATION IS BEGINNING.
Artecnica was founded in 1987 as a studio focused on providing design solutions for architectural, product development, and other
creative enterprises. The mission of Artecnica is to create products that blend ART and TECHNOLOGY in equal measure where ART
represents the aesthetic value or form while TECHNOLOGY represents the utilitarian value or function. The mission of Artecnica is based
on the philosophy that form and function are equally important attributes in defining the design value of a product. Driven by this
fundamental principle, Artecnica’s art directors, Tahmineh Javanbakht and Enrico Bressan have curated a stimulating and innovative
collection of home accessories displaying a strong aesthetics and addressing very functional requirements.
DESIGN WITH CONSCIENCE logbook:
November 29, 2004 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Project: COME RAIN COME SHINE chandelier
Designer: STUDIO TORD BOONTJE
DECEMBER 2, 2004 Guatemala City, Guatemala
Project: TRANSGLASS accessories
Designer: EMMA WOFFENDEN & STUDIO TORD BOONTJE
February 22, 2006 Cape Town, South Africa
Project: TATU STOOL and TABLES
Designer: STEPHEN BURKS
May 21, 2006 NEW YORK, USA
Project: BEADS and PIECES CERAMICS
Designer: HELLA JONGERIUS
the logistics, marketing, and art direction necessary to bring the work of the designer and the artisan to the consumer. As project
producer, ARTECNICA partners with such nonprofit organizations as AID TO ARTISANS and the British Council.
Artecnica’s challenge is to develop a competitive product that will encourage the survival of indigenous craft. Fulfilling the mission
requires a smart designer, a savvy and visionary project producer, and a willing and ambitious artisan. The objective is to avoid the
mechanization of the artisan, which devalues his work and undermines the project from both a design and an economic standpoint.
In accomplishing the goal, the assembly line production will be avoided, exploitation of third world labor, and displacement of workers
that often results from monopoly-oriented marketing organizations with global reach. The promise of creating a great quantity of
product at low cost initially attracted the designer in the hope of reaching a larger audience. But now that “designer products” have
become commonplace, the realization that quantity invariably dilutes quality, both actual and perceived. The more ubiquitous the
product, the lesser the demand, resulting in thousands of products nobody wants anymore, thus depleting resources , contributing to
the accumulation of garbage and environmental degradation, and resulting in negative backlash from exploited third world
populations. TODAYS SOPHISTICATED CONSUMER RECOGNIZES A NEED FOR CHANGE. What may once have been a nostalgia for craft is
now becoming an APPRECIATION OF ALL THAT SUSTAINABLE CRAFT HAS TO OFFER, including shared work profit across borders, cultures,
races, and religions. THE TRANSFORMATION IS BEGINNING.
Artecnica was founded in 1987 as a studio focused on providing design solutions for architectural, product development, and other
creative enterprises. The mission of Artecnica is to create products that blend ART and TECHNOLOGY in equal measure where ART
represents the aesthetic value or form while TECHNOLOGY represents the utilitarian value or function. The mission of Artecnica is based
on the philosophy that form and function are equally important attributes in defining the design value of a product. Driven by this
fundamental principle, Artecnica’s art directors, Tahmineh Javanbakht and Enrico Bressan have curated a stimulating and innovative
collection of home accessories displaying a strong aesthetics and addressing very functional requirements.
DESIGN WITH CONSCIENCE logbook:
November 29, 2004 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Project: COME RAIN COME SHINE chandelier
Designer: STUDIO TORD BOONTJE
DECEMBER 2, 2004 Guatemala City, Guatemala
Project: TRANSGLASS accessories
Designer: EMMA WOFFENDEN & STUDIO TORD BOONTJE
February 22, 2006 Cape Town, South Africa
Project: TATU STOOL and TABLES
Designer: STEPHEN BURKS
May 21, 2006 NEW YORK, USA
Project: BEADS and PIECES CERAMICS
Designer: HELLA JONGERIUS
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