BLAND - design publication

BLAND

A Lifestyle Magazine

For

Grandma’s special

editor’sletter

Welcome to the first issue of Bland.

In a world where the contemporary family spends five minutes heating up a microwave meal only to sit down on the sofa to watch an hour-long television programme on cooking, it seems people have lost their instinct to eat nutritious and social meals. This publication will deconstruct the ‘traditional’ family values and allow you, the reader, to become self-aware of the habits we have garnered over the years.

This edition of BLAND intends to evoke a yearning for nostalgia of childhood days with Friday night dinners and Sunday roasts, allowing you to look back and question how we have lost that connection with family through food. In this age of isolation through technology and convenience ‘Bland’ strips back the glamour and reveals a solemn scene of today’s British food culture.

I have fond memories of being a young girl at my Italian grandmothers’ house and watching her spent days creating masterpieces in the kitchen. Having inherited her hand embroidered dinner table cloths I decided that it was time we all looked back on the importance of conversations around the table The spilt wine stains and yellowed edges have great character and a familiarity that brings back memories of magnificent dinner parties full of discussions and laughter around the table.

BLAND is a concept-led quarterly magazine that aims to explore the ever-evolving relationship with food and meal times in modern society and its subsequent effect on consumer behaviour in the fashion and lifestyle sectors. It not only emphasises the theme of food indulgence but also social media’s newsfeed, as we are in an age of constantly updating these feeds with our personal lives. This publication will be produced on ethically sourced paper in keeping with the philosophy of the project.

I hope that you enjoy this issue.

Sophie MacVeigh Editor

The Editor’s Grandmother, Giovanna

re-engineering desire.

chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five

here you go, love. shelf life.

for your convenience. compulsory obsolescence.

chapter six keep your sunny side up. chapter eight now serving grandma ’ s special.

chapter seven create.destroy.sell. chapter nine mother knows best. chapter ten scattered memories.

re-engineering desire

By challenging the perception and value of discarded materials, people can take materials discovered in landfill, skips and from factory floors and work them into new objects of desire. If there were no intervention from the public then each one of these materials would have a long-term detrimental impact on the environment. Re-engineering desire is an innovation and materials

exploration that embraces and celebrates waste through newly engineered products. Transforming materials provokes a sense of curiosity as to the way they were made. With an understanding that the efforts of up cycling alone would not tackle the problems faced with waste, this will at least become the bridge for new conversations as well as inspiring waste re-appropriation.

never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it ’ s the only thing that ever has.

- Margaret Mead Culural Anthropologist

engineering desire

re

eco efficiency upcycling reduce contorted product life spans sustainable consumption

In today’s throwaway society we are conditioned to buy new when something breaks. The days of elbow grease and DIY fixing are over. We trundle through life consuming an excessive amount of objects made cheaply with the full intent of throwing them away once we deem them unfit. The saying ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ resonates with our culture of impatient consumers. It is easy to feel pressured to keep up with the latest trends and fads by buying into products that serve a purpose to us for a minimal amount of time and by doing this we are perpetuating the problem

further. Re-engineering desire is a trend that looks to deplete the growing mountain of unused and viable items we have in our home. By turning a once loved item into something we desire once again we eliminate its carbon footprint on our planet. It can start off simply by repairing an item of clothing to more complex projects such as creating a jewelry line out of disused by-products. The ambition of this trend is to reignite your aspiration in a product and cut out the habit of buying more. Be creative, change the perception of an item and use your imagination. Build. Create. Desire.

“In earlier environmental debate, arguments for using resources carefully were often motivated by concern about depleting finite resources (e.g.,Conn 1977). A consensus is now appearing that although materials scarcity does not pose a serious threat in the short or medium term, the environment has a limited ability to absorb material streams without being harmed and reserves of fossil fuels are limited (Frosch and Gallopoulos 1989;Westkamper et al. 2000). The more recent debate on resource productivity has been prompted by a desire to reconcile economic and environmental objectives (an efficiency objective) and a concern that excessive consumption in affluent nations is at the expense of people in less industrialized nations and of future generations (a moral objective).”

- Cooper, T., 2005. Slower consumption reflections on product life spans and the “throwaway society”. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 9(1‐2), pp.51-67.

By creating something new out of disused objects found in our home and/or landfill we can create an object that fascinates and reignites the creativity in us.

by creating something new out of something old, we reignite the purpose and meaning of objects and add excitement and intrigue to this world.

By exploring the work of artists such as Roisin Johns, a multidisciplinary designer who creates objects out of discarded materials, I have been able to explore the technique of creating new from the old. There are wonderful shapes, patterns and textures to be constructed from deconstructing. It is a powerful tool to be able to create

something out of nothing and with re-engineering desire you can create a unique product that has characteristics from a variety of sources. In the future we will have to rely heavily on our diminishing resources so it is time to slow that clock down by reusing and taking a look at why we buy so much and if it really is necessary?

“ consume less; share

better.”

-Hervé Kempf

“The finest fish in the whole of the North East”

Walking into the local British food shop you are instantly met with the cold stench of detergent infused with greasy waste. It’s a scent unlike no other and yet us Brits seem to return again and again. It’s as though it has a familiarity of home. You know what food is to be expected in an establishment like this and you don’t expect much. With hundreds of thousand of us flocking the seaside when the slightest bit of sun comes out its no wonder we relish in the old tradition of fish and chips.

Extra batter. Gherkins. The lot.

here you go, love.

An almighty feast, alone.

shelf life

Shelf life explores themes of love, loss, and remembering in a way that is fond, funny, poignant, and ultimately magnificently life-affirming. As we go through life we collect a huge amount of objects with us. For the most part these objects resonate with us through their smell, touch, memory and taste. Ordinary, (and not so ordinary), found objects creatively represent, explore and interpret ideas from dementia and bereavement to obsession and

celebrity culture. However what happens when we are overcome with negative emotions and lifestyle choices by the objects we choose to surround ourselves with? Is it healthy to hold on to an object that brings us sorrow? Or is it important that we do not throw out those painful memories in order for us to have a burning reminder to make the right choices in the future. At what point do the objects we cling on to hold us back from moving on?

“memory's truth, because memory has its own special kind. it selects, eliminates, alters, exaggerates, minimizes, glorifies, and vilifies also; but in the end it creates its own reality, its heterogeneous but usually coherent version of events; and no sane human being ever trusts someone else ' s version more than his own.”

- Salman Rushdie Novelist

shelf life

dust . clutter . management . control . infection . release

This theme explores the journey of individuals who are imprisoned by their possessions; whether that is a more literal accumulation of objects or in terms of being attached to their mobile phones and social media. We are bombarded with new information everyday through our hand held devices. Notifications keep us trapped in a new reality, one where we can’t bring ourselves to escape in case we ‘miss’ something. This is also true with our physical possessions that we find hard to let go. We

collect memories and emotions everyday and entrap them into photos, objects, food, and smells. The modern world is fast paced and unforgiving. This examines the way in which we get ‘tied’ into our own memoirs, often losing sight of what we have right in front of us. Comparing our own lives to those we see on social media accounts that filter out the bad. By stepping back and gaining perspective on our experiences can we end the incessant nature of collecting and compartmentalising our lives?

"Compulsive hoarding is characterized by the accumulation of useless items, associated clutter,and difficulty discarding hoarded items, which together cause interference in functioning (Frost & Hartl, 1996). Severe hoarding is a serious public health concern that may result in precarious living situations, in which the acquired items intrude on the available living space within the home and/or create a toxic environment where the residents are exposed to an array of potentially toxic materials such as bacteria, rotting foods, dust, and pollen."

- Mataix‐Cols, D., Pertusa, A. and Snowdon, J., 2011. Neuropsychological and neural correlates of hoarding: a practice‐friendly review. Journal of clinical psychology, pp.467-476.

Big brother is watching. Our lives are cultivated by celebrity culture and owning objects that ascertain a certain lifestyle.

Quick. Easy. Cheap.

The shop down the road. Greeted by your local shopkeeper is one of the smaller joys in life. You probably know his name and have chatted numerous times about each others family. He keeps your favourite newspaper aside for you while you peruse the same old items. Dusty corners and low ceilings. The smell of the fresh fruit and veg is beckoning you in. The bigger stores are cheaper but you enjoy the antiquity that comes with convenience stores. Nothing has changed here since you were a young child and yet it seems that the whole world outside looks completely shiny and new. It is with great sorrow when you see the chain supermarkets plunk their stores nearby. 99p. Veg on offer. 3 for £1. All familiar sounds of the cash register and clanks of the door. This is the staple of the British high street. A fixture.

compulsory obsolescence

With our lives becoming busier and busier it can often feel claustrophobic. We are surrounded by subliminal messages, marketing ploys and advertisements telling us how we should be living our lives. Compulsory obsolescence is what many people are adopting; giving up their precious possessions in the pursuit of happiness.

Leaving behind all the baggage that comes with life and living happily with the bare minimum. This way of living gives a new perspective on how we lead our lives. Allowing us to see what truly matters in this hectic world we try to navigate. It questions our ideologies and how we as a civilisation are conditioned to ‘want’ what we don’t really need.

" most people could just about give up the flat screen television and the dvd and the digital camera, but when it came to the love letters and the photographs, that was more difficult."

- Michael Landy Artist

compulsory obsolescence

As consumers we are told that we need the new version of our products that we have only just bought a month ago. The timescale for an object to become obsolete is quicker than ever and in order to keep up we must sell our souls to the corporations heading the way. This way of living is tiresome and expensive; people expect their products to break within

a few uses, as it becomes the norm. However there are innovators gaining momentum in the rise of minimal living. Letting go of the clutter and bad quality products that chain us to our demanding jobs to fund our way of life. Buying into experiences is far more fulfilling and life affirming. More and more people are choosing to live rather than be owned.

Removing, passing on, throwing away, getting rid of, or letting go are concepts increasingly studied in consumer behavior literature and this clearly helps position disposal as a fundamental consumer activity. The practice of disposal spans a wide spectrum, ranging from mundane disposal such as managing daily waste,to radical disposal such as clearing out cluttered space and/or life (Belk et al., 2007; Cherrier andMurray, 2007).

The continuum of disposal practices often varies in relation to life events such as birth, growing up, divorce, death, moving house, or migrating (Belk, 1992; Mc-Alexander and Schouten, 1992; McAlexanderet al., 1993; Price and Arnould, 2000). - Cherrier, H., 2009. Disposal and simple living: exploring the circulation of goods and the development of sacred consumption. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, pp.327-339.

our lives are stacked upon shelves, gathering dust, waiting to be looked upon again with youthful vision.

Michael Landy made an inventory of every single thing he owned: every item of furniture, every book, every work of art, every article of clothing and one Saab car. Cataloguing all his possessions took a year to complete and the final list comprised 7,227 items. Landy then set about systematically destroying all his possessions. Classified into ten categories – Artworks, Clothing, Equipment, Furniture, Kitchen,

Leisure, Motor Vehicle, Perishables, Reading Material and Studio Material – the stuff of Landy's life circulated on a system of roller conveyors moving like a large Scalextric track around the empty store. Each individual possession was then systematically taken apart, broken down, pulped and granulated. After two weeks every single thing that Landy had once owned was no more. He was a man without possessions.

“ if more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

- J.R.R. Tolkien

keep your sunny side up.

In a world of snail porridge and Haggis sometimes it’s nice to strip back from the adventurous palette and fall in love again with a proppa’ good old full English brekky. However my only concern for our delectable dish is the pain and suffering caused by the bean. These innocent looking blighters wreak havoc on the plate. Taking no surrenders, their meek tomato juice will soggily ruin your bread and taint your egg. They are merely a chewing interlude in my

opinion whilst I stare longingly at a rasher of bacon. As Alan Partridge so excellently put “more distance between the eggs and the beans. Use a sausage as a breakwater.” Never have I felt the need to barricade a food as much as the bean, keeping it in a prison to stop it from breaking out. Nevertheless I must give credit to its excellent mopping up skills of the stray eggy bits at the end. This classic meal has provided us Brits with a heartwarming start to the day, whether that is morning, noon or night. Yet beangate is still a hot topic of discussion today and will continue to sodden our toast and spirits.

create.destroy.sell

processed, salty, addictive food has infiltrated the family home.

this has created a desire for quick meals with little conversation.

s special

Grandma knows best. Friday night dinner’s around the head honcho of the family’s house: Grandma. She knows just how to season your favourite meal. She knows exactly how to sweeten your tea. She is the treasured member of the family who takes pride in looking after you. Grandma’s are not to be underestimated. They are fiesty characters with a whole past that you yearn to discover. Learning about her stories over cups of tea and biscuits is some of your fondest memories.

the mother is the feeder, nurturer, nourisher of the planet.

mother knows best

The maternal form is celebrated throughout artisitc culture. The feminine shapes and curves create a silhouette that evokes romance and mystery. Klimt ‘s use of rich colour glorifies the female form and intensifies the flesh. The growth in pregnancy is celebrated in art and worshipped in ancient paintings. We are brought into this world through our mother’s bodies and every part of her is perfectly made to nurture us.

ancient fertility symbols are used to summon the gods power to the female form.

The vagina was once considered an incredibly sacred thing, the gateway between heaven and planet Earth. Wolf writes of the Indian Tantric culture, from 1500 years ago, and the 1000-year-old Chinese Han dynasty; both believed our lady parts were life-giving, and if men ever wanted to reach balance and health in their lives, they had to learn how to properly handle that region of a woman’s body. It was referred to as a “flowery pool” or “mysterious gate.”

scattered memories

Family time, flicking through old photo albums, creating new memories through looking upon old ones. Scattered memories is the way in which we view the past. Remembering the faintest anecdotes and hurtling out laughter from recounting these to one another. This past time is slowly creeping away as we enter the digital age. It is important to keep memories

in a physical form to preserve stories for years to come. Who knows if all of our photos online will still be accessible in 10, 20, 30 years time? It is feesable to assume the demise of social media will be the demise in our online plethora of imagery. It is worth keeping memories of the past in physical form to create an atmosphere in your home. Don’t let them fade away.

Remembering relatives both past and present. Their witty charm and heart-warming smile. It is within our greatest memories of these characters that we can feel warm and at peace.

Thank you for reading this issue of BLAND. We hope to have inspired you to relish your relationships with family and friends. Never take for granted the power of your memories, with them you will never be alone. Do not forget to create new memories with your beloved ones. Through conversations you can learn and grow together as a unified force.