Collaborations / Collective Difference
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago was one of six schools to win a booth at the 2005 International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Their design installation ‘Collective-Difference’ won the Editors Award for Best Booth by a Design School. The team of fourteen design students was lead by faculty members Helen Maria Nugent, Douglas Pancoast and John Manning.
The team designed and fabricated a booth that literally and figuratively weaves together products, objects and architecture into an integrated and fluid design. The architectural loom-like structure functions as a dynamic machine-like environment to distribute colorfully printed tyvek tote bags and delrin business card clips. To eliminate waste the bags have a positive-negative configuration so the end of one bag is the beginning of the next. The lightweight but hardwearing bags can be customized for user comfort by tying the straps at the appropriate length. Throughout the 4-day event the team cut bags from the rolls and distributed them to visitors. This act of removal resulted in a constantly shifting pattern on the surface of the booth. By the end of the fair only trace elements of these give-away’s remained and the bags traveled out into the world.
The wonderful student team included: Ryan Alexander, Amelia Black, Insun Cho, Moon Jung Choi, Sara DiNoto, Steve Haulenbeek, Tae Ryung Kim, Jungsoo Kim, Okyung Kim, Jessie Marks, Bryan Metzdorf, Erwin Overes, Emily Pilloton, and Travis Saul
This project received the generously support of these sponsors:
- Winzler Gear (Delrin Card Clip)
- Quantum Sails, Neenah Printing and DuPont Tyvek (Tyvek Bags)
- Skidmore Owings and Merril
- Booth Hanson
A second version of this project was included in the product design exhibition ‘Designs for Life’ at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, January 12 – February 28, 2007.
- Materials:
- Medex + Printed Tyvek + Delrin + Electronics
- Dimensions:
- 17” or 30”H X 31”W X 15”D
