Florentijn Hofman

In this piece, Florentijn Hofman constructed two slugs, each with 20,000 plastic bags. The slugs were slowly pulled toward a cathedral in Angers, France, and pulled in a large crowd to witness the event. Hofman’s purpose for this work was to make one be reminded of “religion, mortality, natural decay and the slow suffocation of commercialized societies.” 

One of the slow design principles that is evident in this work is Reveal, as those witnessing the slugs are stunned by the large size and bright colors, only to realize that they are constructed of single use plastic bags, items that are used in everyday life and whose existence are not given a second thought. This realization may cause witnesses to reflect on our large scale consumption of plastic and its effects it may have.

Interstitial Fragment Processor, Golan Levin

This work is an interactive installation in which participants stand before their shadows on a screen, and are encouraged to create “holes” using their silhouettes, which then fill up with a positive, colored mass that creates a sound and afterward falls to the floor. The main slow design principle being utilized in this work is participation, as those viewing the piece must take part in order for it to be effective. This results in improvised performances, and a reflection on the human body and the space around it. 

Fantasy Project # 1

A project that I have visualized is one in which discarded cell phones are placed on a wall, and displayed on the screens are slideshows of saved screenshots of important conversations, photos, or anything else regarding a special memory belonging to the phone’s former owner. The idea is that although cell phones are highly personal items in which memories are recorded and preserved, they are also often easily discarded in exchange for a newer model.

Fantasy Project #2

Another project that I had in mind was a trash can that recorded the weight of the waste that one would discard inside of it, and displayed the number for the user to see. It would keep track of the pounds of waste the person had tossed and provide an idea of the amount in pounds of waste generated per day, week, month, and year. The idea is for one to be conscious of their waste habits, and to encourage repurposing or recycling of objects that would otherwise be discarded.