environment creating an opportunity to reconligure it to suit our 'illegitimate' needs, establishing new and unofficial narratives.

Some people already exploit the potentially subversive possibilities of this parallel world of illicit pleasures stolen from commodified experience. They seek out (&)user-friendly products that lend themselves to imaginative possibilities for short-circuiting thecombinatorial limits suggested by escape normalisation and ensure that even a totally manufactured environment has room for danger, electronic products.This rangesfrom terrorists fashioning bombs and weapons out of mundane I ,

adventure and transgression. We don't think that design can ever fully anticipate the richness of this

i j unofficial world and neither should it. But it can draw inspiration from it and develop new design

: ! approaches and roles so that ar our new environment evolves, there is stillscope for rich and complex

already know about people, and weave new idea into existing realities. The resultingscenarios extend Beta-testers have learnt how to derive enjoyment from electronic materiality, from rejecting the pre-existent reality into the future and so reinforce the status quo rather than challenging it. Their slick material realities on offer and constructing their own. They display a level of pleasure in customisation

currently limited to home DNand custom car hobbyists. Many specialist magazines and booksare produced to show us what the future could be like, design works to keep official values in place. already available that show readers how to modify or hveakeveryday electronic products. Most of them

are a little technical, but only because knowledge of electronics is still not ar common ar other forms of practical know-how. After all, an ever-growing number of home improvement magazines and TV programmes thrive on the pleasure people get from modifying their environments themselves- of customising reality. Maybe in the future we will see popular electronics magazines that show us how to turn our mobile phones into eavesdropping devices in three easy steps?

............................................................ their scanners are conliscated. Many of these stories illustrate the nanative space entered by using and Consumers ar anti-heroes: some cautionary tales

The almost unbelievable stories reported in newspapers testify to the unpredictable potential of human - . beings to establish new situations despite the constraints on everyday life imposed through electronic objects. We are interested in people who have assimilated electronic technologies so fully into their lives that they feel comfortabledoing things others would thinkof as almost too sacred or highly charged for technology. These individuals can be thought ofar sad, bared on the view that playing out deeply human narratives through technological objects is degrading and inferior to more traditional media. Or they can be seen as early adopters, able to find meaning and recognise the potential of new technologies for

! ............................................................ supporting complex human emotions and desires. Amateur subversions and beta-testers

Teenagers are now using their mobile phones to intimidate each 0ther.A new form of bullying has When an object's use is subverted, it is ar though the protagonist is cheating the system and deriving emerged since Christmas 1999, when a huge number of teenagers in Britain received pre-paid mobile more pleasure than is his or her due. The subversion of function relates to a breakdown of order; phones ar gifts. Earlier in the year, a 15-year-old war driven to suicide after receiving up to 20 silent calls something else becomes visible, unnameable, unable to find a correspondence in the material world. in halfan hour. The teenager left a suicide text message on her mobile phone the night before she died. This subversion of function is related to not being able to find the right word, leading to the coining of The fact that her suicide note war in the form of a text message rather than handwritten will seem even neologisms that bend language toaccommodate something new. Desire leads toasubversion of the more tragic to some, but to this girl text messages played a more vital role in her life than letters.

As asociety we are struggling to define and communicate the safe use of new media to teenagers lust as we have developed models of safe behaviour for the street and for dealing with strangers In cars, we will

I have to do so for phonesand computers. It is not that these technolog~es are in themselves harmful, it is their use and misuse that weneed to understand. Another distressing example is that ofthe 16-year-old

E 1,

I matter of time before purely text-based romancing matures asa genre of its own.

' A more humorous example is the man ~n Australia who married his TV During the ceremony, he placed

he watched up to ten hours aday. It is easy to criticise people who watch so much TI! but tn many ways 1 I i this form of happiness shows what might be in store for the r a t of us as society becomes even more

other people because of technology; they have found happiness with technolgy instead. Before the i advent of telwision and the web, they might have been loncly. I Maybe these obsessive behaviours provide glimpses ofa future where electronic products have been fuliy assimilated into everyday culture and our psyche. They are cautionary tales; they push our i relationship with the medium of electronic technology to thelimit. This is despite the design of the 1

; products: in fact there is acontmt behveen the banal design of many electronic products and the extreme misuses they are subjected to. Products could offer more complex and demanding aesthetic experiences if designers referred to this bizarre world of the 'infra-ordinary', where stories show that truth is indeed stranger than fiction, and prove that our experience ofeveryday day lifelived through conventional electronic products is aesthetically impoverished.

/I When objects dream ...

N a t i o n a l R a d i o Q u i e t Zone, USA the disproportionately high incidence of leukaemia in children living near the transmitter site, in

,,,arch 2001 the Italian Environment Minister charged three senior officials of the radio station with ~talian laws on electromagnetic emissions. The Vatican denied causinga health hazard, and

only agreed to reduce the number oftransmissions as a goodwill gesture after the government threatened to cut offthe electricity supply to its radio station. As the Vatican enjoys the legal status of an independent city-state, its lawyers also claimed immunity from Italian laws in this case, and argued that the station's emission levels did comply with the less stringent international standards. This fusion of religious content, electromagnetic space, health concerns and government regulations is a particularly colourful example of struggles occurring all over the developed world between large corporations, governments and increasingly concerned citizens.

~h~ rapid expansion of uses for the electromagnetic spectrum has resulted in a new form of pollution, or electrosmog. Many different organisations exist to raise awareness of these issues, from the official, like the FEB (The Swedish Association for the Electro-sensitive) to the grassroots, like the EMFGuru website. Thereare also specialist centres such as the Breakspear Hospital in England, which specialises intreatingenvironmenhl illnesses, including hypersensitivity to electromagnetic fields. But much of the information available on the effects of electromagnetic pollution is quite technical and difficult to understand. Powerlines (1997). apoetic documentary film by Helen Hall, uses dance and music to

the mystery of electromagnetic fields, the promise of new energy, and the dangers of electromagnetic pollution. It is an artistic interpretation of a scientific area and introduces the topic to anaudience who otherwise might be alienated by the technical subject matter. Located on the edge of a

The hertzian landscape even has its own natural preserves. In the US, West Virginia state legislature global electronic culture, it explores the shifts beginning to occur in the ways we relate to our uses the Radio Astronomy Zoning Act to create a National Radio Quite Zone. This 13,000 square mile environment, especially when we have to move beyond our senses: area is designed to be an electromagnetic sanctuary, relatively free from electromagnetic pollution.

Situated close to the state border between Virginiaand West Virginia, the zone is shielded from the 'As the environment becomes flooded with electromagnetic radiation, all our senses are swamped with nearest city by a mountain range, there are no high-powered radio or TVstations nearby and only a few energy and information. While the entire world becomes electrified we are being overloaded by avast electric power transmission lines pass through the landscape. Commercial airlines do not fly overhead, world of electronic images, lights, and sounds, as huge amounts of information travel around the world so there are no radar signals, and heavy trucks and buses are only allowed to pass on the other side of at the speed of lightand interact with the millions ofelectrical processes in every living cell of our the mountains. TheNRQZ was established by the Federal Communications Commission in 1958 to minimise the risk of interference to theNational Radio Astronomy Observatory located at Green Bank.

Thearea is also home to listening post run by the US Navyat Sugar Grove, which was once intended to H e l e n H a l l , f r o m t h e s c r i p t o f P o w e r l i n e s . be the site for the world's biggest bug. Even today, the area is still shrouded in secrecy.

The uncertainty about the effects of electro-pollution has resulted in aplethora of companies producing ------------------------------------------------------------ and selling protective devices, many ofwhich seem highly unscientific. One company called LessEMF

manufactures and sells protective underwear via the internet under the category of personal protection

Electronic objects are disembodied machines with extended invisible skins. They couple and decouple

with our bodies without us knowing. Working on microscopic scales, often pathogenic, many 'Gain control of your inner environment-very sheer, comfortable undergarments you can wear over electromagnetic fields interfere with the cellular structure of the body. Paranoia accompanies dealings your regular underwear to shield yourself from powerline and computer electric fields, and microwave. with such hertzian machines. How do they touch us? Do they merely reflect off our skin, or the surface radar, and TV radiation. This silver-plated, stretchable, washable nylon mesh is electrically conductive. ofour internal organs? In other words, do they merely 'see' us, or can they 'read' us too, extracting It reflects radiation. Plus you won't get those static shocks as you used to in dry weather and your personal information about our identity, status, and health? clothes won't cling to you1 Fabric provides up to 35 dB of shielding at 10OMHz. Made in USA. Surround

what you want to protect!' Vatican Radio broadcasts the Pope's speeches and events to the furthest corners of the world in 40

languagesviaa forest of 58 antennae located at Santa Maria di Galeria near Rome. Following concern at ht-

j through the magnetic fields and electronic workings of video cassettes, video players, TVs and the Faraday cage, p.26

telephonesystem rather than hallways and cellars. There is something poetic about the ideaofa ghost existing in a magnetic medium, breaking into everyday life through products that shape and transform the verysame media.

Lawyers, criminals and the superstitious are already aware of these issues, designers and architects need to explore them too. Not just by finding new ways of exploiting the electromagnetic spectwm as a medium, but by defining and giving tangible expression to new thresholds between inside and outside, public and private, mine and yours, within a cultural context.

............................................................ Immaterial sensuality

As a result of these changing notions and shifting boundaries, a whole host of technologies, devices and materials have been developed to offer protection or shelter from the spectrum. These objects and materials could be defined as 'radiogenic', that is they interact directly with electromagnetic waves, either reflecting energy, converting it or diverting i t Radiogenic objects and materials function as unwitting interfaces between the abstract space ofelectromagnetism and the material culture of this shielding technology. His project proposes a new settlement populated by radio enthusiasts everyday life, revealing unexpected points of contact between them. This fusion of the immaterial and broadcasting opinions and (dis)information from avery dense site in Berlin. The city's fabric consists of sensual can generate some intriguingsituations, objects and aesthetic possibilities. a layering of protective surfaces, or fapdes, which protect broadcasters from the electromagnetic waves

generated. In the true spirit of radio hams, the city is to be assembled by its inhabitants themselves, The challenge today is not to create electronicspace, but electronic-free space. The extent of hertzian using a selection of designed parts and a set of c o n s t ~ c t i o n guidelines. space is reflected in the difficulty of finding electromagnetically unpolluted parts of the globe as sites for intelligence gathering 'antenna farms'and the use of Faraday cages to create 'empty' zero-field spaces Most of the materials Michell has chosen to focus on are familiw elements of domestic surface for isolating sensitive equipment. A modern war is won by the side that best exploits the decoration such as wallpaper and net curtains, modified to filter out electromagnetic fields. His Faraday electromagnetic spectrum, denying the enemy its effective use and protecting friendly electromagnetic Curtains consist of readily available domestic net curtains soaked in clear resin before being vacuum systems against electronic attack. In order to prevent electronic eavesdropping, many office buildings metalicised with copper. Although a design proposal, this project is intended to be technically feasible. are now designed to function as Faraday cages, utilising electromagneticshielding materials For instance, the lace used for the curtains was checked to ensure the holes were of a suitable throughout the structure. Ceramic conductive coatings or fine blackened copper wire meshes are dimension to shield against short wave radio waves. The final result expresses a hertziin domesticity, laminated in glass to create 'dahsafe' windows. The same technology is used to protect sensitive acknowledging the need for privacy and homeliness while providing psychological and physical equipment inside buildings from bursts of external radiation. protection from electromagnetic fields.

A different approach to shelters was explored by another architect, Pedro Sepulveda-Sandoval, as part of his ongoing research into digital shelters for the scanscape. His kit for making temporary zones of

Faraday Chair (1998), for example, we used a conductive ceramic coating to shield the occupant.This privacy consists of specially made tape with the words 'digital shelter' printed on it and a waveshield utilitarian shelter of minimum dimensions and comfort might even be a retreat, a new place to dream, mobile phone jammer. When the electromagnetic shelter is set up, the only visible indication of its away from the constant bombardment by the radiation of telecommunications. We just do not know existence is a taped rectangle marking the functional limits of the phone jammer. This project very what the real effects ofthe new space that has been constructed are, but to completely shield our homes clearly demonstrates the environmental qualities of electromagnetic fields: when somebody steps inside is a luxury only the rich could afford. the taped boundary, their mobile phone stops working. It is as though they have stepped into an

invisible shelter that prevents telephone signals from penetrating its walls. Antenna test-sites and other specially designed technical environments like anechoic chambers are used to measure an object's 'leakiness' in order to predict its effect on other objects. The complexity and Waveshield devices are currently used in cinemas and restaurants to minimise 'social pollution'; they specificity of these spaces show just how difficult it is to create fully-shielded environments. Most work by generatinga radio signal that prevents the telephone from communicating with a base station, protective environments concentrate on blocking only particular wavelengths. In City of Fapdes thereby losing its connection with the network. The UK distributor for these devices requires (2001), architect Oliver Michell has developed a range of prototype Faraday Curtains that make use of government approval before one can be sold. Using a jammer constitutes a form of trespass.

Like all supposedly immaterial medla, herhian space has ~ t s material props In the case of mob~le phone D l g l t a l S h e l t e r b y P e d r o S e p u l v e d a - S a n d o v a l , p . 2 7 networks, ~t IS the unsightly masts dotted throughout the countlys~de and perched on bulldlngs In all major cltles and towns There are believed to be more than 20,000 such masts In Brltain and an P e e l t h e b a c k l n g o f f t h e D l g l t a l S h e l t e r a d h e s l v e t a p e a n d s t l c k estimated 100,000 more will be needed over the next decade Several Amerlcan companies lncludlng t o t h e f l o o r I n t h e c h o s e n s p a c e . A t t a c h r n o b l l e p h o n e lar--- -- -"- ARCNET of New Jersey, the Larson Company ofArlzona, Valmont Industries ofNebraska, and AT&T are

cactus designs are also be available, to suit different environments

Hundreds of church spires already cany some form of telecommunications equipment and in return the churches receive a rent of behveenE3,OOO -£30,000 per year. One of the most intriguing stealth antennas is located in Guildford cathedral in Surrey. The telecommunications company One-to-one offered to re-gild the cathedral's 5 m angel weather vane with gold leafat a cost of620.000 if it was allowed to place a radio mast inside it. The pole on which the vane rotates has been replaced by a new steel structure concealing three transmitters.

Solutions like these are produced outside ofa conventional design context. Whereas a professional designer might tly to express the meaning of the antenna, or create a 'modernist'sculptural statement

1 ' J O I ~ to create an accidentally poetic landmark. Electron~c technology g~ves ensting objects, in this case a weathervane, new and almost magical aualltles The Gulldford angel expresses beautifully the poetic

Rather than forclng material culture to express thls fusion, the angel antenna is an example of how I i juxtaposition could lead to a more enjoyable, lf cerebral, meetmg of matenal and electron~c cultures.

Q

NO PERFUME

NO PERFUMED PRODUCTS

NO AFTERSHAVE

NO SMOKING

NO FLOWERS

@ @

Entrance sign, Breakspear Hospital, Hemel Hempstead, p.21 Personal protection devices by LessEMF, p.21

. TheTruth Phone and similar electronic objects generate a conceptual space where interactivity can challenge and enlarge the scheme through which we interpret our experiences of using everyday electronic objects and the social experiences they mediate. The effect isnot only limited to products:

If the current situation in product design is analogous to the Hollywood blockbuster, thenan as its name suggests, Ace-Alibi.com is a service for creating false alibis. When you subscribe, you might

interesting place to explore in more detail might be its opposite: Design Noir. h a genre, it would focus choose an option that involves beingsent a letter inviting you to a conference. The letterwill be

on how the psychological dimensions ofexperiences offered through electronic products can be expanded. postmarked with the correct area code, and you can also arrange to leave a contact number which will By referring to the world of product misuse and abuse, where desire overflows its material limits and be answered in the correct regional accent. Franchises of this service are available, although the people

subverts the function of everyday objects, this product genre would address the darker, conceptual behind the schemeare nervous about offering the service in the United States, in case they are sued for

models ofneed that are usually limited to cinema and literature. I their part in helping employees bunk offwork. We find this service interesting because it meets areal need not fulfilled anywhere else. You may not agree with it or choose to use it, but many people use this

Noir products would be conceptual products, a medium that fuses complex narratives with everyday service. The pleasure provided by the existence of a service like this lies is in resolving the dilemma it

life. This is very diiferent from conceptual design, which usesdesign proposals as a medium for presents. It isas though the internet reflects human nature inall its imperfections while the material

exploring what these products might be like. Conceptual design can exist comfortably in book or video world of consumer products only reflects idealised notions of correct behaviour.

form, it is about life whereas conceptual products are part of life. With this form of design, the 'product' would be a fusion of psychological and external 'realities', the user would become a protagonist and co- producer of narrative experience rather than a passive consumerofa product's meaning. The mental interface between the individual and the product is where the 'experience' lies. Electronic technology beaches. Designed for those 'little white lies in between', the CD is intended to be played in the

makes this meeting more fluid, more complex and more interesting. background while you are making a telephone call from a place you should not be. This soundtrack CD

( allows you to cut and paste reality. Its very existence triggers a chain of thoughts and narratives in the Like in Film Noir, the emphasis would be on existentialism. Imagine objects that generate 'existential ! imagination.

moments' - a dilemma, for instance -which they would stage or dramatise.These objects would not help people to adapt to existing social, cultural and politialvalues. Instead, the product would force a decision onto the user, revealing how limited choices are usually hard-wired into products for us. On another level, we could simply enjoy the wickedness of the values embedded in these products and services.Theirvery existence is enough to create pleasure.

Many interesting examples of noir products already exist, but they are not created by designers. TERMS, CONDITIONS 6 DISCLAIMER

The best examples of how design responds to the psychological and behavioural dimensionsofelectronics can be found at the edges of anonymous design. These products and services work on a radically D o c u m e n t a t i o n i s i s s u e d b y F a s t T r a c k S e r v i c e s t o t h e c l i e n t f o r

different aesthetic principal from traditional products: it is what they do that creates pleasure, not how t h e p u r p o s e s o f s u b s t a n t i a t i n g a n a l i b i t o h e l p e n s u r e t h a t a

they look and feel. It is the thrill of transgression that counts here. Even if we do not use them, just r e l a t i o n s h i p r e m a i n s s t a b l e a n d i s n o t t o b e u s e d i n c o n j u n c t i o n imagining these objects in use creates a strong and perversely enjoyable experience. They show how w i t h T a x R e t u r n s , V a t P u r p o s e s o r f o r a n y o t h e r f i n a n c i a l g a i n . ~ l l

design products and services can function as a medium for producing complex psychological experiences.

i n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h a n y c r i m i n a l a c t w h a t s o e v e r . F a s t T r a c k S e r v i c e s The Truth Phone, a real product produced by the Counter Spy shop, is one example of how a Noir w i l l n o t b e h e l d r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e b r e a k down o f a n y r e l a t i o n s h i p product might work. It combines avoice stress analyser with a telephone, and shows how electronic products have the potential to generate a chain of events which together form a story. If you consider products in this way, the focus of the design shifts from concerns of physical interaction (passive button

o f f e r a s e r v i c e t o h e l p p r o t e c t t h e f a m i l y u n i t o r r e l a t i o n s h i p f r o m I

pushing) to the potential psychological experiences inherent in the product. Imaginespeaking to your I d i s t r e s s c a u s e d b y e m o t i o n a l o r a n y o t h e r t u r m o i l w h i c h may o c c u r

mother or a lover while the Truth Phone suggests they are lying. The user becomes a protagonist and 1 d u e t o t h e d i s c l o s u r e o f a n y a c t i o n s t a k i n g p l a c e o u t s i d e o f t h e

the designer becomes a co-author ofthe experience, the product creates dilemmas rather than n o r m a l r e l a t i o n s h i p . F a s t T r a c k S e r v i c e s d o n o t c o n d o n e o r d i s a g r e e

resolving them. By using the phone, the owner explores boundaries between himself and the paranoid w i t h s a i d a c t i o n s . A l t h o u g h a l l p o s s i b l e s a f e g u a r d s a n d m e a s u r e s a r e

user sugyested by the product, entering into a psychological adventure. t a k e n , n o g u a r a n t e e i s g i v e n t o a n y member t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e i r p a r t n e r w i l l n o t become a w a r e o f " o t h e r " r e l a t i o n s h i p s . NO R e f u n d s w h a t s o e v e r a r e g i v e n u n d e r a n y c i r c u m s t a n c e s .

In Japan they have taken this idea one step further. One love hotel there allows you to select avariety S u i c i d e Compu te r , d r awn b y Tom G a u l d ( t o p ) a n d R e i T~~~~ ( b o t t o m ) , p .48 of background environmental sounds to give the impression you are calling from a train station, street, bar etc. while youare really on the phone in your hotel room. Like Ace-Alibi.com, thisservice may not be to everyone's taste, but it uses technology to satisfy unacknowledged but genuine needs, rather than manufactured ones. On another level, this love hotel is an interesting counterpoint to the typical 'smart

The company that produces the Alibi CD also produce Nie Mehr Nlein (Alone No More),a CD of the familiar sounds of everyday domestic tasks that became acult hit. Bernd Klosterfelde had the idea for this product shortly after finding himself living alone after a divorce. He asked a friend to invite his girlfriend around, and then proceeded to record her doing everything from the washing up and the laundry to reading the newspaper. Imagine if this were one of many radio stations you could tune into. The producer claims this CD is a manifesto for singletons. This product not only recognises loneliness, but celebrates it.

A l o n e n o m o r e

1. T h e f r i d g e i s f u l l a g a i n a t l a s t 2 . C a p p u c c i n o b r e a k 3 . R e a d i n g t h e p a p e r 4 . T ime t o d o t h e w a s h i n g u p 5 . A s h i r t i s q u i c k l y i r o n e d 6 . B a k i n g a c a k e f o r t h e b e l o v e d 7 . A b a t h is j u s t t h e t h i n g 8. And s t r a i g h t o n t o t h e s u n b e d 9 . G e t t i n g o u t t h e h a i r d r y e r 1 0 . N a t u r e c a l l s 11. F o r g o t t o d o t h e v a c u u m i n g 1 2 . J u s t t y p i n g u p t h a t l e t t e r o n t h e c o m p u t e r 1 3 . T h e r e ' s n o t h i n g o n TV a g a i n , a t l e a s t t h e c r l s p s a r e g o o d 1 4 . B e t t e r o f f r e a d i n g a n d h a v i n g a smoke 1 5 . S l amming a r o a s t i n t o t h e o v e n

Many products like these have an existential theme. They perplex rather than comfort, wen just thinking about them raises many important issues. Objects can be existential in other ways too, for instance in the form of computer-aided existentialism. Asuicide computer built to kill patients legally - b L Y* I

was developed by Dr. Philip Nitschke in theNorthemTerritory of Australia, where euthanasia was legal tke 9fiS- for a brief period in the 1990s. The machine consisted of a computer that asked the patient three times w:-& th whether they really wanted to die. If the patient agreed each time, then 100 ml of liquid Nembutal was pumped through a needle into the patient's arm. They fell asleep and died within a few minutes. The machine was first used in Danvin in 1996, and was bought by the ScienceMuseum in London in 2001.

.............. ~ h r a oblecL is similar in size LO a vashlng =china , , ................................................

Although discovered by accident, the orgasm generator is part of an almost secret history of inventions / , Orgasm i m p l a n t , d r a w n by Tarn C a u l d , p . 5 1 for pleasure. Very few of them have made it to the market place, but a look through patent records throws up some very interesting and strange ideas that again tell us more about the diversity of notions of pleasure than anything else. The US Patent Office provides a history of technological pleasure in the form of patents for sex aids collected over the last 150 years. The list includes contraception devices,

(including sex robots). The strange narrative of pleasure documented in patent drawings offers a technological reflection of human frustratioq fantasy, fear and pleasure. These objects are not science fiction or art, they were documented because they either solved a problem or provided exceptional pleasure. Their inventors were motivated by the hard reality of financial gain. They believed that each of these devices had a potential market, for example the need for methods of making sex safe in the age ofAlDS. The contents of the patent office represent a material cultural history of desire.

! i l l Today, large corporations know that as many of our basic needs are met, we desire to satisfy more

I! / abstract ones, but they are unsure what these might be. The current focus is on wellness and well-being.

.I1 I ~ a r t i c ~ ~ a t e , but the fact these things exist means our material culture reflects more accurately the 1

I i i l eventually wear off with Increased famil~ar~ty, ~t would sttll be valuable to l~ve w ~ t h them for awh~le. What Ifthey could be rented?Not l ~ k e a v ~ d e o or Itbrary book-although thefunct~on ~ s s i m ~ l a r - but l~ke mus~cal ~nstruments are today, and even palnt~ngs. We belleve there IS room for a new category of objects that prov~de complex aesthettc and psycholog~cal expertences w ~ t h ~ n everyday Itfe They could come in a varfety of genres of wh~ch noir ~ s j u s t one

............................................................ (Un)Popular design

product designers in particular, see the social value of their work as inextricably linked to the marketplace. Design outside this arena isviewed with suspicion as escapist or unreal. At the moment, the only

............................................................ Design is ideological

and creative design thinking.

When technology is developing as rapidly as it is now, reflection and criticism are particularly important. We need to consider alternative visions to those put forward by industry. Design, being To be considered successful in the marketplace, design has to sell in large numbers, therefore it h a to

accessible, contemporary and part of popular culture, is perfectly positioned to perform this role. be popular. Critical designcan never be truly popular, and that is its fundamental problem. Objects that

But in order to achieve this, some significant shifts need to occur. We need to develop a parallel design are critical of industry'sagenda are unlikely to be funded by industry. Asaresult, they will tend to remain

activity that questions and challenges industrial agendas. one-offs. Maybe we need a new category to replace the avant-garde: (un)popular design.

Most designers, especially industrial designers, view design assomehow neutral, cleanand pure. The design profession needs to mature and find ways of operatingoutside the tight constraints of

But all design is ideological, the design process is informed by values based on a specific worldview, or servicing industry.At its worst, product design simply reinforces global capitalist values. It helps to

way of seeingand understanding reality. Design can be described as falling into two very broad categories: ' create and maintain desire for new products, ensures obsolescence, encourages disatisfaction with

affirmative design and critical design.The former reinforces how things are now, it conform to cultural, what we have and merely translates brand values into objects. Design needs to see this for what it is,

social, technical and economic expectation. Most design falls into this category. The latter rejects how just one possibility, and develop alternative roles for itself. It needs to establish an intellectual stance

things are now as being the only possibility, it provides a critique of the prevailing situation through of its own, or the design profession is destined to loose all intellectual credibility and beviewed simply

designs that embody alternative social, cultural, technical or economicvalues. as an agent of capitalism.

Weare not against industry, although it could direct more of its profits into serious design research rather than facile PR exercises. Industry is after all in the businw ofmaking money for its shareholders. More disturbing is the unwillingness of the design profession to take on a more responsible and

Critical design, or design that askscarefully crafted questionsand d e s u s think, is just as difficultand pro-active role within society. Before this can happen, designers will have to redeline their role. just as important as design that solves problems or finds answers. Being provocative and challenging embracing and developing new methods and approaches that simultaneously appeal and challenge

might seem like an obvious role for art, but art is far t w removed from theworld of mass consumption in the way a film or book does. More could be learnt from fine art where there is a history of critical

and electronic consumer products to be effective in this context, even though it is of course part of strategies for asking questions through objectsand stimulating debate in engaging ways.

consumerist culture.There is a place for a form ofdesign that pushes the cultural and aesthetic potential and role of electronic products and services to its limits. Questions must be asked about what we Instead ofthinking about appearance, user-friendliness or corporate identity, industrial designers could

actually need, about the way poetic moments can be intertwined with the everyday and not separated develop design proposals that challenge conventional values. But critical design must avoid the pitfalls

from it. At the moment, this type of design is neglected and regarded as secondary. Today, design's main of the 1970s by developingstrategies that link it back to everyday life and fully engage the viewer.

purpose isstill to provide new products-smaller, faster,different, better. Things are far more complex today than they were 30 years ago. It is not enough to simply offer an alternative, new strategies need to be developed that are both critical and optimistic, that engage with

Critical design is related to haute couture, concept cars, design propaganda, and visions of the luture, and challenge industry's technological agenda.

but its purpose is not to present the d r e a m of industry, attract new business, anticipate new trends or test the market. Its purpose is to stimulate discussion and debate amongst designers, industry and the Global corporations are becoming more powerful than states, as Noreena Hertz points out in The Silent

public about the aesthetic quality of our electronically mediated existence. It differs too from Takeover (2001) -the annual values ofsales ofeach of thesix largest transnational corporatiom, ranging experimental design, which seeks to extend the medium, extending it in the name of progress and between $111 and $126 billion, are now exceeded by the GDPs ofonly 21 nation states, and as a result, aesthetic novelty. Critical design takes as its medium social, psychological, cultural, technical and governments and politicians are loosing power. Corporations have a bigger influence on reality than economicvalues, in an effort to push the limits of lived experience not the medium. This has always government, and buying power is more important thanvoting power. Aworld where shopping has more been the case inarchitecture, but design isstruggling to reach this level of intellectual maturity. political impact thanvoting is a threat to democracy.

store (w.e toys .com) that attempted to use its superior size and financial power to force etoy to give up its domain name, even though the artists'site had been established long before the retailer's.Afraid that potential customersmight confuse the twosimilarly named sites, eToysoriginally tried to buy out the etoy brand, but their $500,000 offer was turned down. The toy company then set out to sue etoy, accusing the internet artists of unfair competition and trademark delusion. With the help of 1,800 volunteer etoy agents and activists, who served the cause by publicising the case on the net and in the news media, filing counter suits and establishingalliances, etoy succeeded in getting eToys to back off. During the course of the Toywar campaign, the value of the on-line toy store's stock dropped from $67 to $15 a share.

Not all artists choose to wage war against the corporate world. Instead of seeking arts funding, Lucy Kimbell preferred to present one of her projects as a business proposition and look for investors. Her

There has also been a shift in the intellectual landscape as relations between popular culture, the proposal was for a vibrating internal pager (VIP) using the same technology as vibrating mobile phones.

market and critical positions have changed. The marketplace is viewed as the only reality, or as Thomas If you liked someone, you could give them your VIP number and receive a gentle buzz when they called

Frankwrites in One Market Under God (2001) a form of'market populism' has taken hold, where people's you later. The product was never realised, in fact there is not even a picture of what it looks like. VIP

true desires are expressed and fulfilled through the marketplace. Anything outside of the marketplace exists as a description, a business proposal and an on-line application form.

is regarded as suspiciousand unreal. This state ofaffairs makes critical positions almost impossible, they are dismissed aselitist. It isalmost taboo for an industrial designer to rejectwhat the marketwants. Artists presenting themselves as employees of imaginary organisations or companies can also yield

some interesting results. Originally from an engineering background, Natalie Jeremijenko now

As the intermediary between the consumer and the corporation, the design profession is in a perfect describes herself as a staff engineer working for the Bureau of Inverse Technology (BIT). She has left

position to host a debate in the form of design proposals about technology, consumerism and cultural the ideaof artist as individual behind to work on a fictional organisation where she is just one employee.

value. But first designers will need to develop new communication strategies and move from narratives In Suicide Box (1996). BIT installed a motion detector and video camera near San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge to count the number of oeoole iumoine off. Later. a reoort was oroduced (engineer's reoort . .

1 1 : eiphasis from the object and demonstrating its feasibility to the experiences it &n offer. SB03: Jan 23-97) with recommendations for how the BlTSuicide Box data could be used to calculate i a 'robust and market responsive value of life'. There is something moresinister about the idea of an

Designers can learn much about this from the approaches developed by artists during the 1990s, when I organisation rather than an individual carrying out subversive work like this. 1

ageneral blurring of distinctions behveen fine art, design and business began to develop. For instance, theartist ro l l r r t iv~ AtplierVm I . i ~ < h n ~ ~ t h i l ~ wnvk~d nn t h ~ d ~ d o n of. nnntrh ahnrtionhin to hp One of the most comprehensive fusions ofart and corporate culture has to be Maywa Denki, an art unit

I anchored off the coast of Ireland and other catholic countries where abortion is illegal. Liam Cillick, I set up in 1993 by twolapanese brothers. Nobumichi and Masamichi Tosa. Describing themselves as

who explores decision making mechanisms in corporate culture and their impact on history, also 'parallel world electricians', they are organised as a business whose core activity is producinga variety

designs exhibitions, interiors and is working on a building. of devices. They even produce aMaywa Denki company profile explaining all the company's activities for potential jobapplicants. During their performances, or product promotions as they like to call them,

Other artists have concentrated on appropriating the business world'sorganisational structures to theywear costumes designed to look like those of a typical Japanese small to medium sized enterprise

produce work that fused fictional and real, legal, economicand cultural systems. Probably the best (SME). M a y a Denki produce three kinds ofobject: prototypes (NAKI), which are one-of-a-kind

known example is etoy, a corporation, art group and brand formed in 1994 by a group of architects, productsand are not for sale; multiples (GM-NAKl), which are reproductions of NAKl products and are

lawyers, pr'ogrammers, artists and designers. Their original aim was to create a purely digital identity for sale; and industrial Goods (TOY-NAKI) which are mass-produced in a factory and sold in the

(www.etoy.com) and break out of narrow art world constraints. All participating artists agree to sell mainstream marketplace. They also produce CDs, videos, books, uniforms and stationary. E them individual identity to etoy corporation forshares and to live an anonymous llfe as etoy agents.

: 60 i

Their NAKl series is a collection offish-inspired nonsense machines. Many of the products in the NAKI I

condoms.Although it is not clear how many people actually noticed these subtle interventions, it isa series have a darkly humorous side. Uke-Tel is a cage with a tank at the bottom, with hvoor three fish fresh and playful combination of set design and art.

swimming around in it. The cage is connected to a speaking clock. When the number is dialled, a spike is released and drops on to the fish below. It may or may nor kill one. Sei-Gyo is a cross-shaped, water- ------------------------------------------------------------ filled container mounted on a robotic vehicle. The direction the vehicle takes depends on which arm a Complicated pleasure

fish inside the container swims into. Gralish consists of a sheet of ~apersurrounded by a box into which a living fish dipped in ink is placed. The dying fish leaves a graphic pattern on the sheet: 'as each fish has We believe that in order for conceptual design to be effective, it must provide pleasure,or more a unique life, it also has a unique death'. Maywa Denki's industrial goods (TOY-NAKI) are so popular that specifically, provide a type of experience that Mar t inh i s has called 'complicated pleasure'. One way some Japanese department stores have a dedicated Maywa Denki department. Most of these products this could happen in design is through the development of value fictions. If in science fiction, the are not unlike the merchandising used to promote a new film -plastic miniatureversions of fictional technology is often futuristic while social values are conservative, the opposite is true in value fictions.

In these scenarios, the technologiesare realistic but thesocialand cultural values are often fictional, or at least highly ambiguous. The aim is to encourage the viewers to ask themselves why the values

Although their work borders on entertainment, Maywa Denki offer another way of thinking about embodied in the proposal seem'fictional'or 'unreal', and to question the social and cultural design in relation to both art and product markets, cutting across several genres and types ofactivity. mechanisms that define what is real or fictional. The idea is not to be negative, but to stimulate Originally signed to Sony Music Entertainment as musicians producing CDs and performances, they discussion and debate amongst designers, industry and the publicabout electronic technology and later transferred to the amusement and entertainment division ofYoshimoto Kogyo Co. Ltd, a well- everyday life. This is done by developing alternative and often gently provocative artefacts which set known agency for managing TV personalities and comedians. In 2000 they wereawarded 'A good ' out to engage people through humour, insight, surprise and wonder. design award for theme category' by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organisation. Maywa Denki use design as a form of entertainment, a dark counterpoint to the 'happy-ever-after'world ofAlessi The suspension of disbelief is crucial -if the artefacts are too strange they are dismissed, they have to

be grounded in how people really do behave. The approach is based on viewing values as raw material and shaping them into objects. Materialising unusual values in products is one way that design can be

Similarly subversive, Surrender Control is a poetic service by Matt Locke and Tim Etchells that was ave~ypowerful formofsocial critique. Thedesign proposals portrayed invalue fictionsderive their delivered to participants through their mobile phones. An experimental narrative in the form of SMS interest through their potential functionality and use. One of the main challenges of using value messages, Surrender Control drew users into an evolving game of textual suggestion, provocation and fictions is how they are communicated: we need tosee them in use, placed in everyday life, but in a way dare through instructions such as 'breaksomething and pretend it was an accident', or 'call somebody that leaves room for the viewer's imagination. We don't actually have to use the proposed products and tell them something that you have already told them. Don't explain'. The idea was to invite people ourselves, it is by imagining them being used that they have an effect on us. Value fictions cannot be too to live life in a strange dialogue with a distant other; to surrender some control. clear or they blend intowhat wealready know.Aslight strangeness is the key - tooweird and they are

instantly dismissed, not strange enough and they're absorbed into everyday reality. Television is medium ripe for subversion. Watched by millions, it touches nearly everyone's life but is heavily policed, in the US especially. The fear of being boycotted by the extreme Right, ofalienating The following examples, drawn from recent graduate projects at the Royal College of Art in iondon, sponsors and incurring the wrath of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) means serious show how design proposals like this might work. The projects explore the psychological and issues are rarely addressed on the main commercial TV channels. Oneattempt to change thissituation behaviourai dimensions of our relationship toobjects and services, rather than the technical, formal was a project to infiltrate the American soap opera Melrose Place, which is set in a Los Angeles or structural possibilities of consumer technologies. The emphasis isshifted from the aesthetics of apartment complex Artist Mel Chin had the idea of using TVas a medium for 'public art' that raises production to the aesthetics of consumption, an imaginedaesthetics of use. Like the examples from the important issues about gender, violence and infectious diseases. He approached the set designers of art world described earlier, these projects mix fiction and reality, borrow commercial structures and Melrose Place and offered to provide freeart to put in the background. When they agreed, Chin formed combine different media in an effort toengage and challenge the viewer. the GALA Committee, made up of students and teachers from University of Georgia and CalArts (Los Angeles), to collaborate on the design of props for the show which they called non-commercial Ippei Matsumoto uses product design to explore the powerful need for individual identity and meaning PIMs (product insertion manifestations). within a context ofglobal culture. WithLife Counter (2001), you choose how many years you would like

to or expect to live forand start the counter. Once activated, it counts down theselected time span at On closer inspection, many ofthe GALApaintings hanging in the Melrose Place apartments turn out to four different rates: the number of years, days, hours or seconds to go areshown on different faces. depict infamous LA locations where horrible violence or death occurred -Marilyn Monroe's bungalow @ Dependingon which face you choose todisplay, you may feel very relaxedas theyears stretch out ahead on the day she died, the apartment from which Rodney King's beating was videoed, Nicole Brown or begin to panic as you see your life speed away before your eyes. The counter is designed to be visually Simpson's house. Having noticed that characters on the show have a lot ofsex but are never shown unassuming andcould easily fit into the slightly retro-futuristic style ofthe moment. It is aclassic noir using condoms, GALAproduced bed linen for one bedroom scene that is covered in images of unrolled product, its power lies in its precise function andlow key display ofdisturbing information.

He is interested in how new technological possibilities will affect the way we treat other people in our 1 search for new pleasures. and asks us to think about the desirability of his scenarios becoming reality.

Auger's device allows someone to be somewhere they are not. Wearing a head-mounted display, the user receives information from a second person whose own headset is equipped with a video camera and binaural microphones. So for example, a person might be hired to spend time in a peep show, attend a meeting, go on a blind date or even shopping on somebody else's behalf -verbal instructions would be relayed from the user to the host via a speaker in their helmet. Should the host be to enjoy

though they were TV channels. Of course, this device could have socially beneficial uses too, providing the housebound with a means ofconnection to their environment, for instance.

Design proposals like these can really only exist outside the marketplace, as a form of 'conceptual design'- meaning not the conceptual stage ofa design project, but a design proposal intended to challenge preconceptions about how electronics shape our lives. These ideas might even be expressed in the form of filmsand books rather than products. Designers need to explore how such design thinking might re-enter everyday life in ways that maintain the design proposal's critical integrity and effectiveness, while facing accusations of escapism, utopianism or fantasy.

One way this could happen is if the design profession took on more social responsibility and developed its own independent vision, working with the public to demand more from industry than is currently on offer. This would require not only a shift in the way designersview their own position, but also how professional design organisationsand associations see their role. Perhaps they could follow the lead of some architechre institutions, and focus on the need to encourage di3erse visions through competitionsand workshops for practisingdesigners, as well as trying to engage the public through more challenging exhibitions and publications.

Or is this a role for 'academic'designers? Rather than writing papersand seeking conventional academic approval, they could exploit their privileged position to explore a subversive role for design as social critique. Free from commercial restrictions and based in an educational environment, they could develop provocative design proposals to challenge the simplistic Hollywood vision of the consumer electronics industry. Design proposals could be used as a medium to stimulate debateand discussion amongst the public, designers, and industry. The challenge is to blur the boundaries behveen the real and the fictional, so that the conceptual becomes more real and the real is seen as just one limited possibility among many.

_ - _ - - _ - - _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. P a r a s i t e l i g h t

Th is lead-c lad box on top of a ladder i s a p lace t a s t o r e p rec ious

n o t feed o f f EM f i e l d s and i s i n f a c t b a t t e r y powered. ~ i k e the n l p p l e

cha i r , i t uses on e l e c t r i c f i e l d sensor t o r e l a t e the i n t e n s i t y o f i t s

f u n c t i o n - i n t h i s case t h e amount of l i g h t emi t ted from 20 LEOS - t o

t h e s t r e n g t h of the f i e l d i t senses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ! 6. E l e c t r i c i t y d r a i n

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Compass t a b l e Some people who a re hyper -sens i t i ve t o e l e c t r i c i t y d r a i n excess

This t a b l e reminds you t h a t e l e c t r o n i c ob jec ts extend beyond t h e i r v i s i b l e l i m i t s . The 25 compasses s e t i n t o i t s su r face t w i t c h and s p i n

when o b j e c t s l i k e mobi le phones o r l a p t o p computers a r e ~ l o c e d on i t . The t w i t c h i n g needles con be i n t e r p r e t e d as be ing e i t h e r s i n i s t e r o r works i n t h e same way: you p l u g i t i n and s i t naked on a s t a i n l e s s

depending on the v iewer ' s s t a t e af mind. When we designed s t e e l p l a t e i n t h e seat. We o re p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t e r e s t e d where people

the compass tab le , we wondered i f a neat- f reak might try t o make a l l w i l l keep t h i s o b j e c t : i n t h e bathroam? Bedroom? S i t t i n g room? I s i t a

the needles l i n e up, i g n o r i n g t h e a r c h i t e c t u r a l space o f the room in 1 hygiene product , med i ta t i ve p iece o r f u n c t i o n a l c h a i r ?

favour o f t h e E a r t h ' s magnetic f i e l d .

- - - - _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ - _ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3. N i p p l e c h o i r

Th is t a b l e has a g l o b a l p o s i t i o n i n g sensor i n s i d e i t . I t can o n l y d isp lay i t s p o s i t i o n i n the wor ld when i t has a c l e a r view o f t h e s a t e l l i t e s , t h e r e s t of the t ime i t i s l o s t and i n d i c a t e s t h i s f a c t .

The i d e a l owner w i l l need a conservatory o r l a r g e window, o r a garden

aware of t h e r a d i o waves p e n e t r a t i n g t h e i r to rso . I t i s up t o them so t h a t they can a t l e a s t b r i n g t h e t a b l e outdaors from t ime t o t ime

whether they s tay and en joy the g e n t l e buzz, o r move t o a ' q u i e t e r ' so i t con connect w i t h a s a t e l l i t e and f u l f i l i t s p o t e n t i a l . We l i k e

spot. A 5 f i e l d s can a l s o f l ow up through the s i t t e r ' s body from

e l e c t r i c w i r i n g runn ing underneath t h e f l o o r , t h e c h o i r has f o o t r e s t s so t h a t you can i s o l a t e your fee t from t h e ground. We l i k e t h a t i t i s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . s l i g h t l y anthropomorphic; i t ' s as though you a r e s i t t i n g on i t s lop . 8. Phone t a b l e

_ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ - - - _ _ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This t a b l e i s an at tempt t o domesticate the mobi le telephone, whose

4. Elec t ro -d raugh t excluder s y n t h e t i c and urgent squawk can be d i f f i c u l t t o r e s i s t . On r e t u r n i n g I home, t h e phone i s p laced i n s i d e the t a b l e w i t h i t s r i n g e r swi tched

Th is o b j e c t i s a c l a s s i c placebo. Though the draught excluder i s mode 1 o f f . Whenever the phone i s ca l led , the top o f t h e t a b l e glows gent ly .

from conduct ive foam, i t i s n o t grounded, and t h e r e f o r e does no t j The t a b l e suggests how e l e c t r o n i c ob jec ts can use a more g e n t l e

r e a l l y obsarb r a d i a t i o n . We were i n t e r e s t e d i n whether o r no t i t would language t o capture our a t t e n t i o n or mediate human con tac t . When i t

make the awner f e e l more comfortable. I f you are working near a TV, does glow, i t i s much eas ie r t o r e s i s t than a r i n g i n g phone. The phone

f o r example, you might p lace t h e ob jec t between you and the T V t o t o b l e can be pos i t i oned behind t h e TV i f a c a l l i s expected, o r out of

c r e a t e a s o r t of shadow - a comfort zone where you s imply f e e l b e t t e r . s i g h t i f you wauld p r e f e r n o t t o be disturbed.

Do you t h i n k i t a c t u a l l y d ra ins?

p i c t u r e d isappears every now and then, and apparen t l y t h a t i s t o do

w i t h t h e magnetic f i e l d . So we were hoping t h a t something would happen Yes. I t h i n k so. As I said, when I was on t h e phone my f i l l i n g s h u r t .

mag ica l l y , t h a t ' s why i t ' s bes ide the t e l e v i s i o n . But t h a t h a s n ' t That c e r t a i n l y made a d i f f e rence . I t doesn' t make me calm and serene,

a c t u a l l y happened, I ' m a f r a i d . I a l s o p u t the a e r i a l on i t as we were p a r t i c u l a r l y . hav ing problems g e t t i n g a good enough p i c t u r e .

Could i t be descr ibed as a gadget?

Does t h a t he lp? No. I c e r t a i n l y saw i t as a tab le . I t i s more o f a s p e c i a l t a b l e

Sometimes I t h i n k i t helped, yes. r a t h e r than a gadget t h a t l o o k s l i k e a tab le .

Has t h e exper ience o f l o o k i n g a f t e r the o b j e c t had any e f f e c t on t h e I How do you f e e l about the i d e a of p lugg ing something l i k e a c h a i r i n ,

way you t h i n k about e lec t romagne t i c waves a t a l l ? l i k e you would on i r o n o r a cooker?

I t c e r t a i n l y made me r e a l i s e how much we must have i n the house. 1 I t i s q u i t e s t range. Peaple have n o t i c e d t h a t i t ' s n o t something t h a t

because i t has made me aware o f how many o b j e c t s a r e on. We have had 1. you would no rma l l y do. I t ' s go t a s l i g h t l y wacky charac te r and I l i k e

a l o t o f s t range exper iences i n here. L i g h t b u l b s - they d a n ' t j u s t t h a t . I l o v e the f a c t t h a t i t i s i r o n i n g cab le - l i k e an appl iance.

go out , t h e y ' d bang. We had about s i x months o f t h e t o p l i g h t s n o t I wouldn ' t have l i k e d i t so much if i t was j u s t a l l p l a s t i c coa t ing .

work ing a t a l l . And I have t o say, whether i t i s t o do w i t h t h e t a b l e

o r not , they a r e now work ing and they j u s t seemed t o h e a l themselves. What k i n d s of people do you t h i n k might want t o own an o b j e c t l i k e

I t h i s ?

Have t h e r e been o the r exper iences o f e l e c t r o n i c th ings? Do you have I

any t h e o r i e s why? I ' d say anyone who had l o t s of e l e c t r o n i c gadgets around them and was

I j u s t d o n ' t know why, b u t I am very prone t o s t a t i c . I was w i t h my daughter i n Sofeway i n H igh S t r e e t Kensington about s i x weeks ago when as soon as I walked i n I gave her an e l e c t r i c shock. And I kep t

g i v i n g he r shocks, I gave her f i v e shocks and she began t o g e t upset and I k i s s e d her and I gave h e r another shock and she s t a r t e d c ry ing . Do you t h i n k mony people b e l i e v e t h o t i t a c t u a ? l y works?

I was w ip ing he r t e a r s away and w h i l e I was do ing tha t , I was g i v i n g

h e r e l e c t r i c shocks and I a c t u a l l y had t o g e t someone e l s e t o take he r out o f the t r o l l e y and p u t h e r down because I was a f r a i d t o touch he r a dramat ic e f fec t , if they f e l t something t i n g l e when they touched i t

w h i l e we were i n t h e shop. I t was very, very b i z a r r e . I t ' s j u s t me and o r i f i t c u t t h e i r phone out , t hey would cons ide r t h a t t o be working.

c e r t a i n shops - as soon as I walk i n , I a c t u a l l y f e e l a b i t weird.

If I touch t h i n g s o r my ch i l d ren . I g i v e them shocks. So you see i t as c o n s t a n t l y work ing on t h e environment - you p l u g i t i n ond every th ing i n t h e room has been absorbed I s t h a t r i g h t ?

D i d you show t h e o b j e c t t o o the r people?

I t o l d everybody about i t when they came i n and some people were

fasc ina ted and some people pooh-poohed i t , as I expected. Some people

were q u i t e wor r ied about i t and I had t o e x p l a i n t h a t t h e p l u g was j u s t an o u t l e t and n o t an i n l e t and then they seemed reassured. Bu t t h e r e were so many who were q u i t e wor r ied about what an e a r t h i t might

be. I had a l o t o f t r o u b l e t r y i n g t o e x p l a i n what i t was supposed t o do because I wasn' t su re whether i t was do ing i t mysel f . I f t h e r e cou ld be some k i n d o f gauge which would show you when

something was work ing. . . I t h i n k t h a t i s a l l t h o t i t would need

Arabe l la : I had an alarming h a b i t of b low ing l i g h t bulbs. Sometimes Diane. I t ' s a c u r i o s i t y

they dim as wel l . Since I ' v e l i v e d here, tw ice I ' v e come i n and turned t h e l i g h t s on and t h e h a l l l i g h t s have blown out. And I am r e a l l y k e n ' t they t e l l i n g you w e r e n o r t h i s ? I s n ' t t h a t f u n c t i o n a l ?

s t a t i c . I g e t e l e c t r i c shocks o f f every th ing t h a t ' s metal. So when

I get ou t af ca rs I always t a p the handle w i t h my n o i l s , w i thou t even Diane: What's the p o i n t of knowing t h a t ? Why i s t h a t func t iona l .

t h i n k i n g about i t f i r s t so t h a t I d a n ' t ge t a shock o f f the handles. knowing where n o r t h i s ?

So have your experiences of l o o k i n g a f t e r t h e t a b l e hod an e f f e c t on What about os an ou ts ide p iece of f u r n i t u r e ?

t h e way t h a t you t h i n k about e lectromagnet ic waves? Arabe l la : I t h i n k I would l i k e t h a t most of a l l .

Diane: D e f i n i t e l y . But a l s o t h i n k i n g about how many ob jec ts have ga t Diane: Because you move around a p iece of garden f u r n i t u r e anyway,

magnets i n them, t h i n g s l i k e phones t h o t you pu t up t o yaur head. d o n ' t you?

Arabe l la : I t h i n k if there was one o b j e c t i n t h e room which hod r e a l l y F r iend : I t ' s a l s o more r e l e v a n t t o know which way n o r t h i s if you ' re

mode t h e t a b l e go crazy, then I would have been a b i t alarmed by outs ide, r a t h e r than ins ide . You're no t t h i n k i n g about your p lace i n

t h a t . . . b u t t h e r e wasn't, r e a l l y . For tuna te ly . the wor ld as much.

Diane: Jus t t h e r a d i a t o r .

D i d you show the ob jec t t o o ther people? What was t h e i r reac t ion? I n o t i c e you have w r i t t e n about how u s e f u l t h e d l a l s were as a s o r t

I of demarcation so you can a c t u a l l y use the t a b l e t o make readings

Arabe l la ( t o a f r i e n d i n t h e room): You came ond looked a t i t . Fr iend : I t sounded l i k e a r e a l l y i n t r i g u i n g p r a j e c t . I t wasn't what Diane: Yau can t u r n the t a b l e round, bu t the needles would s t i l l be

I r e a l l y expected when i t g o t here. i n the same way. I thought was q u i t e cool . If i t had a nor th ,

if you p r i n t e d i t on there, i t would have a d i r e c t i o n , wouldn' t i t , I

What d i d you expect? b u t if you leove i t p l a i n , i t can have any d i r e c t i o n . But you cou ld

have d i a l s t h a t moved so t h a t you cou ld s e t i t t o zero and decide t h a t

F r iend : Samething r e a l l y amazing t h a t d i d t r i c k s o r something. one i s zero and have i t twenty degrees round, or something. Then

A r a b e l l a . Perhaps t h i s i s our f a u l t though! you cou ld do s o r t of readings.

Diane: We t a l k e d i t up so much. My s i s t e r was r e a l l y i n t o i t , b u t she Arabe l lo : I can imagine you, o f an evening: 'I'll j u s t take some

d i d sciences. She was making her phone do t h o t (waving the phone readings . '(everyone laughs)

around a compass) so t h a t t h e d i a l s went round and round and s t u f f , Diane: I ' l l ge t a t r a i n s p o t t i n g book.

You a re t a l k i n g about i t being functional and then you see the compass fac to r us be ing non-funct ional .

A rabe l la : Yes.

Diane: Yeah, d e f i n i t e l y . They make you t h i n k a l o t more and they a r e Diane: I t ' s more t h a t I want t o understand what i s happening. I ' v e got

r e a l l y i n t e r e s t i n g . those diagrams which I drew, t r y i n g t o show what happens by t h e

r a d i a t o r , b u t because they were drawn by hand, they ore o b i t a l l over

On an everyday l e v e l ? j t he p l a c e But you cou ld do readings, you c o u l d p l o t t h e whole

Diane: I t ' s n i c e t o t h i n k everyday.

So if t h i s i s n ' t pu re ly f u n c t i o n a l then what i s i t ?

Arabe l la : Well, i t ' s go t d i a l s on it. Or i s t h a t func t iona l?

L o f t - Sophie Do you f i n d i t hard t o throw t h i n g s away?

Yeah. I ' v e moved ou t of home comp le te l y r e c e n t l y , so my mum's been

When you t a l k t o your f r i e n d s . how do you desc r ibe t h e ob jec t? making me go through every th ing . There ' s j us t loads and loads of s t u f f t h a t ' s accumulated over t h e years which I d o n ' t want t o throw away.

A b i g box on t o p of a ladder t h a t ' s propped up aga ins t t h e w a l l .

W i t h a few people who come around, I had t o e x p l a i n : 'Oh, by t h e way. Was t h e r e any th ing t h a t you put i n t h e l o f t ond took out immediate ly?

t h e b i g o b j e c t i n my room, i t ' s a l o f t - and I ' v e adopted i t ' .

Where i s t h e o b j e c t now? Why i s i t pos i t i oned there?

I t ' s i n my bedroom. I t ' s q u i t e a c l u t t e r e d room. t h a t needed p r o t e c t i n g i n some way . . . more l i k e l i v i n g t h i n g s r e a l l y .

b u t they wou ldn ' t r e a l l y be s u i t a b l e t o go i n . What d i d you use t h e o b j e c t f o r ?

L i v i n g t h i n g s ? I d i d n ' t use i t as much as I thought I would. I found it hard

t h i n k i n g of t h i n g s t o put i n i t . Once i n p o s i t i o n , t h e ladder f i t t e d P l a n t s or something l i k e t h a t , seed l ings - bu t t h a t wou ldn ' t work

because they wou ldn ' t ge t t h e i r l i g h t .

/ I f you had t o g i v e t h e o b j e c t t o someone. who would you g i v e i t to?

Possib ly my s i s t e r , t o see what she'd do w i t h i t , t h e s l i g h t

What k inds of t h i n g s d i d you put i n there? d i f f e r e n c e s t h a t might be the re . She's q u i t e l i k e me and hoards l o t s

of s t u f f , bu t then q u i t e d i f f e r e n t i n o the r ways.

Th ings l i k e tapes I d o n ' t l i s t e n t o ve ry much, ones w i t h sen t imen ta l va lue , and some photographs. I would have put my t r a v e l card i n the re Do you t h i n k she would respond t o i t s being made of lead, t o t h i s i d e a

because i t kept on g e t t i n g wiped, so I thought i t could be p ro tec ted , o f p r o t e c t i n g th ings? b u t I need i t every day. I ' d put t h i n g s i n t h a t would i n some ways be

q u i t e permanent or no t needed very o f t e n . Because i t was h i g h up and Poss ib l y n o t as much. I d i d physics a t A- level and she d i d n ' t , so I hard t o g e t t o , anyth ing I put i n t h e r e hod t o earn i t s place. probably know about t h i n g s - l i k e t h a t more than she does. She's l e s s

l i k e l y t o be i n t o t h a t s i d e of i t . And what types o f t h i n g s do you t h i n k you might have pu t i n t h e box?

I f t h e o b j e c t was t o be passed on t o someone e lse , what adv ice would

Things t h a t were sen t imen ta l and t h i n g s which a re q u i t e personal, you g i v e t o t h e nex t odopter? t h i n g s I jus t wanted t o keep and know where they are, and not l ose . Probably i n t ime I ' d p i ck up p a r t i c u l a r types o f ob jec ts , i t ' s hard t o I ' d probably t e l l them i t ' s a c t u a l l y q u i t e easy t o have i n a way, b u t

soy s t r a i g h t o f f what, j us t l i k e I have go t o the r boxes f u l l o f o l d i t ' s wor th spending some t ime r e a l l y t r y i n g t o work ou t what you would l e t t e r s o r t h i n g s from p a r t i c u l a r t imes of my l i f e . put i n . I t ' s q u i t e easy t o l e t i t j u s t s i t t h e r e and not put any th ing

i n , because i t doesn ' t r e a l l y i n t r u d e a t a l l . What o the r k inds of boxes o r c o l l e c t i o n s of t h i n g s do you make?

Hhat k lnd of people do you t h i n k might want t o own t h i s o b j e c t ond Because I ' v e moved around a l o t i n t h e l a s t few years, t h i n g s have c o l l e c t e d i n boxes and stayed the re . So I have boxes of tapes, boxes of f u l l o f l e t t e r s and postcards, and boxes f u l l o f o b j e c t s t h a t d o n ' t I can see i t appeal ing t o people who o r e much more ordered than I am, r e a l l y have a home, l i k e boxes of p i n s and s t u f f l i k e t h a t . bu t i t appeals t o me. I ' m ve ry unordered, a l l my s t u f f i s everywhere

i n d i s a r r a y . It appealed i n a way t o t r y and put t h i n g s i n some s o r t

I t d i d make me t h i n k about how you use d i f f e r e n t senses t o be a l e r t e d The on ly r e a l l y annoying t h i n g i n t h i s house i s t h e doarbe l l . I t never

by d i f f e r e n t th ings, the fac t t h a t your phone r e a l l y i s t h e r i n g . So works. People a re always having t o use t h e i r mobi le phones t o get i n t o i t ' s q u i t e n i c e n o t t o have a r i n g , j u s t a g e n t l e s u b t l e i n d i c a t o r t h e house, they a re always having t o r i n g up and say ' I ' m here, can t h a t you've go t a c a l l you l e t me i n ' . Perhaps we should p l u g the t a b l e i n t o t h e doarbel l ,

then you would know when someone's a t t h e door. How would you f e e l if more ob jec ts i n t h e home hod e l e c t r o n i c func t ions? D i d you show t h e ob jec t t o o ther people? What was t h e i r r e a c t i a n ?

I l i k e t h e f a c t t h a t the ob jec t was d i s g u i s i n g thc f u n c t i o n of the I They thought i t looked r e a l l y c o o l and thought t h e i d e a was cool , b u t phone, making i t more a e s t h e t i c and more soothing. We've got a k e t t l e they a l l thought of ways they cou ld enhance i t , l i k e p u t t i n g a l i t t l e t h a t w h i s t l e s i t s head o f f when i t ' s ready, b u t i n s t e o d you c o u l d have 1 counter on the f r o n t so you c o u l d see how many c a l l s you had i n case a c o n t r o l board w i t h d i f f e r e n t l i g h t s f o r d i f f e r e n t t h i n g s i n t h e you 'd missed them, if you hadn ' t seen the f lash ing . house t h o t cou ld f lash. I t ' d be a much more soothing way o f be ing a l e r t e d t o th ings . D id the ob jec t generate any discussions? Were there any disagreements

between you and your f r i ends o r f l o tmate over i t s meaning? Has the experience of l o o k i n g a f t e r the o b j e c t hod on a f f e c t on the way you t h i n k about e lectromagnet ic waves? I t h i n k some thought i t was t o t a l l y po in t less , because i t wasn't a

t a b l e and i t s a i d i t was a tob le , so i t ' s misrepresent ing i t s e l f as I d o n ' t know genera l l y about e lectromagnet ic waves, even though I ' m a tab le . My f la tmate agreed t h a t i t looked nice, bu t I d o n ' t t h i n k she i n communications. I probably should know t h a t the s i g n a l i s sent even saw why you'd ever have a need f o r such a th ing. She was d e f i n i t e l y before a c a l l comes and i t l a s t s afterwards. Bu t yeah, i t i s l e s s enamoured w i t h i t t h a t I was. She j u s t t h i n k s i t ' s weird. i n t e r e s t i n g , e s p e c i a l l y when the t a b l e glows and you haven ' t go t your phone i n thcrc. You r e a l i s e t h a t the re a r e so mony th ings, n a t u r a l l y If you had t o g i v e the ob jec t t o someone, who would you g i v e i t to? o r otherwise, around you t h o t emit waves. But I thought i t was q u i t e

a n i c e i d e a conver t ing t h e waves t o something else. I ' d probably g i v e i t t o my Mum, because I know she's more concerned obout waves and th ings. She always runs ou t of the roam when she t u r n s

Do you t h i n k the ob jec t i t s e l f i s a gadget? the microwave on and she has a phobia about mobi le phones as w e l l ,

so i t would be i n t e r e s t i n g t o see how the two p layed o f f each o ther . On i t s own i t ' s a p iece o f f u r n i t u r e . Combined w i t h the mobi le phone i t ' s d e f i n i t e l y a gadget. Unless i t glowed w i thou t the phone: you How would you imagine she would use i t ? cou ld have i t on phone f u n c t i o n o r j u s t a e s t h e t i c funct ion, so i t would a c t as a lamp or something. She'd use i t t o de tec t rays and th ings, she'd be conscious of l a o k i n g

a t i t r e a l l y c a r e f u l l y and mon i to r ing i t a l l t h e t ime t o see when i t What would you say was the most unexpected t h i n g t o come from went o f f and t o see exac t l y what caused i t . She'd probably mave i t borrowing the o b j e c t f o r o month? nex t t o a l l t h e d i f f e r e n t e l e c t r i c a l ob jec ts i n the house t o see how

i t r e a c t s t o them, e s p e c i a l l y the microwave. I f she cou ld p u t the

I t h i n k I was l e s s concerned about the waves and th ings. I am ! microwave i n i t I ' m sure she would, t o f i n d ou t what the p a t t e r n was.

conscious of them, bu t I was more i n t r i g u e d as t o why i t was going

o f f r a t h e r than where t h e waves were coming from. I suppose i t d i d n ' t go of f t h a t r e g u l a r l y because i t on ly detected c e r t a i n s p e c i f i c waves.

Perhaps if i t was t o de tec t d i f f e r e n t wavelengths, t h a t would be t h e scary t h i n g : i t would be cont inuously going o f f , or i f i t f lashed b r i g h t e r w i t h a more harmfu l o r more i n t e n s i t y of ray.

Have any e l e c t r o n i c ob jec ts i n your home created any unusuol

s i t u a t i o n s between fami l y members o r p e t s o r v i s i t o r s t o yaur home?

Elec t ro -d rough t Excluder - Lauren & Jan Has t h e exper i ence of look ing a f t e r t h e o b j e c t had on a f f e c t on t h e

way you tn ink about e l ec t romagne t i c waves?

When you t o l k t o your f r i e n d s how do you d e s c r i b e t h e o b j e c t ? Lauren: I ' d a l r eady been conscious of t h e s u b j e c t , bu t I d o n ' t t h i n k I wos a s consc ious u n t i l I bought t h e draught exc luder i n t o t h e house.

Lauren: An e l e c t r i c drought exc luder o r a concep tua l des ign th ing . Jan: I know t h a t Lauren has been us ing it a s a weapon a g o i n s t me. I People would then ask 'what do you mean?', and then I d e s c r i b e what it h a v e n ' t a c t u a l l y used it i n r e l a t i o n t o my equipment myself because looks l i k e and how you a r e meant t o use i t . i t ' s completely p o i n t l e s s . . . t h e equipment su r rounds t h e room. Jon: Some people h a v e n ' t understood a t a l l when you ' r e t r y i n g t o g e t a c r o s s what it i s . Have any e l e c t r o n i c o b j e c t s i n your home c r e a t e d ony unusual Lauren: Square, pink foam, po in ty b i t s , with backboard and hand le s o s i t u a t i o n s between fami ly members o r p e t s o r v i s i t o r s t o your home? you can move it around.

Lauren: The l a p t o p is plugged i n t o b i g speakers and sometimes when Where i s t h e o b j e c t now? And why is i t pos i t ioned the re? J a n ' s not here, l a t e a t n igh t , suddenly CompuServe speaks o u t 'you

have ma i l ' i n h i g h d e c i b e l s . It s t a r t l e s me. I found i t q u i t e s c a r y Lauren: I ended up us ing it i n two p laces . One was when I was watching

TV: when I f i r s t s t a r t e d us ing it. I f e l t t h a t it wasn ' t s h i e l d i n g me Jan: I play music I ' v e downloaded from t h e n e t through my s t e r e o , and completely, s o I ended up . . . I jus t l eave t h e volume high ond go away. Three hours l a t e r on e-mail Jan : . . . crouching behind it and peaking over i t ! w i l l a r r i v e and completely s h a t t e r s t h e dead of n igh t . Lauren: I ended up c r e a t i n g a l i t t l e s a f e space where I ' d tuck it i n p a r a l l e l t o t h e t e l e v i s i o n b u t behind t h e t a b l e . I ' d l i e on t h e s o f a Did you show t h e o b j e c t t o o t h e r ~ e o p l e ? Whot was t h e i r r eac t ion? s o it was p r o t e c t i n g almost a l l o f me a p a r t from my head, which I found o b i t t roub l ing . And t h e o t h e r woy I ' v e used it was t o t a k e it Lauren: People thought i t looked g r e a t , people s a i d 'Wow'. I t h i n k i n t o t h e bedroom with me t o p r o t e c t myself from J a n ' s s t u d i o nex t t h e pink co lour ing a t t r a c t e d peop le door. It worked b e t t e r a s a symbolic ' s h u t t i n g t h e door ' , a s a g e s t u r e Jan: I have t o say everyone was n a t u r a l l y q u i t e s c e p t i c a l about i t s of s h u t t i n g myself away f o r a l i t t l e while. But t h o t was l e s s t o do with s p e c i f i c a l l y p r o t e c t i n g myself from e lec t romagne t i c waves and Lauren: What, your f r i e n d s ? much more t o do with c r e a t i n g a l i t t l e space. Jan: Yeah, my f r i e n d s . J a n : Are you s u r e about t h a t ? Lauren: My f r i e n d s weren ' t , bu t my f r i e n d s a r e a l l museum c u r a t o r s . . . Louren: I d i d n ' t f e e l t h a t i t was s h i e l d i n g me, bu t I f e l t it was

d e f i n i n g a space r a t h e r than a c t u a l l y doing something. I f you had t o g i v e t h e o b j e c t t o someone who would you g ive li t o? Jan: I t ' s t o o smal l t o p r o t e c t you, r e a l l y . It can p r o t e c t p a r t s of your body, b u t you ' r e going t o absorb r a d i a t i o n from around i t . Jan: I ' d t r y and s e l l i t . I ' m s u r e you can g e t o few quid. Lauren: I n s t e a d of making me f e e l p ro tec ted , f o r t h e f i r s t week t h e Lauren: I ' d g i v e it t o my s i s t e r , s h e ' s r e a l l y busy and s t r e s s e d a t o b j e c t r e a l l y made me f e e l unsafe. j u s t because i t suddenly t r i g g e r e d t h e moment. Her room's r e a l l y smal l and e v e r y t h i n g ' s i n t h e r e . e x t r a f e e l i n g of t h i n g s t h a t were i n t h e house.

Where do you imagine she would pu t i t ? It was making c e r t o i n neuroses e x p l i c i t t h a t you d i d n ' t know you had?

Lauren: S h e ' s g o t a bed and he r desk r i g h t nex t t o he r head, where Lauren: Yeah. I ' v e been th ink ing t h a t t h e bedroom was a s a f e space. As s h e s s go t a l l h e r h i - f i equipment, and I con s e e it going i n f r o n t soon a s I took i t i n the re , I r e a l i s e d i t wasn ' t a t a l l , because I of t h a t when s h e goes t o s l e e p . I t h i n k t h a t could work q u i t e well . hod e x t e n s i o n cab les , my mobile phone re-charger , p lug socke t s , i r o n because i t ' s no t t h e r e t o completely e n c l o s e o f f a space, i t ' s t h e r e and h a i r d rye r . Its n o t a c l e a r space i n any sense. t o be a symbolic p r o t e c t i o n . Jon: I ' d l i k e t o hang i t on t h e wa l l and g e t it o u t t h e way. I t 's q u i t e on a e s t h e t i c work of a r t . This absorb ing r a d i a t i o n th ing , I What kind of people do you th ink might want t o own t h i s o b j e c t and haven ' t been a b l e t o s e e it t h o t way. I ' m n o t s u r e i f it does do it.

GPS Table - Dick. Lorna & L i z z i e o r t h a t i t i s located, i t ' s go t a p o s i t i o n . And I always do i t be fo re

I go t o bed. Las t th ing I do a t n igh t , when a l l t h e l i g h t s a r e o f f down here, I look o u t o f the bedroom window and t h e r e i t i s . When you

When you t a l k t o your f r i e n d s about t h i s object , how do you descr ibe look down and t h e r e ' s a l i t t l e green l i g h t , i t ' s a l i t t l e comfort i t t o them? f e e l i n g - 'That 's f i n e . A l l ' s w e l l w i t h the world. Go t o sleep. ' Which

i s why I haven ' t moved t h e t a b l e from there, because I can see i t D ick : When I ' v e spoken about i t , i t ' s been 'We've g o t a work o f a r t i n s t r a i g h t down from t h e r e when we go t o bed So I a c t u a l l y check i t

the house. I t ' s a tab le , b u t i t a l s o has the s a t e l l i t e read-out on the more o f t e n than I thought I did. top. I t ' s q u i t e fun - you p u t your hand over t h e t o p of i t and i t has t a read jus t , i t has t o r e l o c a t e t o another s a t e l l i t e . ' I see i t more What k i n d o f t h e o r i e s do you have about when i t ' s l o s t and when i t ' s as a pet , i n a way. Tha t ' s how I descr ibe i t : 'We have t h i s work o f found? What do you t h i n k i s happening? a r t and i t ' s l o c a t i n g s a t e l l i t e s . '

D ick : I t ' s s i l l y r e a l l y , b u t because t h e l i g h t s f lash, because i t Where i s t h e ob jec t now? moves between i t s t h r e e s a t e l l i t e s and t h e r e are four t h i n g s you can

read, th ree s a t e l l i t e p o s i t i o n s and ' l o s t ' , i t g ives i t a sense o f D ick : I t ' s a t t h e end of our conservatory.There a r e n ' t many other be ing a l i v e . There's no other word f o r it. I know i t ' s not, obviously, p laces i n the house where i t would connect w i t h a l l t h e s a t e l l i t e s . i t ' s an o b j e c t and i t ' s e lec t ron ic , b u t i t ' s i n t e r e s t i n g t h a t i t ' s a We very r a r e l y take i t outs ide, f a r obvious reasons. I t ' s a s e n s i t i v e t a b l e t h a t ' s doing t h a t . . . You g e t the sense t h a t you have t o go ' I s b i t af f u r n i t u r e . i t a l l r i g h t ? ' . I t ' s s i l l y t o t a l k about t r e a t i n g i t as a s o r t of

person, b u t i t i s - ' I ' d b e t t e r go and check the t a b l e ' s t h e r e . ' Do you t h i n k t h e r e a re o ther p laces i n t h e house i t cou ld l i v e ? Could

i t be something you would have i n a bedroom o r a l i v ~ n g space? Has i t mode you th ink about t a b l e s i n a d i f f e r e n t woy? The na tu re of what the t a b l e ' s fo r?

Lorna: I f I had a b i g h a l l , where you cou ld walk round i t , t h a t would be q u i t e n ice . . . t h e i d e a perhaps t h a t , as you come i n , you hang your Lorna: I don ' t r e a l l y t h i n k so.

coa t up, you look a t it. Because t h a t ' s t h e t h i n g about i t - you j u s t D ick : No. As a t a b l e I thought i t was a b i t i m p r a c t i c a l . We d i d n ' t use k i n d of check it. i t because you have t h i s read-out s l a p bang i n t h e m idd le of i t , ond

you d o n ' t want t o upset t h a t because you know i t ' s s c i e n t i f i c a l l y So you go and check i t ? You f i n d yourse l f j u s t going over and look lng? s e n s i t i v e . The whole idea o f ~ i c k i n g up s a t e l l i t e s I found very

i n t e r e s t i n g . I t was t h e read-out r a t h e r than the t a b l e t h a t I found Lorna: Yes. q u i t e fun. D ick : Yes. Every day. Lorna: If you've go t a b i g enough tab le , you c o u l d a c t u a l l y have a l l

s a r t s o f t h i n g s down the middle - i f you had t h a t GPS read-out and And what k i n d of c o n d i t i o n i s i t i n ? some o ther s c i e n t i f i c read-outs, I t h i n k t h a t would be great . And i f

i t became important o r i n t e r e s t i n g t o keep an eye on th ings, l i k e the Lorna: I t ' s l o s t a l o t . I drop L i z z y a t school i n the morning and I e a r t h ' s atmosphere o r weather, having t h a t i n f o r m a t i o n i n the middle come back and I do those c e r t a i n s e t rou t ines , c l e a r t h i n g s away and o f t h e t a b l e would be i d e a l because t h a t ' s when you s i t down and you t i d y up a b i t , and I check i t because i t ' s a p a r t of t h a t . The word t h i n k about l i v i n g . I f our houses contained a l o t more equipment which ' l a s t ' was ever so c l e v e r - I don ' t know whether i t i s be ing parents, i s more s c i e n t i f i c , automated, computerised and whatever, then I t h i n k

b u t you th ink , 'Ah, i t ' s l o s t . ' You ge t a b i t worried, r e a l l y . i t ' s much n i c e r t o have i t as p a r t of the f u r n i t u r e than as an D ick : You have t o s i t and watch and w a i t f o r i t t o f i n d something. instrument you go over t o a w a l l and read. When you see a l l the space Lorna: Tha t ' s when we t a l k e d about moving i t . . . programmes, they go over t o a w a l l and they go 'oh, l e t ' s p ress t h i s

D ick : . . . b u t never d i d I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g , now t h a t you say t h a t , and l e t ' s see a screen' . If i n 50 years ' t ime people s t i l l s i t o t because when I come home from work, t h e r e ' s a s o r t o f automat ic tables, you've go t i t a l l there. Then i t becomes much more p a r t o f rou t ine . You come i n , drop the bag and come i n here, and I e i t h e r glance aver i t o r look a t it, j u s t t o check t h a t i t ' s s t i l l t h e r e

Ti i I s ~t somethlng t h a t has an a e s t h e t l c function, somethlng t h a t you l u s t enloy o r something functional? I

I t ' s t h e sense t h a t you can go up an t h e satellite, t h a t you' re suddenly aware, as you a re never i n any o ther c~rcumstance I n a day. t h o t you a r e t h l s t l n y speck on t h e p l a n e t

D ld you show t h e o b j e c t t o o ther people? What was t h e l r reaction?

Lorna They d l d n ' t n o t l c e t h a t ~t was any th lng different un less you 1 p o l n t e d ~t out People would say What e l s e does ~t do?' as ~f they were e x ~ e c t l n a t r l c k s o f some s o r t 1 I f you had t o g lve t h e ob jec t t o somebody else, o f r l e n d o r somebody ~n t h e faml l v who would vou a l v e l t t o ond whv? 1 Lorna: I ' v e go t nephews and n ieces who a re mid- twent ies and they would l o v e i t . I t ' s a very n i c e s imple design. You l i k e more organic s t u f f , b u t I l i k e i t , b a s i c a l l y t h e s t r e n g t h and a n g u l a r i t y . I t h i n k i t would f i t i n more w i t h a more modern way o f l i f e . D i c k : One o f t h e t h i n g s about t h e t o b l e i s t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p t h a t you b u i l d up w i t h i t d u r i n g the day. I can imagine bo th our parents be ing i n t e r e s t e d i n a t a b l e l i k e t h a t , and t h e y ' r e bo th very d i f f e r e n t . My paren ts a r e farmers s tuck out i n t h e w i l d s o f Le ices te rsh i re , your paren ts a r e over i n S u f f o l k and r e t i r e d . Bu t I t h i n k t h a t because t h e y ' r e w i t h t h e i r f u r n i t u r e and t h e i r homes a l l t h e day, they 'd be q u i t e fasc ina ted by i t a l l . I d o n ' t t h i n k because i t ' s go t s a t e l l i t e technology i n it, t h a t i t has t o be necessar i l y f o r younger.. . Lorna: . . . and i t doesn' t have t o be i n a modern design. D i c k : You mentioned t h a t p o i n t about suddenly having t h a t sense o f ' I ' m a speck i n t h e un ive rse ' . That wauld c e r t a i n l y i n t e r e s t my mother. I can see her going up t o t h a t t a b l e and l o o k i n g a t i t , then l o o k i n g ou t down t a t h e M1 and t h e w i l d s o f L e i c e s t e r s h i r e and t h i n k i n g 'Mm. ' I t h i n k she'd f i n d i t q u i t e an experience. Lorna: I t h i n k she would. Because she 's i n her sevent ies and l i s t e n s t o t h e r a d i o and reads l o t and she's very much someone who would p u t a s p i r i t u a l t u r n on i t.

Do you t h i n k t h i s t a b l e f a l l s i n t o t h e category of t h e gadget?

= Dlck I t cou ld do I ~ e r s o n a l l v would see ~t n o t as a oadaet b u t much more as an a e s t h e t l c t h l n g I t makes you th lnk , and you go and check ~t That ~t slmply t e l l s you your p o s l t l o n I n the wor ld 1s n o t alwoys

I b r l l l l a n t l y useful , unless o f course,you were a t sea

Denis: I t doesn' t have a screen. A l l gadgets t h a t respec t themselves

have t o have a screen. Whether i t ' s a GPS screen o r a m i n i TV screen,

i n t e n s i t y of t h e energy coming from the mobi le phone was j u s t be fo re i t has t o d i s p l a y something t o be o proper gadget. If i t displayed, ond a l i t t l e b i t a f t e r i t s t a r t e d r i n g i n g say, the humid i t y and t h e temperature, t h a t would be a b i g step

towards being a gadget. Or the time, maybe. L i d a : I t would have t o show something more compl icated. . . What i f you

had something t h o t cou ld measure e lectromagnet ic f i e l d s ?

D id you show the o b j e c t t o o ther people? What was t h e i r reaction?

Denis: W e l l , mixed reac t ions , r e a l l y . Some pretended they d i d n ' t l i k e i t , b u t I t h i n k they f e l t jealous they hadn ' t found out obout i t

Everybody loved t h e f a c t t h o t i f you p u t a hand on, i t l i t Have any e l e c t r o n i c ob jec ts i n your home c rea ted any unusual up o r not . With some o f t h e people i t worked, w i t h some i t d i d not . s i t u a t i o n s , between fami l y members, or pets, o r v i s i t o r s t o your home? SO w e thought the o b j e c t h a t i t s favour i tes .

D i d you g i v e o t e c h n i c a l explanation a t a l l ? e s p e c i a l l y t h e GPS. Before we go anywhere, he has t o s i t f o r th ree hours, doing the GPS, working away w i t h a mop. He has t h i s t h i n g about Denis: Most of them weren' t i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e i n t e r n a l s of the ob jec t . h i s gadgets, and I have t h i s t h i n g about no t wanting any gadgets, Just t h a t i t worked, and i t worked w i t h electromagnetism. because n o t h i n g works w i t h me. So we always f i g h t about how mony gadgets we can have, and how many I w i l l throw away. D i d many of them know about e lectromagnet ic r o d i a t i o n ?

You have a gadget t h a t ' s a remote c o n t r o l f o r us ing the o ther remote Denis: The p u b l i c i s aware now t h a t t h e r e i s some k i n d of energy emi t ted from mobi le phones. What t h a t ' s c a l l e d t h e y ' r e n o t sure, b u t they know i t ' s some k i n d of weird e lectro-something energy. The ob jec t

Denis: Because we f i g h t between us who's going t o have t h e remote. was a way o f demonstrating the e f f e c t o f t h a t energy. L i d o : And I d o n ' t know how t o s w i t c h the TV on. Only one

I f you viere t o pass t h i s ob jec t t o someone else, what advice v~ou ld you So what does each of these do? ( p o i n t i n g t o the 7 remote c o n t r o l s on t h e cof fee t a b l e )

Denis: I would l e t them f i n d ou t f o r themselves. I wouldn ' t t e l l them Denis: Right , t h i s i s f o r t h e TV, t h i s i s f o r t h e d i g i t a l s a t e l l i t e , anything, A f t e r a week o r two, I would want t o know what they d i d w i t h t h i s i s f o r t h e o ther s a t e l l i t e rece ive r , t h i s is f o r one o f the t w o t h e ob jec t , and then I might o f f e r some t i p s . . . v ideo recorders, t h i s i s fo r t h e o ther v ideo recorder, t h i s i s fo r t h e s te reo and t h i s i s f o r everyth ing. What k i n d of people do you t h i n k might l i k e on o b j e c t l i k e t h i s ?

Do you see t h e p a r a s i t e l i g h t as a gadget? L ida : People l i k e Denis, people who a re gadget maniacs.

Denis: Technical minded people and modern art-minded people. I guess. Denis: I d o n ' t t h i n k i t ' s a gadget because i t doesn' t r e a l l y do People who l i k e design ond unusual i t ems would l i k e i t . anything. I t h i n k i t ' s more of a design ob jec t .

L i d o : I t looks n i c e and i t ' s fun - t h a t doesn ' t make i t a gadget. How would you f e e l i f more o b j e c t s i n t h e home hod t h i s k l n d of

i n t e l l e c t u a l o r oes the t i c vo lue os opposed t o be ing p u r e l y func t iona l? What would make i t o gadget?

L i d a : IVe're complete ly d i f f e r e n t : I would buy something j u s t because L i d o : If i t would bleep, you know, be more complicated. i t looks r e a l l y n ice, b u t Denis wouldn't.

b u t they won' t work i t That would be a shame Most people w i l l use i an o b j e c t f o r 10, 20 p e r cen t o f what i t can do

I I][IIII1I\ We've a l s o been osk ing people i f t h e y might r e n t o b l e c t s l i k e these

Denis What you ' re say lng r e a l l y 1 s t h a t i t would be too expensive t o I buy, so you have t o r e n t i t I

Not n e c e s s a r i l y I guess i t ' s about commitment t o an o b j e c t Maybe

t h e y would be expensive t o make, and y o u ' r e n o t su re whether i t ' s something you might want, so you can t r y l t ou t

1 illl\\llli Denis: And then have the o p t i o n t o buy?

I n t e r e s t e d L i d a E x a c t l y You can say t o people, ' T h i s i s r e a l l y new, so you d have t o t r y i t f i r s t ' I t ' s n o t j u s t f u r n i t u r e , ~ t ' s something new Denis And then you can deduct t h e r e n t money from t h e a c t u a l p r l c e I n t h e end

L i d a Well, one t h a t you should charge i t l e s s f r e q u e n t l y Denis And i t s shape i s n ' t t h e eas les t shape t o have I n t h e house I t shau ld be more v e r t i c a l than h o r i z o n t a l Your o the r o b j e c t s weren ' t l i k e t h a t , t hey d i d n ' t t ake up much spoce on t h e h o r i z o n t a l p lane L i d a And maybe you c o u l d use l t as a lamp, as a r e a l lamp And more pawer fu l , because now you can o n l y see t h a t ~t works, and t h a t ' s a l l Denis I t looked o b i t easy t o break I t d i d n ' t l ook s t u r d y enough

L i d a I t l o o k s expensive, t o t e l l you t h e t r u t h

L l d a What d i d you l i k e about t h e o b i e c t ? 1

t h e f u t u r e I c o u l d have very many Ideas on t h i s and o the r o b j e c t s

Ok. I t h i n k we ' re done I

I Denis: So when a r e you hav ing your nex t p r o j e c t ?

Nipple Chair - Neil recorders, cameros, radios, shovers. . Putting it near the television only affects it when it storts up, and when you put it on the right-

hand side, There does seem to be one particular ~osition that it

When you tolk to your friends, how do you describe the object? likes. Some things really do affect it and other things hove no effect

Some things seem to slow it down, which is o bit suspicious.

It's really difficult to get the concept across - you tell them it's

a nipple chair ond they think of something really kinky. Then you try How about in relotion to your body7 and explain thot it's a bit of furniture which detects electromagnetic fields. Most people just say 'Why would you do that?'. I just ,say it's Oh yes. If you stand close to it, it tends to go faster. It slows

down if you touch the ontenna. It changes if you go near it.

And if other people are around, or moving around the object?

to things thot ore going on. It's sort of aware, in a sense When we first had the chair, we had about four people staying here in

Where is the object now? Why is it there? this tiny spoce and it seemed to slow it right down. So maybe it likes

company. The foster it gets, the more onxious it is, perhaps. It's where it is now because I'm working at the desk - we used it os

a proper choir rather than a curiosity If you're sick of thinking, So you started to interpret its behaviour. you can change your awareness to listening to what the chair's

Yes, I think so. When Sophie phones up she alwoys wonts to hear the chair, to see if it's ok. I suppose it has the some thing as those interactive pets, like a Furby or something like that. They respond in

a really rudimentary way, but it can be interpreted. This has that same thing because it does actually respond. When you come home at

night, it speeds up and you think 'Oh, it's pleased to see me. ' Poor

deluded person that I am.

ogoinst the window there, it takes o little while to settle down, but Some people will soy things like Furby and the Tamogotchi ore gadgets it settles down to almost nothing. We've tried it everywhere, but the and slightly gimmicky.

living room is where it always comes back to, different positions in this room. This is o pretty hot corner, not just becouse of the The charm of this chair is that it's disqualified from being in the computer but because there's more activity even if the computer's off. Furby category because it's not presented as a gadget. It's completely

conceoled When we first got it, it didn't even have a switch. It's Why do you think it's particularly active in that location? not gadget-like at all. It wouldn't be neorly as attractive if you

could change the sensitivity, or progromme it to come on at different

Downstairs I think they've got a big-screen TV. Either that or some times or it had on alarm clock built into it. It would just be another big stereo system, I think thot affects it. There's no overhead power gadget. But presented as it is, it's something completely different. lines here, but I don't know where the underground power lines ore. Sometimes, unaccountably, it'll just start really going and you can't Do you find yourself regularly checking on it?

Yes. We charge it whenever it needs it, and I notice pretty wickly if Did you try any experiments? it's not working. I don't have to really check it because I'm owore of

it anyway, probably more so since Sophie went back to Canado. You're

partly aware of it but ot the same time it's not really a distraction. it near it, underneath it, perhaps touching the ontenna underneath to see whether that would make any difference. We've tried it with tape Hos it made you thlnk obout furniture in a different way7

I think this object would encourage me, if I did buy any furniture, Yes, but none of the reasons that I like this chair has anything ta do to customise it in some way, so that you can form a different kind af with any of the reasons I like gadgets. relationship. Maybe I'd feel differently about this chair if I knew that there was more than one, if it was mass-produced. Why do you like gadgets?

I don't know what it is. With most gadgets, a microsecand after you've bought them you regret it, because you know it's not going to give you what you want. Quite what it is I want when I buy a gadget, I don't know. I suppose it's that element of control over something. If you buy an electronic organiser you think it"s going to transform your

electronics into something, does that become the main thing? I don't life, but all it does is remind you how disorganised your life really

know of anything at the moment that is both a functional piece of is. This seems to be different.

furniture and has some other thing that it could do as well. Maybe that's why it's a good thing to give to people who like gadgets?

Has the experience of looking after the object had an effect on the way you think about electromagnetic waves? I don't think gadgety people would like it. Well, maybe they would.

But I would have thought one of the big things about electronic Yes. I know about electromagnetic waves - there's this whole network, gadgets is the interface, and this doesn't have one. I think gadget all these interfering signals which come from different things. people would want to be able ta programme the megacycles and stuff.

becoming much more complex. So many things are using electromagnetic If we were to redesign the object, what recommendations would you make, or how would you like to redesign it?

this whole complex of interchange of energy that's going on and we don't really know anything about it. I would like to keep it like this. I wouldn't want to put any kind

of interface on to it. I like that the workings of it are a mystery. If you had to give the object to somebody else, who would you give it ! There's not a big electronic bulge sticking out or any evidence of

wires or anything You could do that, but I think yau would run the risk of turning it into something completely different. It might as

I would give it to somebody who I think would appreciate it. It's that well be made out of grey plastic. It's definitely a manufactured cat thing again: you wouldn't give your cat to just anybody to look object, but it's not trying to be a gadget. Gadgets seem so impersonal. after. Perhaps it would be different if it was a chair that you just had to plug in to the mains, but because it's a chair that you have If it had no sound at all, how would that change the chair? to feed, you hove to plug it in every couple of days, I'd want to

It would be very different if you just had the vibration of the nipples without the noise, because when it gets faster it sounds more

What kinds of people might want to own an object like this? urgent, like it is getting excited or worried. I guess I just respond to it on a stupid level. I do think of it as having this little

I like the chair, but I wouldn't give the chair to a person like me personality, sad person that I am.

Is there a place for objects like this in people's lives?

I really think so. What's attractive about it is that it gives you information about our environment, living conditions, about the noise that we're generating of various kinds. I suppose it puts us in touch with these invisible changes which are happening.

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Plwrc dewribs ploscr in your home whcm you Ihink you might likr lo krrp Ihr object and -on3 whfl Have you had any prrvious rlecmmsgnaic crpcncnccr?

..................................................................................................... I ............................................................................................................................................................. M r m did you hurnboulthir projecl? I

Fr,. Jul 20. 2001. 430 Pm

1 I've always thought that tv detector vans never really made sense.

Surely, to spend all that time and money; developing the technology, . .

holder's address from every address in the country, to glve you rne

few remaining addresses that don't have a licence? Then they could i 4

just nlp round there and listen at the front door or something? X

f I

Michael