There are objects that surround users in such a way that they have an easily understandable, perceivable benefit for their everyday lives. Their benefits may be to provide happiness and entertainment, to enhance human potential or to simplify problems. Sometimes we do not even notice them, but if they were lacking we would probably not even be able to carry out basic activities. In these objects, the designer focuses on helping and seeks to expand human possibilities. In addition to objects with an unquestionable function, a new layer has been created. Its emergence is also a consequence of social, economic and technological innovations. This external ’pilot light’ allows products to have a deeply analytical as well as ethical narrative. They are not mere objects, but objects that transcend technologies. They have an additional message and require a different approach from users than their counterparts with a more easily describable function. These independent objects approach the user not exclusively on a given material but also on a conceptual level. Unlike objects with an unquestionable function, they do not assume or facilitate, but present a task. In this bestowment relationship between the object and the user, a new result is created, because it is unpredictable what the user will bring to the relationship, and the way in which he processes and takes with him what he receives. The scene of the relationship is also diverse, almost incalculable. These objects may be hiding in our living space, but they may also require us to enter a new setting in order to get to know them. The post-industrial section is an unconventional feature of the 2nd National Salon of Applied Arts and Design. In the context of the exhibition as a whole, it seeks to challenge visitors and introduce them to a new era of design, in which the designers can tackle problems independently of technological, professional and social constructs.
Fruzsina Tóth
design engineer and design manager