WHY TO BUILD A BOAT - A search for meaning through crafts
Material research, design philosophy
Eindhoven, Netherlands
July 2024
July 2024
The project “Why to build a boat” consists of three interconnected components: a constructed boat, material exploration, and an accompanying publication. Together, they examine the evolution of design from a survival tool to a medium for comfort, immortality, and capital.
The boat serves as both a physical artifact and a symbol of humanity's early design breakthroughs—specifically, the invention of watercraft that enabled humans to traverse vast ecosystems, altering the course of survival and ecological balance. Alongside the construction, the project includes material experimentation with linoleum, pushing the boundaries of traditional techniques to explore its potential in unconventional contexts.
The accompanying publication provides a conceptual framework, tracing the trajectory of design from its origins in survival to its modern roles in comfort, capitalism, and cultural relevance. It critically reflects on design’s inability to define itself outside of context, questioning whether it exists as a practical tool or a form of expression.
"Why to Build a Boat" is a multifaceted investigation into the purpose and justification of design today. Through the interplay of object-making, material research, and theoretical discourse, the project challenges the viewer to reconsider the role of design in a world where survival has been replaced by the pursuit of comfort and legacy.
The boat serves as both a physical artifact and a symbol of humanity's early design breakthroughs—specifically, the invention of watercraft that enabled humans to traverse vast ecosystems, altering the course of survival and ecological balance. Alongside the construction, the project includes material experimentation with linoleum, pushing the boundaries of traditional techniques to explore its potential in unconventional contexts.
The accompanying publication provides a conceptual framework, tracing the trajectory of design from its origins in survival to its modern roles in comfort, capitalism, and cultural relevance. It critically reflects on design’s inability to define itself outside of context, questioning whether it exists as a practical tool or a form of expression.
"Why to Build a Boat" is a multifaceted investigation into the purpose and justification of design today. Through the interplay of object-making, material research, and theoretical discourse, the project challenges the viewer to reconsider the role of design in a world where survival has been replaced by the pursuit of comfort and legacy.
