Main and bottom left: The future is here exhibition designed by by Lucienne Roberts+ and drMM; Bottom right: KUKA Robotics’ AGILUS robots
Work has kept me quite busy lately, but I finally managed to visit “The future is here: a new industrial revolution” exhibition at the Design Museum on its last day at the last hours!
We have all witnessed the industrial revolution ( I mean at the 2012 Olympics Opening ceremony directed by Danny Boyle), and this exhibition focused on the possibility of a new one based on the past, current industry trends and technology.
Top left: Orangebox’s Do task chair; Top middle: Endless Flow dining chair by Dirk Vander Kooij; Top right: CNC (computer numerical controlled) technology; Bottom right: Puma’s biodegradable trainers
The exhibition examined areas like mass manufacturing and production; mass customisations; sustainability and the recyclable products; crowd sourcing and 3-D printing. There were many interesting products at the exhibition like Puma‘s InCycle biodegradable trainers, the ecological Do task chair by Orangebox, KUKA Robotics‘ two AGILUS robots and Ron Arad’s 3-D printed eyewear. You can watch his interview here:
As much as I want to believe that we are at the beginning of a new industrial revolution, I am skeptical about the time it will take to filter down from the top ( don’t forget that the companies and products featured at the exhibition are all pioneers and a minority in the industry). Although technology is rapidly improving and spreading ( i.e. 3-D printing), consumers are still the vital link in all this. If we look at the fashion and consumer electronic industries, we can see that sustainability is still in its infancy. Do the average Primark shoppers really care about where or how their ‘on trend’ fashion items are made? Do the gadget lovers who would spend days queuing for the latest gadget or smartphones care about where their old electronic goods end up?
Grimm City – an architectural fairytale by FleaFollyArchitects at The Design Museum tank
A revolution cannot happen without collective effort, so influential and leading organisations/ companies and consumers all have responsibilities to make it happen. Consumers may not realise how powerful they can be, their purchasing decisions can certainly create ripples in the industry. At the end of the day, changes can only take place through better education on the origins of our consumer goods, awareness and our will to protect and make this world a better place for the future generation.