Metamorphosis - a temporary design laboratory
Metamorphosis describes a pervasive transformation, alteration or change. The butterfly´s transformation from caterpillar to flying insect and the frog evolving from tadpole to adult amphibian are well-known examples from nature. Also, the various mental and physical stages human beings go through during the course of a life, until we again return to the circle of nature can be understood as a metamorphosis. Our food, everyday-products, houses and cities are all results of distinctive transformations. The term embraces both abstract and concrete aspects of change and can be a starting point for studying formation, deconstruction and re-creation from different perspectives and at different stages in the design process.
With a particular focus on the transformation of raw materials and waste, the second-year bachelor students from the Department of Design at KMD have explored possibilities and potential in discarded materials and objects. What may seem like invaluable waste became the valuable currency of The Temporary Design Laboratory. The students have through exercises and experiments developed methods to recognize and explore alternative areas of use starting with waste. As a backdrop for the project stands an exploration and questioning of the designer´s role when intersecting with contemporary societal challenges such as (over-)consumption, waste management and use of resources.
The exhibition Metamorphosis - Temporary Design Laboratory (Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design, University of Bergen, November 2019), displayed the student´s outcomes and processes. The exhibition was part of Gjenbruksuken: a week dedicated to generating ideas for a more sustainable future.
Responsible tutors: Siren Elise Wilhelmsen and Siv Lier
External partners: BIR (Waste management company, Bergen) and Gjenbruksuken.
Photos by Jane Sverdrupsen
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Siv Lier and Siren Elise Wilhelmsen are PhD Candidates at The Art Academy – Department of Contemporary Art, Faculty of Art, Music and Design, University of Bergen
