AUTOSPADE – ANTI-ADDICTION -- HIGHER AWARENESS KIT : community
| Click on the images to study them |
|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How did this design improve life?:
The Autospade is a conceptual prototype. It has directly and indirectly improved life for many people through its appeal to the collective imagination and awareness through public presentations, education and media attention. Since the Autospade is at the same time ‘Tangible’ and ‘Intangible’, covering at least five of the typical social activities, it falls into all three categories: concept, strategy and service thus fostering understanding of the main issue of our time – addiction to technology as magic(*).
The practical contribution of Autospade to the improvement of life is that it directly functions as a healing aid from our addiction to technology during the phase of withdrawal symptoms when ‘avoidance of legitimate suffering causes mental illness.’
The Concept of Autospade consists of the real object whose purpose is to stimulate the individual and public imagination in expressing feelings, convictions and beliefs in the context of the apocalyptic revelation that the great majority of mankind has been (deliberately) heavily addicted to the technology as magic(*).
Since design is the main promoter of the industrial mode of production, its semantic controversies that have been the fad for decades actually reflect the fundamental problem that many important thinkers of the 20th century have repeatedly warned about, mainly, that ‘we would do well to stand aside from new technology because massive social surgery is needed to insert new technology into the group mind which shuts the gates of judgment and perception’ (Marshall McLuhan, 1971). In other words, as Werner Heisenberg points out in 1950’ technical change alters not only habits of life, but patterns of thought and valuation. Since then technology and its promotional design profession has gone a long way and reached the point of technological utopianism. This term is suggested by Professor Richard Stivers who was the recipient of an Earhart Foundation research fellowship with the objective to study the relationship between society and technology and its moral implications, published in 1994.
According to Professor Stivers the point has been reached when ‘public opinion is largely but not exclusively wedded to the growth of technology and its promise. This form of new morality is an expression of the instinctual power of desire’. When technology alters the human psyche to such a degree we can comprehend that the new techno-morality is exclusively one of power. Then, ‘the pursuit of success, survival, happiness, and health through technological utopianism has produced a corrosive and pervasive morality that is actually an ‘anti-morality’’. In light of such a general development in society induced by design and industry, ‘improving life functionally, environmentally and socially’ would mean that design ought to be able to ‘communicate truth, the power of truth, by appealing to man’s higher intellectual faculties, which are suprarational’ (E.F.Schumacher, 1977). It is the battle for sanity that is at stake.
In other words, to improve the quality of human life every effort must be made for people to understand ‘that decisions based upon pure utility yield the centre ground to the forces of destruction’, as Patrick Curry comments the meaning of Tolkien’s, The Lord of the Rings, wisdom which postulates that: ‘the things, places and people we love will be saved for their own sake or not at all; and that is ultimately a religious valuing’. This explains why in communities with high homeostatic values like among the Dogon and Bambara of Mali every object and social event has a symbolic quality, and the Dogon civilization, otherwise relatively poor, has several thousand symbolic elements. The farm plots and the whole landscape of the Dogon reflect this cosmic order. In some way this can explain why Autospade has so far attracted the public attention and imagination: it is a combination of utilitarian and symbolic elements: the spade and steering wheel being utilitarian and the swastika and C.G. Jung’s quotation being symbols only in two different symbolic languages. Thus the Autospade as an artefact can qualify as the healing aid against the addiction to ‘technology as power without meaning’. Design for every day use has been raised to the level of a symbolic and ceremonial tool of the Dogon kind.
Picasso gave us the same lesson in the history of art. Understanding is the principle purpose of the arts. Perhaps a lack of being an art is at the core of an everlasting controversy concerning industrial design. Design is at present only utilitarian and lacks a real or recognisable symbolic character and meaning.
-------------
(*)Magic means efficacious and efficient acting upon a real or spiritual object by means of the word, movement, idea, image or thought, by passing the categories of existence (space, time, causality) in accordance with either analogous or mechanical correspondence.
The Autospade is a conceptual prototype. It has directly and indirectly improved life for many people through its appeal to the collective imagination and awareness through public presentations, education and media attention. Since the Autospade is at the same time ‘Tangible’ and ‘Intangible’, covering at least five of the typical social activities, it falls into all three categories: concept, strategy and service thus fostering understanding of the main issue of our time – addiction to technology as magic(*).
The practical contribution of Autospade to the improvement of life is that it directly functions as a healing aid from our addiction to technology during the phase of withdrawal symptoms when ‘avoidance of legitimate suffering causes mental illness.’
The Concept of Autospade consists of the real object whose purpose is to stimulate the individual and public imagination in expressing feelings, convictions and beliefs in the context of the apocalyptic revelation that the great majority of mankind has been (deliberately) heavily addicted to the technology as magic(*).
Since design is the main promoter of the industrial mode of production, its semantic controversies that have been the fad for decades actually reflect the fundamental problem that many important thinkers of the 20th century have repeatedly warned about, mainly, that ‘we would do well to stand aside from new technology because massive social surgery is needed to insert new technology into the group mind which shuts the gates of judgment and perception’ (Marshall McLuhan, 1971). In other words, as Werner Heisenberg points out in 1950’ technical change alters not only habits of life, but patterns of thought and valuation. Since then technology and its promotional design profession has gone a long way and reached the point of technological utopianism. This term is suggested by Professor Richard Stivers who was the recipient of an Earhart Foundation research fellowship with the objective to study the relationship between society and technology and its moral implications, published in 1994.
According to Professor Stivers the point has been reached when ‘public opinion is largely but not exclusively wedded to the growth of technology and its promise. This form of new morality is an expression of the instinctual power of desire’. When technology alters the human psyche to such a degree we can comprehend that the new techno-morality is exclusively one of power. Then, ‘the pursuit of success, survival, happiness, and health through technological utopianism has produced a corrosive and pervasive morality that is actually an ‘anti-morality’’. In light of such a general development in society induced by design and industry, ‘improving life functionally, environmentally and socially’ would mean that design ought to be able to ‘communicate truth, the power of truth, by appealing to man’s higher intellectual faculties, which are suprarational’ (E.F.Schumacher, 1977). It is the battle for sanity that is at stake.
In other words, to improve the quality of human life every effort must be made for people to understand ‘that decisions based upon pure utility yield the centre ground to the forces of destruction’, as Patrick Curry comments the meaning of Tolkien’s, The Lord of the Rings, wisdom which postulates that: ‘the things, places and people we love will be saved for their own sake or not at all; and that is ultimately a religious valuing’. This explains why in communities with high homeostatic values like among the Dogon and Bambara of Mali every object and social event has a symbolic quality, and the Dogon civilization, otherwise relatively poor, has several thousand symbolic elements. The farm plots and the whole landscape of the Dogon reflect this cosmic order. In some way this can explain why Autospade has so far attracted the public attention and imagination: it is a combination of utilitarian and symbolic elements: the spade and steering wheel being utilitarian and the swastika and C.G. Jung’s quotation being symbols only in two different symbolic languages. Thus the Autospade as an artefact can qualify as the healing aid against the addiction to ‘technology as power without meaning’. Design for every day use has been raised to the level of a symbolic and ceremonial tool of the Dogon kind.
Picasso gave us the same lesson in the history of art. Understanding is the principle purpose of the arts. Perhaps a lack of being an art is at the core of an everlasting controversy concerning industrial design. Design is at present only utilitarian and lacks a real or recognisable symbolic character and meaning.
-------------
(*)Magic means efficacious and efficient acting upon a real or spiritual object by means of the word, movement, idea, image or thought, by passing the categories of existence (space, time, causality) in accordance with either analogous or mechanical correspondence.
Name of Designer(s):
Marijan Vejvoda
Marijan Vejvoda
Designers professional status:
Professional
Professional
Status of realization:
Realized
Realized
Kind of design:
Tangible
Tangible
Produced by:
a) Dobija Guido, Model Workshop ‘Dobija,’; b) Ivica Fledrović; c) Svjetlana Dokić Chris, (Ornament Workshop)
a) Dobija Guido, Model Workshop ‘Dobija,’; b) Ivica Fledrović; c) Svjetlana Dokić Chris, (Ornament Workshop)
Year of production, realization or publishing:
2003
2003
Designed in country:
Croatia
Croatia
Used on continents:
Europe
Europe
Short description of design:
Autospade is designed as a collapsible structure made up of five component parts: the spade with collapsible prop and Carl Jung’s quotation, car steering wheel of Citroen-2CV with two circular plates; wooden and transparent plastic plates and both embellished with swastika from Mesopotamia, fifth century B.C.
Autospade is designed as a collapsible structure made up of five component parts: the spade with collapsible prop and Carl Jung’s quotation, car steering wheel of Citroen-2CV with two circular plates; wooden and transparent plastic plates and both embellished with swastika from Mesopotamia, fifth century B.C.
Functionallity and use of design:
By removing and exchanging three different component parts from a total
of five, four different functions are possible: rostrum, bar- table, digging function, the ready-made sculpture.
By removing and exchanging three different component parts from a total
of five, four different functions are possible: rostrum, bar- table, digging function, the ready-made sculpture.
Drawbacks of life improvement:
There is one major functional drawback which doesn’t need improvement but must be nurtured and sustained. The axel (shaft) of the steering wheel is rather slender and it is attached to the rather delicate, spade –‘T’ shaped prop, base so that the stability of the Autospade is also somewhat sensitive. This delicacy of design imposes and demands user adaptability to the redesigned ‘tangibility’. The design object thus becomes the “educator” of the zealots come juggernauts; mankind addicted to the magic of technology. From the viewpoint of aggressive industrial design of our days this newly proposed design of ready-mades (industrial archaeology) must make efforts to comply to the left-to-right rotation of the swastika on the table plate of the steering wheel. As one of the most important symbols of all civilizations it indicates a deliberate and mindful approach to life in general and to design in particular. The functional structure of Autospade as it is, suggests a fundamental attitude towards reality: respect of the mystery.
Since the design is based on ready-mades real improvements are only possible if another ready-made is used. Only perfected workmanship of accommodating links for collapsible component parts is possible and the improvement of design of the carrying bag is to emphasize the function of a mystery bag.
There is one major functional drawback which doesn’t need improvement but must be nurtured and sustained. The axel (shaft) of the steering wheel is rather slender and it is attached to the rather delicate, spade –‘T’ shaped prop, base so that the stability of the Autospade is also somewhat sensitive. This delicacy of design imposes and demands user adaptability to the redesigned ‘tangibility’. The design object thus becomes the “educator” of the zealots come juggernauts; mankind addicted to the magic of technology. From the viewpoint of aggressive industrial design of our days this newly proposed design of ready-mades (industrial archaeology) must make efforts to comply to the left-to-right rotation of the swastika on the table plate of the steering wheel. As one of the most important symbols of all civilizations it indicates a deliberate and mindful approach to life in general and to design in particular. The functional structure of Autospade as it is, suggests a fundamental attitude towards reality: respect of the mystery.
Since the design is based on ready-mades real improvements are only possible if another ready-made is used. Only perfected workmanship of accommodating links for collapsible component parts is possible and the improvement of design of the carrying bag is to emphasize the function of a mystery bag.
Research and need:
The research to make the design started back in 1968. when I was employed in one of the biggest architect offices in Great Britain and bought a Citroen-Dyane car.
I had objections about the design of Citroen-Dyane model as it intended to be the new modernized version of the Citroen-Azenac – 2CV. I made an analysis of ‘Dyane’ design features based on some fundamental principles of dynamic and static forces expressed in the geometry of the car body applying the theory of form as thought by Paul Klee who was quoted to say, like Goethe,‘that all effort is vain if it is forced'. So, in my letter to Societe Anonyme Andre Citroen dated 20th February 1968. I concluded that ‘there was no need for the changes that you made on the ‘Dyane’, at least not to such an extent. I was reacting on the premise that if you want a change, change nothing, because life is already changing by its own nature in this universe so you do not need a parallel artificial change to create chaos.
________________________________________________________________________
The respect of mystery of interlocking change, evolution and enantiodromia is all that we need. When we do not respect this essential cosmic law of respect of the gift of free will we invent automobile. The invention of car has double possibility; as individual and collective means of transport. This means that instinctual power of desire of the individual for freedom of movement over land will dominate over the public means of transport. To satisfy the desire of the individual means more use of energy and more use of minerals. Thus technological possibility of easy individual movement over land becomes a necessity for billions on the Planet with limited resources. Everything ends with devastating social, political, military and ecological consequences of unimaginable proportions. Globally every year more then one million people die in car accidents and at least three times more are heavily wounded at the enormous social cost not to mention permanent wars being waged to secure the row materials for its production. We live in a globally undeclared total war just because technological possibility has become a necessity. Means have been confused with ends. The cause of any accident, in technological transport, is because of supposed hurry.
________________________________________________________________________
The reply from Society Anonyme Andre Citroen came in March 1968. and it said: ‘Monsieur, …Nous avons pris bonne note de votre opinion personnelle concernant l’esthetique de notre vehicule Dyane etles ameliorations que vous y auriez, conformement a vos gouts, apportees. Nous ne manquerons pas de tenir compte de ces remarques parmi les desideratums de notre clientele en vue de l’etablissement de nos futures modeles, mais nous ne pouvons pas, conformement a notre regle generale, donner notre avis sur tout les suggestions que nous recevons.
Nous vous remercions neanmoins de votre communication et de l’interet sympathique que vous portez a nos vehicules de petite cylindree. Vous retournant vos documentes, nous vous prions d’agreer, Monsieur, nos salutations distinguees. P.J. -2 photos, 7 dessins.’
This direct dialogue with industry was one of the most important lessons concerning the semantic controversy of industrial design. I learned that ‘technical change alters not only habits of life, but patterns of thought and valuation’. To be at peace concerning the right path I take the newest research on relationship between aesthetics and ethics which shows that since the 19th century, the tendency has been to regard the aesthetical dimension as the dominant if not exclusive dimension of culture. By contrast, Soren Kierkegaard, without demeaning the aesthetical, regards the ethical as the superior dimension. To him the ethical dimension of culture is more directly related to the human search for meaning – the meaning of life, the meaning of history. A sense of ultimate meaning is needed to limit individual and collective power as a prophylactic to despair. Moreover, it is essential for the potential development of the freedom of the individual (R. Stivers, 1997). The last lesson in design comes from Baracoa on Cuba: ‘There is always something to be learned from a species or culture that’s about to become extinct. In Baracoa we found a highly advanced civilization maybe more advanced than the one we left back at home. It’s true that Windows 2000 and home shopping TV haven’t reached Baracoa yet. Neither have McDonald’s, Benetton or work-induced stress. In fact, Baracoa shows almost no signs of being wired in to the rest of the modern world. Yet Baracoans aren’t living in the past. On the contrary, they are way ahead of the times: Baracoans are coping now with problems the whole world will eventually face’ (Colors, 16, 1996.).
--------------------------------
* see the BBC film in honour of 30 years of PBS, The Elegant Universe (Brian Green) and dig with the ‘Autospade’ ultimate message of the film relative to the Autospade: Context is everything.
The research to make the design started back in 1968. when I was employed in one of the biggest architect offices in Great Britain and bought a Citroen-Dyane car.
I had objections about the design of Citroen-Dyane model as it intended to be the new modernized version of the Citroen-Azenac – 2CV. I made an analysis of ‘Dyane’ design features based on some fundamental principles of dynamic and static forces expressed in the geometry of the car body applying the theory of form as thought by Paul Klee who was quoted to say, like Goethe,‘that all effort is vain if it is forced'. So, in my letter to Societe Anonyme Andre Citroen dated 20th February 1968. I concluded that ‘there was no need for the changes that you made on the ‘Dyane’, at least not to such an extent. I was reacting on the premise that if you want a change, change nothing, because life is already changing by its own nature in this universe so you do not need a parallel artificial change to create chaos.
________________________________________________________________________
The respect of mystery of interlocking change, evolution and enantiodromia is all that we need. When we do not respect this essential cosmic law of respect of the gift of free will we invent automobile. The invention of car has double possibility; as individual and collective means of transport. This means that instinctual power of desire of the individual for freedom of movement over land will dominate over the public means of transport. To satisfy the desire of the individual means more use of energy and more use of minerals. Thus technological possibility of easy individual movement over land becomes a necessity for billions on the Planet with limited resources. Everything ends with devastating social, political, military and ecological consequences of unimaginable proportions. Globally every year more then one million people die in car accidents and at least three times more are heavily wounded at the enormous social cost not to mention permanent wars being waged to secure the row materials for its production. We live in a globally undeclared total war just because technological possibility has become a necessity. Means have been confused with ends. The cause of any accident, in technological transport, is because of supposed hurry.
________________________________________________________________________
The reply from Society Anonyme Andre Citroen came in March 1968. and it said: ‘Monsieur, …Nous avons pris bonne note de votre opinion personnelle concernant l’esthetique de notre vehicule Dyane etles ameliorations que vous y auriez, conformement a vos gouts, apportees. Nous ne manquerons pas de tenir compte de ces remarques parmi les desideratums de notre clientele en vue de l’etablissement de nos futures modeles, mais nous ne pouvons pas, conformement a notre regle generale, donner notre avis sur tout les suggestions que nous recevons.
Nous vous remercions neanmoins de votre communication et de l’interet sympathique que vous portez a nos vehicules de petite cylindree. Vous retournant vos documentes, nous vous prions d’agreer, Monsieur, nos salutations distinguees. P.J. -2 photos, 7 dessins.’
This direct dialogue with industry was one of the most important lessons concerning the semantic controversy of industrial design. I learned that ‘technical change alters not only habits of life, but patterns of thought and valuation’. To be at peace concerning the right path I take the newest research on relationship between aesthetics and ethics which shows that since the 19th century, the tendency has been to regard the aesthetical dimension as the dominant if not exclusive dimension of culture. By contrast, Soren Kierkegaard, without demeaning the aesthetical, regards the ethical as the superior dimension. To him the ethical dimension of culture is more directly related to the human search for meaning – the meaning of life, the meaning of history. A sense of ultimate meaning is needed to limit individual and collective power as a prophylactic to despair. Moreover, it is essential for the potential development of the freedom of the individual (R. Stivers, 1997). The last lesson in design comes from Baracoa on Cuba: ‘There is always something to be learned from a species or culture that’s about to become extinct. In Baracoa we found a highly advanced civilization maybe more advanced than the one we left back at home. It’s true that Windows 2000 and home shopping TV haven’t reached Baracoa yet. Neither have McDonald’s, Benetton or work-induced stress. In fact, Baracoa shows almost no signs of being wired in to the rest of the modern world. Yet Baracoans aren’t living in the past. On the contrary, they are way ahead of the times: Baracoans are coping now with problems the whole world will eventually face’ (Colors, 16, 1996.).
--------------------------------
* see the BBC film in honour of 30 years of PBS, The Elegant Universe (Brian Green) and dig with the ‘Autospade’ ultimate message of the film relative to the Autospade: Context is everything.
