Impact of Mortality and Immortality in Design
Have you ever wondered about the length of your life compared to the universe? The life expectancy of humans these days reaches 73.4 years, but the universe has lived for 13.7 billion years. Thousands of generations have lived and died, and the universe remains living towards the future to the point that there is perhaps a probability of an infinite universe.
In living our finite life, we have created things that change the course of our own life, those around us, and those in the future, including the environment we touched and haven't yet connected. It's why the era where human lives are called the Anthropocene.
Sometimes we are aware of the impact of our existence; sometimes, we are blind, purposefully and not. But we've recently realized that our blindness and perhaps ignorance can cause catastrophic results to humans and the immediate environment of that human touches.
Bhuana Lounge Chairs by AlvinT made out of natural rattan
Of course, freedom of thinking allows us to produce a different point of view toward our mortality in the infinite universe. There is a spectrum for these points of view. On one part of the spectrum, we may have the stance to live as we may, using the term "you only live once" as the excuse to care no things but our worldly joy. To live in the present is limited to our life expectancy. We can also be daring in any field and task, assuming that no one will remember us anyway.
On the other spectrum, we can have the principle of selflessness where our existence is but of collective purpose. To the point that "I" should be the same as everyone else to reach our goal, despite the danger of being trapped in self-righteousness.
Individuality seems to thrive in the first point of the abovementioned spectrum. We can be as wild as our imagination goes—no rules applied. Designers may design just about anything they want with any functionality or materials. A chair entirely made of gold, an indisposable cloth, a robotic hand to feed you dinner so you can work while eating, and any other things you can imagine. But is it something we want and need? Who are "we"? As a social species, we can't cut our deeds' impact on ourselves. It will ripple to people around us and the people in the future. Is it something that we, across foreseeable time and space, feel might be helpful to create a better life?
Bhuana Lounge Chairs by AlvinT made out of natural rattan
The second spectrum point, where self is but a collective self, might let us see things differently. Yes, we can create the same wild things because of the "must be." "This must be the thing that everyone uses." "This must be the path that everyone took." Despite the diversity of each of our own needs and life's contexts, we must apply one way to make things better in the future. One type of chair for everyone, despite people's physical sizes and cultural customs, makes production as efficient as possible. One type of bed to sleep in despite the different bodily needs we have.
Sits somewhere in the middle are where the two spectrum points pull on each other—creating an unstable state of existence, principles, and decisions that keep on changing. A person who stands in this area wiggles constantly to compromise on any subjects, both negatively and positively. They can also resist those with powerful influence and banded with those who have less.
Designers in this spectrum area dare to be curious about possibilities but consider their decision rigorously. Their decision comprises dozens of factors, including the realization that no single product can be eternal, but its use can be prolonged. In doing so, designers ask about their intelligence and question people that may use their creations.
We can say it sounds like a more democratic approach to our life and our creation.
Gyala Crib designed by AlvinT for Baby Rovega
Take Baby Rovega products from AlvinT as an example. Baby products are one of the most disposable items human-produced as their lifetime is limited to a baby's fast growth. Alvin Tjitrowirjo considers this reality plus the hassle of parents keeping up with their children's growth. Instead of designing a baby crib that can only be used for up to 3 years until they have outgrown the crib's sizes, the crib can be expanded so it will fit until they enter pre-teen age. It was also designed with aesthetics that reflect Indonesian culture with rattan and the designer's individuality—maintaining some of the perspectives that we only live once and in a short period.
The design consideration makes the product efficient and economically effective for the brand and users. It creates the opportunity to improve a family's life through an unexpected catalyst: a baby crib!
We can see a similar approach with baby clothes made by Petit Pli, which won the James Dyson Award in the UK. The Petit Pli's expanding dresses, inspired by outer space garments, are so challenging but wearable, with an ageless aesthetic, that one of the cloth types can be used for five years despite children's physical growth.
With genuine individuality and all of its design considerations, Baby Rovega's cribs and Petit Pli's clothes would last longer at home and in the market. Because, looking at past impactful personalities, brands, and aesthetics, we saw that genuineness could ripple through time and hence, generations.
