Being a designer carries immense responsibilities. The constant pressure to design and create new products that lead into the infinity pool of products that already exist (and are most likely going to end up in landfill within a relatively short period of time). Between the various approaches to designing more sustainable products, reusing existing products – be it industrial automotive parts, fashion hardwares, hydraulics components, kitchen utensils, etc. – might be one appropriate avenue to create something new. This concept of using existing products falls within the category of ‘Readymade’, a technique that has always been a response to an ongoing problem of an era, and one of the most responsible ways of designing.
Readymade, objet trouvé, assemblage, the uncanny: these terms describe artworks that use found objects as their centrepiece. André Breton was the first to experiment with readymade works by utilizing found objects from the flea market. The term was then coined by Marcel Duchamp to describe his own artworks as an antidote to ‘retinal art’ – art that was only visual. Duchamp was exhausted by the existing artworks of his time, so he sought another way to approach his artworks. The concept of readymade works through the expressive capability people have in reinterpreting and redefining objects.
Readymade Design
Readymade is a constant practice, working across disciplines. It is inevitable for creatives to elude from observing everyday objects and underhandedly taking them as a guiding light. Whether consciously or unconsciously, we live in an environment constructed of readymade objects that sends us information from every direction.
The Castiglioni brothers designed the “Toio” by taking car light and a fishing rod to create a floor lamp that directly illuminates the ceiling. Their other product “Mezzadro” utilizes the tractor seat gives a bend metal beam and make it as a stool. This demonstrates that found objects can convey value equal to that of crafted objects. Another design maestro, Gae Aulenti, created “Tavolo con Ruote”, another exquisite example of utilizing a readymade approach, combining 4 heavy duty industrial wheels and a 15mm thick glass panel assembled in the most honest assembly.
These examples of readymade objects surely bring forth a type of aesthetic, be it witty or serious - despite out of its raw appearance these objects were designed around the 1970s and it just proves that readymade objects stand still within the passage of time as an icon, proving it sustainable. This movement of readymade design was further explored by Droog, in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Arte Povera
Shifting from manufactured readymade, “Arte povera” is a notable art movement in the late 60s that shares similar progression in forming its artwork. The movement itself literally translates to “poor art” due to its selection in poor materials and its radical stance to the definition of art as a bourgeois pursuit, and holding an anti-consumerist core.Giovanni Anselmo’s “Senza Titolo (Struttura che mangia)” (1968) presents two blocks of granite, a bigger one standing on itself and the smaller block being held with a copper wire and a fresh head of lettuce leaves are put in between the blocks. In this work he wanted to demonstrate the relationship between human and its environment and how the two needs to coexist by utilizing pre-existing objects. He displays this relationship in its purity by taking a block of raw-cut granite and a fresh vegetable plant, no further manipulations. In the sense of readymade, “Arte povera” shares the same sense of using existing materials, however provided by nature in the case.
Pushing the limits of what is considered as art, Jannis Kounellis’ “Untitled (Horses)” (1969) installation sits on the top of the movement’s hierarchy. Kounellis’ installation hosted 12 live horses in Galleria L’Attico in Rome with ceramic tiles flooring. Essentially, putting together 12 horses in a room might not be the most odour-pleasing sensation as a visitor, and the question arises “how is this art?”.
Mono-Ha
Associated with “Arte povera” on the other side of the earth around the same period, “Mono-ha” is the art movement that engages with raw existing materials in Japan. The movement’s name translates into the ‘school of things’, as the artists studies the material using primitive techniques. Mono-ha attempted to reconfigure art through the reduction of objects to their primary form. Unaltered, natural matter and objects were considered not as material, but in and of themselves significant and autonomous.
Nobuo Sekine as the founder of the movement in his “Phase - Mother earth” dug up a perfect cylindrical hole of 2.2 meters deep and 2.7 meters wide and rebuild the cylinder right next to it using the same earth. Lee Ufan, another undisputed “mono-ha” artist, also one of the founders of the movement assembled eye-pleasing composition using raw stones and bend sheet metal in his “Relatum” series, exploring the theme of interrelationship between space and matter. “Mono-ha” conception took a stand in neglecting modern art during the period on Japanese western-industrialization. This was achieved by reducing materials to its core, its pure simplicity, the maximum effect through minimum effort.
Conclusion
In the broader context, perhaps the most responsible action a conscious designer can take is to abandon design altogether. Considering the amount of pollution left as residue, the lifespan of the product, its usability, ergonomics, everything in theory needs to be thoroughly calculated so that the product can perform excellently in every aspect. This is, however, impossible, as designers are not engineers, sociologists, geologists, physicists, material experts or the numerous other occupations the product in its entirety interacts with. Production volumes are increasing exponentially to fulfill the demands of the market. Alongside with the growth of technological industry, more specific products are designed and produced to execute specific function in all kinds of industries. Yet many of these products solve problems that never truly existed, offering little to no value to society.
Readymade objects are often taken with a grain of salt, and not taken seriously. It is indeed very easy to see these products this way because they are simple and naked. The superficial appearance of readymade objects often leads to the impression that anyone could create them, diminishing their perceived value and originality. Marcel Duchamp’s fountain was so iconic, though, because he had the ability and the courage to give it a new meaning - heightening a urinal to a work of art. Readymade always posed a question to the status quo. In a sense, it is a response to the underlying problems of the current epoch. It holds the spirit of a little kid putting things together and making something anew, the eureka moment of building something. Perhaps, this is what readymade is all about: nourishing the child in every one of us.
Be it the designer maestros, the “arte povera” movement, the “mono-ha”, these are just prominent examples of how readymade are still relevant to the contemporary world. Despite their raw appearances, readymade and assisted readymade objects speaks to themselves they had significant value in our culture. It taught us to pay more attention to the things surrounding us, being more conscious as a person, and to consume thoughtfully.
