–provoking

the everyday–

PIVOT Dublin Design Challenge5th and 6th November 2011, Wood Quay venue

Everyday Discoveries Helsinki WDC 2012

Background to 'Provoking the Everyday'

The Institute of Designers in Ireland in association with PIVOT Dublinhas accepted an invitation to participate in the Helsinki WDC 2012International Design House Exhibition – ‘Everyday Discoveries’ - to beheld in September 2012.

‘Everyday Discoveries’ will take place in a disused industrial complexoffering a series of indoor and outdoor spaces. The outdoor spaces serveas platforms for interactive design events and test grounds for designobjects, while the indoor spaces are reserved for more classic exhibitions.The event is built around four themes - ACTIVISM, PLAY, STORY andMEMORY - in order to engage the public to enjoy different aspects ofeveryday life in different settings. The themes mix, but also emphasisethe cultural differences and customs of the participating countries.The themes will grow and live according to the proposals sent fromeach country, presenting the main concerns and interests in a globalcontext.

This World Design Capital 2012 signature event is co-ordinated andproduced by Design Forum Finland www.designforum.fi, the promotionorganisation for Finnish design. The exhibition concept and themesare created by Imu Design www.imudesign.org, a group of three youngFinnish designers.

PIVOT Now The aim of PIVOT Dublin is to explain, demonstrate and celebratedesign’s positive impact on our lives. Born out of Dublin’s bid to be designated World Design Capital in 2014,PIVOT has ‘forged connections, fused talents’* and created opportunitiesthat now must be taken. Opportunities for Dublin design to speak to theworld with its unique voice and character – that of story telling, empathy,creativity, conversation, ambition, humour and optimism. One suchopportunity is to exhibit at Helsinki’s World Design Capital signatureevent – the International Design House Expo – in September 2012.Dublin’s approach to this exhibition has been refreshing and remarkable,according to the dynamic exhibition curators IMU Design. We told IMUthat ‘the device of conversation has been central to the development ofPIVOT Dublin and we use it always as part of our creative process. Theconversation will start in the Office of Non-Compliance at DC2011.’Intrigued, Elina Aalto and Krista Kosonen of IMU accepted our invitationto attend the design challenge on the 5th and 6th of November andact as judges. It was an inspiring weekend. Twelve interdisciplinary teams full ofenergy and passion grappled with the light-touch brief – Provoke theEveryday! and delivered what was asked of them, which was to inspireand delight us. Thanks to all who took part in the challenge, to our judges, to ourinvigilators from Dublin City Architects, the Office of Non-Compliance@DC2011 and to the team in the Wood Quay Venue. Only one team can be selected to represent Dublin Design at Helsinki,but with connections forged and talents fused, this will not be last timethese teams will be invited to come together.

And as for PIVOT, we're just beginning.

*le cool

1Gearoid Carvill

Architect

Nicky HooperArtist/Designer

Ciarán WalshJournalist

Andrew BradyArchitect

Renate HenschkeFashion Designer

2Maxim Laroussi

Architectect

David WallGraphic Designer

Conor NolanGraphic Designer

Dr. Elaine ByrneLecturer/Journalist/

Political Analyst

3Joan MacMahon

Architect

Edward FramptonLandscape Architect

Pollie Venn FramptonPerformance Artist

4Peter O' Gara

Graphic Designer

Alan MeeArchitect

Ronan DillonGraphic Designer

5Eugene Boyle

Architect/Designer

Michael LyonsArtist

Henry DalyIndustral Design Student

Oliver HoeyCraftsman/Landscape Architect

Paul ShortenArchitect

6Steven McNamara

Photographer/Graphic Designer

Chris HingelGraphic Designer/Illustrator

Clive BrightPainter/Carpenter/Farmer

Iseult O’CleryArchitect

Dónal AdamsComputer Programmer/

Musician

7Hugo Thompson

Furniture/Interior Designer

Mark ShielsGraphic Designer

Hugh RodgersFilm Composer/

Multimedia Designer

Emet CullenDigital Media/Artist

Andrew MooreUrban Planner/Sketch Writer

8Phil Murray

Exhibition/Interior Designer/Architect

Peter McCannProduct/Graphic Designer

Caroline O'ConnerSet/Furniture Designer

Rachel MurphyLandscape/InteriorArchitect/

Exhibition Designer

Gillian NichaisideArt Director/Landscape Architect

9John Moriarty

Product/Interaction Designer

Ben MullenStudent Architect/Artist

Bairbre-Ann HarkinCurator/Writer

Patrick MullenPrint /Digital Media Designer

10Peter Tansey

Architect

Adrian McDermottIndustrial Designer

Julie ClarkeStructural Engineer

Badar RashidMechanical Engineer

11Leonora Daly

Architecture Student

Anna ReidyArchitecture Student

Steven MurphyArchitecture Student

12Kevin Sexton

Brand Development/ Strategist

Rónán O MuirgheasaFilm Editor/Musician/

Composer

Robert PerryMusician/Composer/PhD Student/

Inventor

James KeaneVisual Communicator/

Motion Graphic Designer

teamGearoid Carvill

Architect

Nicky HooperArtist/Designer

Ciarán WalshJournalist

Andrew BradyArchitect

Renate HenschkeFashion Designer

1

www.abgc.iewww.madeforyoubyarms.com

www.dublin.lecool.comwww.nickyhooper.com

And yet it lives! We want to rekindle our interactionwith phone boxes by modifying their functionality,repurpose their spaces and incorporating them backinto the city.

it could startwith somethingas simple ashello

teamMaxim Laroussi

Architectect

David WallGraphic Designer

Conor NolanGraphic Designer

Dr. Elaine ByrneLecturer/Journalist/

Political Analyst

2

www.architecture-republic.comwww.conoranddavid.com

www.elaine.ie

Seek positive disruption … We believe that the real potencyof storytelling is embedded in the collective creation ofnarrative. A great story … inspires, educates, entertains,gets retold, reworked and reinterpreted.

put the kettleon (and tell usa story)

teamJoan MacMahon

Architect

Edward FramptonLandscape Architect

Pollie Venn FramptonPerformance Artist

3

www.mitchell.ie

We plan to record and share the everyday casual ritualof having a cup of tea and a conversation by creatinga unique experience – the memory wall.

collective memorymapping througheverydayexperiences

teamPeter O' Gara

Graphic Designer

Alan MeeArchitect

Ronan DillonGraphic Designer

4

www.mee.iewww.meandhimandyou.com

We propose the BackStory as a way to describe a projectas if it was already realised, telling how it happened inorder to inspire its “becoming”.

2015 backstory:

“the flip flops i bought in arnottswere made from recycled bottletops. the fella who sold them to mesaid that the bottle tops came offbull island beaches and a coupleof guys from dublin had inventeda way to make flip flops from bottletops. apparently people all overireland and dublin collect beachrubbish now and sell it to theseguys to make them.”

they are now making a living off it.what a rubbish idea !

www.woodcollective.ie

teamEugene Boyle

Architect/Designer

Michael LyonsArtist

Henry DalyIndustral Design Student

Oliver HoeyCraftsman/Landscape Architect

Paul ShortenArchitect

5

To establish a pre-emptive intervention, to provokepre-crisis jarring of everyday experience; to disrupt andinterrupt ingrained patterns of behaviour, i.e. toGenerate, Activate and Participate.

through a chinktoo wide therecomes in no wonderpatrick kavanagh

teamSteven McNamara

Photographer/Graphic Designer

Chris HingelGraphic Designer/Illustrator

Clive BrightPainter/Carpenter/Farmer

Iseult O’CleryArchitect

Dónal AdamsComputer Programmer/

Musician

6

www.chrishingel.comwww.rojidesigns.com

clivebright.awardspace.info

On journeys, we adopt routines to deal with complexity …Once a person is shown or discovers something new ontheir journey, a new dimension is formed and theirjourney is forever changed.

the everydaydoesn’t needenrichment,just awareness

teamHugo Thompson

Furniture/Interior Designer

Mark ShielsGraphic Designer

Hugh RodgersFilm Composer/

Multimedia Designer

Emet CullenDigital Media/Artist

Andrew MooreUrban Planner/Sketch Writer

7

www.hugothompson.iewww.form.ie

www.hughrodgers.com

The ‘Em’ – the conversational pause.

We propose to represent the Irish love of conversationthrough an exhibit, laid out in a plan form of concentriccircles, reminiscent of our rich tradition of Celtic art.Different entry points represent non-linear forms ofconversation.

different entrypoints representnon-linear formsof conversation

teamPhil Murray

Exhibition/Interior Designer/Architect

Peter McCannProduct/Graphic Designer

Caroline O'ConnerSet/Furniture Designer

Rachel MurphyLandscape/InteriorArchitect/

Exhibition Designer

Gillian NichaisideArt Director/Landscape Architect

8

www.nofixedabode.iewww.escirdesign.blogspot.com

www.irish-designers.com/caroline-o-connor-designs

Creating favourable conditions in order to lift thehuman spirit if this occuurs repeatedly we canre-sensitise or re-learn how to recognise the magicin the everyday.

warmspot isn’tan answer, but aglimpse of futurepossibilities.

teamJohn Moriarty

Product/Interaction Designer

Ben MullenStudent Architect/Artist

Bairbre-Ann HarkinCurator/Writer

Patrick MullenPrint /Digital Media Designer

9

www.airvod.comwww.butlergallery.com

www.detail.iewww.teamyes.wordpress.com

A silent pavillion which encourages visitors to interactwithout sound, providing a foundation for a sharedexperience and new modes of interaction.

enrich the everydaythrough sharedencounters anda moments silence

teamPeter Tansey

Architect

Adrian McDermottIndustrial Designer

Julie ClarkeStructural Engineer

Badar RashidMechanical Engineer

10

www.lotusarchitects.com

Our concept is to view ourselves from a differentperspective and in an overall context. It is only then thatwe discover the significance of everyday objects, peopleand places and are provoked to celebrate these items.

our task must beto free ourselvesfrom this prisonalbert einstein

teamLeonora Daly

Architecture Student

Anna ReidyArchitecture Student

Steven MurphyArchitecture Student

11

1.wet hands

3.apply to face

2.lather

Imagine a bar of soap gave you instructions for makingsuds faces, or a new lamp had shadow puppet diagrams,or imagine for a moment linen with details for making fort with your kids …

the value of theeverday is thekeeping of theextraordinary

SOAP

SOAPteam

Kevin SextonBrand Development/ Strategist

Rónán O MuirgheasaFilm Editor/Musician/

Composer

Robert PerryMusician/Composer/PhD Student/

Inventor

James KeaneVisual Communicator/

Motion Graphic Designer

12

horse neighsdull dial tonedistant airplane enginespolice sirens roartraffic humshearbeatfootseps on a pavementvideo game bleepsbell ringstraffic humsindian man shouts outcar and bus horns honk

We decided to look at the unappreciated and sometimesunseen rhythms that punctuate the everyday, a heartbeatof pattern based visuals and sonic stimuli.

development,design andcomposition ofcity sounds

And Finally, The Result!!!

The winner of the Provoke the Everyday design challenge is Team 6 ledby Steven McNamara of Roji Design. They are closely followed by Team 1,then Team 9 with Team 2 a distinguished fourth and Teams 3,4,5,7,8,10,11 and 12 all an honourable mention.

The judging was challenging - the talent, motivation and assurancedemonstrated by all, the capacity to handle a loose brief in a tighttimescale, the emotional charge of the presentations - all this madejudging onerous but relaxed - we knew that we had any number ofteams who could deliver Dublin to Helsinki. All presentations werediscussed by six judges (Krista having had to leave at 10.30am). Eachteam was then voted on as to whether it had 'impact' (assessmentcriteria 5). This subjective assessment was critical. While some teamshad greater interdisciplinary strength (criteria 1), it was difficult todifferentiate between teams on the 'quality of interaction', 'originalityof approach/proposal', 'clarity of proposal and effectiveness ofcommunication'.

Ultimately, it came down to that simple requirement of the brief,'we want to be inspired and delighted'. Team 6's 'abstract' statementthat 'the everyday doesn't need enrichment, it's our awareness thatneeds improvement' was arresting. Of course this is true - that livingis for today, now, in the everyday. All proposals touched on this,sought to extract this, but Team 6's 'can you see me?' frame whichprovoked passers by on the Quays to pause their journey and be'delighted' was the purest articulation of this. Their methodologywas impeccable. These guys came prepared, came from many designbackgrounds and will do us proud in Helsinki. We hope that they willdraw from the magic of this November weekend, 'the connectionsforged and the talents fused' to deliver something remarkable.

Thanks to everyone for a very special experience.PIVOT Dublin

Acknowledgements

everyday discoveries judges–Elina Aalto, IMU DesignBob Gray, Red&Grey DesignAli Grehan, Dublin City ArchitectKrista Kosonen, IMU DesignRuairi O’Cuiv, Dublin City Public Arts OfficerBarry Sheehan, Dublin Institute of Technology/IDIHans Zomer, Dóchas

––

everyday discoveries crew–Matt CarrollEamon DuffyClaire FarrenOwen O'DohertyCiaran StanleyLiam and Mark @ the Wood Quay Venue

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everyday discoveries briefingconversation @ office ofnon compliance dc2011–Jota CastroCiara CavanaghAideen DarcyKathy ScottMark ClareBairbre-Ann HarkinLouise LoweKathyrn Maguire

www.pivotdublin.comwww.idi-design.iewww.imudesign.orgwww.designforum.fi

design bywww.redandgreydesign.ie