The Challenge

In our throw-away society, waste is only too often the result of the limited life span of products. The quest of this workshop was to define the necessary qualities for communication machines to be "immortal" - with a focus on providing them with dignity, character and the ability to absorb and reflect events in time, so that they will gain value over time, instead of losing it.

Drum Transformation

Musical instruments feature a kind of fluidity and richness in their relationships with musicians that is not found in many 'modern' products like telephones and personal computers. Using an African drum involves intimacy, physicality, effort and care. The drum is able to absorb and reflect events over long time periods -- it is repaired, improved, and its use is embedded in daily communal life. More often that not, the individual ideosyncracies of an instrument cause a life-long attachment.

Using the African drum as a starting point, the group set out to explore a number of necessary qualities of 'eternal products'. These are some of their findings:

Respect: The product evokes feelings of respect, affection -- it has dignity. E.g., the devotion of the designer/maker is felt in the product.

Soul/spirit/essence: The product has a strong character.

Growth: Materials it consists of become richer over time as they capture and reflect the history of use. This is found in many products that are hand-crafted or feature 'natural' materials (leather, wood, skin, etc.).

Skill and sophistication: The product is easy to use for the unskilled, sophisticated to use for the skilled.

Stylability: The product is easy to repair, maintain and upgrade according to individual wishes.

Multisensory: Using the product involves various senses, not just the visual or the auditive.

Context: If a product embodies a user's role in a cultural or other kind of context, it becomes part of the user's identity and allows for a sense of belonging.

Serving as well as guiding: The product serves and guides in a dynamic and energetic relation with the user as well as with other people in the context of use.

Spiritual: The product has spiritual and cultural significance for its user(s).

Personal: The product allows for individual expression and adaptation (make it your own). Users can create personal combinations of modular components.

The Participants

• Liesbeth Bonekamp, Industrial Designer, OAK, The Netherlands (moderator)
• Eibert Draisma, Industrial Designer, The Netherlands
• Andrew Fentem, Research Fellow, London Business School, UK
• Ed van Hinte, Journalist, The Netherlands (moderator)
• Jan IJzermans, Principal, Utrecht School of the Arts, The Netherlands
• Anke de Jong, Senior Human Interface Designer, Apple Computer Inc., USA
• Andrew Gangoiti, Artist, Melbourne, Australia
• Peter Hesseldahl, Journalist, TV2, Denmark
• Kari-Hans Kommonen, Head of New Media, Media Lab at University of Art and Design, Helsinki, Finland
• Irene Mavromati, Multimedia Designer, Philips Corporate Design, The Netherlands
• Henk Muis, Consultant, Office for Product and Environment, The Netherlands
• Nicole van Nes, Student, Technical University Delft, The Netherlands
• Morton Skou, Designer, Denmark
• Roger Subirats, UNEP, The Netherlands
• Joel Ryan, Composer, STEIM Centre for Electronic Music, The Netherlands
• Dick Swart, Designer, BSO/IMMC, The Netherlands

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