Six students from Design Products, Industrial Design Engineering and Interaction Design at the Royal College of Art have designed a landscape of concept furniture derived from the statue-like forms of people sitting, standing or leaning against walls engaged in playing the PlayStation Portable (PSP).
Inspiration and ideas
The cocoon-like nature of the furniture is related to the experience of playing games on the PSP. Initial inspiration came from observing group play at a barbecue: when still light in the early evening, a group of players put their coats over their heads to create shade and see the PSP's screen better. Despite not being able to see each other at all, they continued to happily taunt, insult and otherwise interact with each other as is the norm throughout the course of a game. Later on, the students observed people huddled together during play, adopting statue-like poses and postures – some sitting, some standing, some leaning – largely unaware of the party going on around them.
This everyday re-appropriation and simple, utilitarian acts on the part of the players became useful metaphors for what the students found most interesting about the PSP, as well as other devices like it: that they are simultaneously public and private objects, that they encourage shared experience but require a degree of isolation and immersion, and that proximity is as much a factor as mobility. How do designers address the immateriality and relatively new language of use of these devices? What impact will they have on future patterns of living?
More information
Download the press release here.
Exhibition Dates
2-10 December 2005
Entrance Gallery
Royal College of Art
Kensington Gore
London SW7
Map and directions
Opening Hours
10am - 6pm daily
Special thanks for advice and assistance to everyone involved in the project:
Tutors
Rory Hamilton
Nick Puckett
Brendan Walker
Tony Dunne
Tom Barker
Development and Project Management
Chris Gordon
Lara Lopez
Fabrication
Steve Bunn
Owen Bullett
Alistair McClymont
Wilhelmina Baldwin