Reshaping the object

INTRODUCTION 

In the previous project – [Project Zero, ‘Useless Objects’] you were required to identify and provide a rationale for a ‘useless object’. While this will have been a subjective choice, one of the main objectives of the project was to encourage you to research into the nature of a ‘useless object’. 

Throughout history, many early inventions or innovations have superseded their original purpose and intended audience. For example, from a commercial viewpoint, it is difficult to conceive that Compact Disks, Cassettes and Vinyl were once dominant formats for music sales, before the advance of digital music, first with mp3 files and later streaming services. The popularity of services such as Spotify some time ago outstripped traditional formats. 

Despite niche audiences and recent increases and revivals in Vinyl there is good argument to deem these formats useless. Or are they? Another recent example is the humble Post-It Note, invented by Dr Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M. During the development of a stronger, tougher adhesive for 3M, he ‘accidently’ developed an adhesive that had a ‘removability characteristic’. In what he called a ‘solution without a problem’ his invention took just over a decade to get to market and become the ‘useful’ ubiquitous object that it is today. These are just two examples of ideas that became more useful with the realisation of new audiences and environments.

For this project, you will be working in pairs or threes to discusses your respective original ‘useless objects’. While your partner may maintain a good argument for why this object is useless, your goal is to establish new forms, channels or possibilities for potential growth that would repurpose this useless object into a useful one. It is important to note that the examination and repurposing of this object may very well change its form - from an object, into something less tangible, such as a process, system, event, movement, or a campaign. The possibilities are endless, but it is important to iterate and signal changes beyond the original form of your partner’s useless object.

Testing: to measure the validity of the transition from useless to useful, you can test this new form with your student group. You can devise your measure or evaluation such as a questionnaire, survey, rating – whatever method you choose, you must keep a record of this and provide this as evidence of your evaluation.

MY FINAL WORK