What might modern folk and vernacular design be? | Eames Demetrios | TEDxSingapore
Summary
TLDRThe speaker explores the concept of vernacular design, highlighting how it reflects cultural values and assumptions. Through examples like the Our River walkway, WWII innovations, and traditional Indonesian villages, they illustrate how design is shaped by practical needs and local knowledge. The talk critiques modern values like property maximization and shareholder growth, which often lead to value engineering and loss of quality. It suggests a need for humility and a reevaluation of our core assumptions to guide sustainable and meaningful design in the future.
Takeaways
- π³ The speaker discusses how vernacular design, or design that arises from local customs and needs, shapes the physical world and reflects cultural values.
- πΆββοΈ In the Alps, the speaker observed how people filled gaps in a gorge with branches and crafted boards, demonstrating a human instinct to improve and adapt the environment.
- π οΈ War has historically driven vernacular design, with examples like the WWII jeep, showcasing how necessity and urgency can lead to innovative solutions.
- π’ The Vasa shipwreck is cited as an example of how traditional design practices, when not adapted, can lead to failure, emphasizing the need for balance between tradition and innovation.
- ποΈ In Flores, Indonesia, the village square's design reflects the community's values, including respect for ancestors, showing how space can be designed to honor cultural beliefs.
- π‘ Hopper Villa in Singapore uses modern materials to depict traditional Chinese values, illustrating the fusion of old and new in design.
- ποΈ The speaker critiques the assumption that maximizing property value is always best, suggesting it can lead to negative outcomes like loss of farmland.
- π Moore's Law, which predicts the exponential growth of computing power, is discussed as a cultural assumption that not all areas of life should adhere to, as it can lead to unrealistic expectations.
- π The concept of 'value engineering' is criticized for often reducing quality in the name of shareholder value, impacting the physicality of many objects in our world.
- π± The speaker suggests that Singapore could lead in developing a new vernacular design by challenging current assumptions and fostering a culture of innovation and sustainability.
- π Jewelry is used as a metaphor for the enduring values and aesthetics that should be nurtured, hinting at the importance of non-material aspects of culture in design.
Q & A
What is the significance of the gaps in the gorge of the Our River mentioned in the script?
-The gaps in the gorge of the Our River symbolize the human response to nature and the need to fill or bridge them, as evidenced by the branches and crafted boards placed within the gaps, illustrating vernacular design.
What does the speaker mean by 'vernacular design'?
-Vernacular design refers to a design approach that is unselfconscious, committed, and addresses practical problems without the intention of self-expression. It arises from the inherent values and assumptions of a culture or community.
How does the speaker connect war to vernacular design?
-The speaker connects war to vernacular design by highlighting that war often necessitates quick, practical solutions to problems, leading to designs that are a result of immediate needs and available resources, much like vernacular design.
What is the story behind the Vasa ship mentioned in the script?
-The Vasa was a Swedish ship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 due to being top-heavy, illustrating the consequences of vernacular design when it is not adapted to changing circumstances or when it fails to consider new information.
Why does the speaker discuss the village in the highlands of Flores?
-The village in the highlands of Flores is discussed to showcase how vernacular design can reflect cultural values, such as caring for both the living and the ancestors, through the physical design of community spaces.
What is the significance of Hopper Villa in Singapore as mentioned in the script?
-Hopper Villa in Singapore is significant because it uses modern materials to depict traditional values, including elements from Chinese mythology, demonstrating a blend of old and new in vernacular design.
What assumptions does the speaker suggest are shaping our modern vernacular design?
-The speaker suggests that assumptions such as property values, Moore's Law, shareholder value, and the drive for efficiency are shaping our modern vernacular design, influencing how we create and interact with the built environment.
Why does the speaker argue that Moore's Law has influenced the physical world?
-The speaker argues that Moore's Law, which predicts the exponential growth of computing power, has led to an expectation that all areas of life should progress at a similar rate, which is not always applicable or beneficial, especially in the physical world.
What is the speaker's concern about the emphasis on shareholder value in our culture?
-The speaker is concerned that the emphasis on shareholder value leads to value engineering, which can result in a reduction of quality and a focus on cost-cutting measures that may not be sustainable or beneficial in the long term.
How does the speaker view the potential of Singapore to contribute to a new vernacular design?
-The speaker views Singapore as having the potential to become a model for a new vernacular design by nurturing values that are essential to culture, such as humility and aesthetic spirit, and by being a wellspring of innovative business practices.
What does the speaker suggest about the role of 3D printing in the future of materiality and design?
-The speaker suggests that 3D printing has the potential to transform the conversation about materiality in design, leading to a greater respect for the physicality of objects and possibly influencing a shift towards more sustainable and thoughtful design practices.
Outlines
ποΈ Vernacular Design and Its Impact
The speaker begins by discussing the concept of vernacular design, using the example of a gorge walkway along the Our River in the Alps. They observe how people naturally fill gaps in the landscape, creating a form of design that is unselfconscious and committed to addressing a problem without the intent of self-expression. The speaker appreciates this form of design, which is deeply rooted in the local culture and practicality. They extend the discussion to how war has inadvertently led to some remarkable vernacular designs, such as the jeep, and contrast this with the Vasa, a Swedish ship from 1628, which exemplified vernacular design but sank due to its top-heavy design. The speaker also shares their experience with vernacular design in a village in Flores, Indonesia, where the village square and traditional baskets reflect the community's values and respect for ancestors.
π The Hidden Assumptions in Modern Design
In the second paragraph, the speaker delves into the assumptions and values that underpin modern design, often referred to as 'folk design.' They question what these assumptions are and how they manifest in the physical world. The speaker critiques the emphasis on property values, where the most expensive use of property is seen as the best, leading to the loss of farmland and other negative consequences. They also discuss Moore's Law and its impact on expectations of exponential growth in all areas of life, which is not always applicable or beneficial. The speaker suggests that these assumptions are so ingrained that they shape our world more significantly than the work of individual designers or architectural schools.
π The Perils of Shareholder-Driven Design
The third paragraph focuses on the influence of shareholder value on design and the practice of value engineering, which often results in products that offer less quality or quantity while maintaining or increasing price. The speaker argues that this approach is driven by the need to show growth to shareholders, which can lead to a loss of quality and even job losses. They provide examples such as the transition from paper to digital boarding passes in airlines, which may seem like a small efficiency but represents a broader shift in how we value and engineer products. The speaker suggests that this shareholder-driven design is so pervasive that it affects our world more than the work of any single designer.
π± Embracing Humility and Reevaluating Values
In the final paragraph, the speaker reflects on the need for humility in design and the importance of recognizing the aesthetic spirit in all of us. They suggest that Singapore, with its unique position as both a city and a country, has the opportunity to lead in developing new values and assumptions that could shape a new vernacular design. The speaker also expresses optimism about the transformative potential of 3D printing, which has changed conversations about materiality and the physicality of objects. They conclude by emphasizing the importance of nurturing values that go beyond materialism, using the example of jewelry as a cultural universal, and call for a collective effort to build a world based on clearer and deeper assumptions.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Vernacular Design
π‘Assumptions
π‘Moore's Law
π‘Value Engineering
π‘Property Values
π‘Incremental Improvement
π‘Cultural Values
π‘Humility
π‘3D Printing
π‘Aesthetic Experience
π‘Singapore
Highlights
Time and human response shape landscapes, as seen in the Our River in the Alps.
Vernacular design is a form of design that addresses problems with real commitment and without self-expression.
The evolution of filling gaps in the Our River walkway showcases the development of vernacular design.
War has historically brought out vernacular design, as seen with the Jeep from World War II.
The Vasa ship is an example of vernacular design from 1628, highlighting the importance of incremental improvements.
Vernacular design in the village of Flores, Indonesia, reflects the culture's values and respect for ancestors.
Hopper Villa in Singapore uses modern materials to depict traditional values, including Chinese mythology.
Vernacular design is often about expressing deeply held assumptions and values.
Property values as a vernacular assumption lead to the maximization of financial worth over other uses.
Moore's Law has influenced the assumption that everything should improve exponentially, including the physical world.
Value engineering, driven by shareholder value, has led to a reduction in quality in many products.
The digital world's acceleration is not always applicable to the physical world, requiring a different approach.
Singapore has the potential to become a model for a new vernacular design based on deeper assumptions.
3D printing has transformed conversations about materiality and the physicality of objects.
Jewelry as an example of an essential cultural element that transcends many societies.
The need for humility in design and assumptions to avoid being humbled by unforeseen consequences.
Transcripts
we all know that time shapes our
landscapes
you can also shave the human response to
those landscapes this is a gorge of the
our River in the it's not a pirate river
the our River Inn in the Alps and you
get it's really a beautiful walkway that
they built along there and as I walked
on it I was fascinated by the gaps and
what was interesting about the gaps is
that people clearly needed to fill them
and there were branches that start going
in there and then there were some really
more slightly more elaborate and these
really kind of art is 'le crafted you
know boards that were going in there and
then it sort of felt you know sort of
achieved a higher expression when it was
obviously mature enough to then be
enclosed by the metal and this is sort
of the the highest form of this
particular achievement and it was really
quite great and this is what I think of
as vernacular design the person who was
doing this was doing exactly what they
thought needed to be do it was very
unselfconscious though it was it was
made with real commitment and no real
idea of self-expression per se but just
trying to address this problem and we
couldn't call the spoke design or
vernacular design and it interests me
very very much war for example brings
out a lot in vernacular design I mean
nobody you know when they were designing
this nobody said hey watch out you might
cut yourself you better change it that's
the whole idea unfortunately and but
sometimes good things have come from war
efforts a lot of amazing achievements
happen in world war ii for instance and
a lot of people admire the jeep as a
designed object with many many many many
incremental authors again a form of
Dannette vernacular design this ship the
Vasa was is a Swedish ship that first
sailed in 1628 I'd sailed as far as I
can tell once at scale sails about
fourteen hundred metres and then sank in
a light wind in front of hundreds of
assembled people in Holland stockholm
harbour it was also an example of
vernacular design because the people who
were making it they made they
they were making their boats the way
they should be made there was no other
way to make them as each boat you made
you made a new one or each ship I should
say I guess I'd be in trouble with the
sailors here but each each ship that's
made was made in pretty much the same
way building on the previous knowledge
incrementally now I'll come back to that
later on the I had the privilege of
doing an installation of mine in a
village in the highlands of Flores which
is a beautiful island in Indonesia and
if you go there the town's the the
village square is designed and it
completely expresses the assumptions in
another way the values of that culture
it's good for both you know the the
modern modern times in the sense of the
kids and the people who live there but
also is designed to take good care of
the ancestors of that community and the
space completely reflects that and this
is not to say it's a matter of not
engage
you know modernity and heritage you
might say and that's also reflected in
some of the vessels they use this is a
modern vessel with a very traditional
beverage in it and yet in that same
village you see beautiful baskets that
are made the way they've been made for
for quite some time so this is another
example of vernacular design you might
say in one of my favourite places in in
in Singapore is hopper Villa and this is
this is actually using modern materials
to to depict very traditional values
including the 18 circles of hell in the
Chinese mythology as far as I can tell
almost all of them have to do with
disobeying your parents and and the bad
things like that can happen and judging
from all the people who saw it that I've
spoken to here who saw it when they are
8 years old this is a design that fully
achieves its function but what's
interesting about it is that you know
people smiled at us people in Singapore
never know where I'm going with with
when I said I want to go visit hop are
real again but the thing is that what's
beautiful about it is that it's made
with complete commitment the the the
brothers who who created it who are
writing you know real definition the
creators of it we're completely
committed to this idea and that's what
that's what vernacular design in general
has a
commitment to the the idea that is
trying to be expressed in a sense that
there was really no other way to achieve
it and that not only is there no other
way to achieve it but that they feel
that they are doing it they're not doing
anything special that it's almost a
feeling that they are not making it
there almost channeling it and that's
what vernacular design is all about and
the people who make vernacular designs
probably never think their designs would
ever be in a museum because that's not
how they think of them so folk design
vernacular design sort of got me
thinking what is our vernacular design
today
what is our folk design what are the
more to the point what are the
assumptions that we all understand as
we're creating and doing things that we
don't really challenge and they're
actually the ones that are being
expressed because all those design all
those things I showed you were
assumptions and values being transformed
into physical physical objects and you
know this is a like I said it's a
provocation this is in no way a complete
list is some of the you where we might
say is some of the values that may come
from science and things like that but it
I was really interested in the in things
that I could see
transforming into objects in a specific
way so one thing is property values
everybody understands property values
and we all understand that or we I
shouldn't say I should say that we we
live in a society a world culture this
is a place that's been in jeopardy for a
while apparently it's doing all right
now but we all understand we are we are
persuaded and we act as though that the
most expensive use of a property is de
facto the best and and so this leads to
a lot of interesting things at least to
a lot of lost farmland and things like
that and it's not in the sense
altogether a bad thing that's not just
in Singapore I take care of a modern
house the Eames house in Los Angeles
which could only exist with this similar
sort of feeling that though the the
proliferation of important modern houses
in Los Angeles is a direct result of a
feeling that if you have your own
property why can't you do what you want
and so therefore why can't you tear
things down
is that this house that devolved from
that same spirit of experimentation and
exploration is now under threat or was
under threat until the foundation was
created was under threat from this
assumption that the best use of energy
and of any property is to maximise its
financial worth and I would argue that
that attitude that that assumption has
shaped the modern city worldwide far
more than any architect or any school of
architecture and that's I think if we
were looking at some aspects of
vernacular design in our culture that
would be one of them
Moore's Law which is we we know is the
feeling that that the that the memory
the amount of memory will cut in half
every 18 months and I think what's
what's interesting about the about
Moore's Law is that it's led to an
assumption that almost everything should
be that way now clearly I think we can
agree after our talks that our health
should increase exponentially every 18
months and malaria should decrease
exponentially every 18 months but not
everything is like that and yet I think
it's become kind of a premise like
what's the matter with you physical
world you know you used to go more
quickly so why aren't you the same way
is the digital world and the in the
physical world has sort of a has a
irreducible physicality that must be
addressed and so you know for example I
think that even though for some people
you know the idea of of salaries going
to our salaries going down 50% every 18
months or even 18 years would be as a
fantasy in terms of cutting costs it
would be a catastrophe for our culture
for our world culture and so I think
that this Moore's law though has become
kind of at one of these values that were
often taking as an assumption as we look
at the world and make choices about that
world and and yet in a funny way even
though things like farming and the
traditional ways are seen as very you
know that's how they used to do it back
then excuse me that's how they used to
do it back then kind of thing I bet if
you found the right increment of time
when each of these
you know transitions of Technology
because remember this was high
technology once this all happened in
Silicon Valley and you know 5000 years
ago that if you could find the right
time frame you would see a similar sync
the acceleration as to Moore's law as
people fiddled with it made each plough
a little bit better it got better how it
joined with the with the ox or whatever
and so I think these moments of
acceleration are normal but we also have
to be prepared for them to end I'm not
sure we're fully prepared for for some
of our technological acceleration to end
then there's then there's something
that's called a shareholder value which
leads directly to value engineering now
value engineering is an old sin you can
see it at the bottom of at the bottom of
every wine bottle it's sort of in dense
it's a great way to make sure the
customer is paying the same amount but
they're getting less and and we've all
experienced the the shrinking candy bar
and you know and it's like they're
always changing the cast of characters
and those things but the end result is
that you pay the same amount or pay more
and you get less now then in a way
that's not wrong per se because maybe
things are more expensive but the thing
that we all are accepting is that one of
the reasons for that to happen is for
the shareholders to achieve growth that
the shareholder benefit is the most
important thing that drives the creation
of many objects in in in our culture and
you know again I would say that that
fact may be like a lot of you probably
take are on the airplane remember five
years ago you had a printed paper
boarding pass they wouldn't even if you
tried to go past the onto the plane you
had to hand it to them they had to look
at it examine it now if you don't
actively affirmative Lee scan it over
the put it over the scanner you're kind
of a you know a very suspect sort of
person and you're kind of a bad sport
you know if you if you don't do it and
now really that's no hardship for what
what difference does it make
but what I find interesting is that all
those incremental improvements you might
say or incremental changes or
efficiencies I think efficiency is often
quite overrated but all those
efficiencies don't actually
change they don't really I don't get the
savings and the person behind behind the
counter loses their job over time with
them what that where that goes is that I
only get those savings if the high rate
of growth that the stock market demands
of that company is achieved for that for
the shareholders and if I were a
shareholder I'd probably feel that way
too
but is that really the best way to run a
culture I mean I would argue that this
value engineering has influenced the
physicality of more objects in our
man-made world today then all the rock
star designers put together because it's
so prevalent it's so insidious we don't
even see it we don't even know it and I
think this has to do with you know this
all leads to something where you there's
all these things that the reason why it
matters is that they're plenty of places
where you can't value engineer forever
without great loss of quality and
they're people some of whom have spoken
on this stage so who who are fine there
are chefs there are there designers
there are architects there are you know
there are service people there people
around the world who are trying to
improve things and they had to fight
against the tide which is that they
almost have an arm tied behind their
back from the beginning and again I'm
not trying to say that shareholders
shouldn't be rewarded for their risk I'm
just saying that if you if I said well
we got it I'm saying that people
understand and have internalized that
this is an essential value whereas if
you say to somebody well you know it's
really cool because this product is
green now they go oh that's nice they
don't view it as essential and that's
what I mean by these these vernacular
assumptions and this is something that
really drives me crazy which is the go
paperless to simplify your life and
there's always something about the you
know how it's greener for the
environment because we won't have to
print your statements and you sort of
say but actually they're saving lots of
money by not mailing it and you sort of
say is there anything that that is
beautiful that can't be co-opted as a
way to save a little money for for the
company that's that that I am that I am
that I am patronizing I mean you look
around the world you know you know women
have joined joined the workplace in it
workforce in great numbers which is an
affirmative good and so so many ways and
yet in many countries it's led to family
still based on having the same amount of
money with two people working and it's
disguised some of the changes that are
happening in our culture in a way that
it's not healthy because if change does
happen we need to see it so we can make
it better so we can react to it and we
can improve it and that's what I mean by
these sort of core assumptions and core
values but it's not enough to say you
know but of course we have to be able to
you know change is happening we can't
prevent change I'm not against change
change is actually very valid but very
important but we also have to be able to
pivot on the way we deal with change and
I'm gonna go back to this boat this ship
sorry bad roll sorry
the going back to the ship the Vasa and
it's sank and why did it sink because
the designers of the ship
we're told continuously by the king that
it should be bigger bigger is better
that was certainly one of the
assumptions of that of that particular
culture and they made they just kept
making it bigger and bigger the exact
same way they don't always done it and
as a result it became top-heavy and in
the very light wind it sank it you know
people were killed it was devastating
blow to the to the Swedish Navy and and
my point is is that isn't it possible
that's where we are with something with
some of the some of our assumptions we
aren't we all in a big giant excites
experiment right now to see what happens
when we do the same possibly not so
smart things again and again on a scale
of millions and billions of people and
so my favorite picture in my favorite
one of my favorite vistas in Singapore
is this one National Parks to me it
expresses the beautiful potential and
the a of Singapore because it's both a
country and a city and this city this
would be a perfectly legit park and in
the in Los Angeles in fact probably big
for some of our parks but at the same
time it is a national park and that
scale I think could be part of
Singapore's undiscovered country the
opportunity to make a real contribution
to how the world addresses some of these
issues and maybe even develops new
assumptions to become the basis of a new
vernacular design or
approach this is you know Singapore
Singapore is known as the center of
business what if it became known as a
wellspring of business there's not
enough room for many centers but there's
lots of room for Wellsprings and I had
the privilege to be at honors Museum and
do and do an exhibition there last year
and a lot of two or three years ago and
it was an exhibit of the work of my
grandparents Charles and Ray Eames and
one of the exhibits the reason so many
people responded to was this one it was
about the banana leaf and basically what
Charles was saying it says here it's the
process that happened has happened
within the man that changes the banana
leaf and this is not sponsored in any
way by the restaurant here but the but
the thing the the idea was that that you
know the people that he had encountered
in India who were very poor ate off of
the banana leaf and then people made
more and more fancy stuff but then the
people who had wealth but also wisdom
went the extra step and they ate a
banana leaf and so this kind of humility
I think is very important as we move as
we move forward not everybody will
always be this enlightened to put their
money on their shirt but so be it
and one of the most heartening things
I've encountered lately in this kind of
arena has been in terms of the
physicality is that 3d printing has
really transformed the conversation I
think about materiality in fact I think
it's made many people respected more
when I was creating these object she's -
creating these objects of the makers at
a makerspace the conversations I had
about what actually things were made of
were so different than even 10 years ago
when people just figured that everything
was digital when people wrestled with
making things ringing things bringing
objects into the world it changes their
conversation so it gives me great hope
for for sort of you know Noma for that
divide between digital and and physical
and I wanted to sort of conclude with
you know something like jewelry I mean
jewelry is a product but it's also
something that's important to be one eye
and I was thinking that it you know
isn't it interesting that if you kind of
added up all the cultures in world
history I would say that more cultures
have had jewelry than have had shirts
and more cultures have had ornament than
have had clothes so which is more
essential do you think and I think that
these are the these are the kind of
values that we need to nurture
make assumptions not for fancy jewelry
but for to recognize that part of the
aesthetic experience aesthetic spirit in
all of us so Singapore could become a
model and not only a model in this
literal sense which has you know if you
can see these great little places where
the you know where the the new
regulations about the green areas of
building new buildings in Singapore I
mean more in that Singlish sense I mean
more in that sort of grassroots coming
up sense because it's a it's a it's just
it's a space I won't even say small it's
a properly scaled community to interact
with one another work out work out
issues and make them better and better
because I think that in order to be a
world cup to in order for our world
culture to take the next step we have to
decide really whether the greatest
expression of our culture should be the
fact that a snicker VAR it gets really
small or whether or whether we can we
can create a set of values that
everybody understands so we're really
firing on all the same on the cylinders
together as we try to make the things
that we think our world our world needs
and in that whole list of potential
assumptions and like I said it's a
provocation I you look forward to your
list of what you think those those
assumptions and values might be not one
of them showed very much humility and
the thing about humility is that if you
don't have humility you will be humbled
if you do have humility you'll still be
humbled but you may be better prepared
and I think that that's kind of where we
need to get to as we look at the
assumptions that we're using to build
our world building the next 50 years and
I look forward to seeing the
undiscovered country that is both
Singapore in a world based on deeper and
clearer assumptions thank you
Browse More Related Video
How better tech could protect us from distraction | Tristan Harris
π Does TDD Really Lead to Good Design? (Sandro Mancuso)
Creating Meaningful Memories Through Sensory Experiences | Rebekah Matheny | TEDxOhioStateUniversity
12 (Stoic) Questions That Will Change Your Life
1- Is Morality true?
A crash course in creativity: Tina Seelig at TEDxStanford
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)