The Fragile Inspire Care

Cesar Harada and Tommaso Lanza - Industrial Fragility (2007)

Cesar Harada asks us politely if our modern arrogance is trained by the disrespect we show towards the increasingly disposable objects that we surround ourselves with. What if your coffee mug, instead of being replaceable for only $1.00 at Walmart, demanded some respect in return? What if it was not designed to sit perfectly plum and serve, but instead to be fragile and complex. What if it was made of thin crystal and sat on the absolute edge of your desk, requiring the care of regular monitoring and adjusting so it wouldn't topple and smash on the laminate tile below? Would its inherent challenge teach us to pay attention? Would our relationship with it become less dominant and more giving? In a society of what morals does designing to inspire care replace designing for convenience?

Chad VanGaalen - Willow Tree (mp3): Perhaps this is what Chis is trying to show you by choosing banjo over electric guitar and asking you to light his body on fire and send it out to sea on a lone fishing boat. He thinks our fragility is also what makes us worthy of love.