Stop Recycling. Start Repairing.

2.9.-7.9.

Platform21 was a design platform based in Amsterdam (NL), aiming to positively influence the relationship between user and product. Through their projects they question today’s society, reveal the making process, and stimulate dialogue and the sharing of creative knowledge. During the Ars Electronica 2010 they will show examples of their past work and offer you the chance to learn about some of their creative repair methods.

Informations about the daily program are available on site.

www.platform21.nl
Coordination: Moetoesingi Schmidt (NL), Arne Hendriks (NL)

Chair Repair
Chairs are the icons of the design world. No wonder that the repair of chairs, in all its manifestations became a central aspect of the presentation of Platform21 = Repairing. For Ars Electronica we make a selection of the best repaired chairs we could find and invite designers and artists in Austria, as well as the public, to add their own.
Exhibited chairs by (among others) Barbara Alves, Rachel Griffith, Harco Rutgers, 5.5 Designers, Guy Keulemans,…

Woolfiller
Helen Klopper (NL)
Woolfiller is an invention of Heleen Klopper, an Amsterdam-based designer. It repairs holes and hides stains in woolen jumpers, cardigans, jackets and more by using the specific characters of wool. The fibres of wool contain minuscule scales which open up when they are pricked with a felt needle. The open scales bind with each other and will not be separated, not even in the laundry. It is simple, sustainable and satisfying, a new solution for an old problem.

Smash Repair
Guy Keulemans (AU) & Martijn Dijkhuizen (NL)
“Smash Repair” is a generative repair system for creating form. Using a basic construction template, structures are smashed and repaired repeatedly, building up material in places that require it for strength. The process, analogous to the growth of bones and tree branches when self-repairing, is a method for exploring the function and aesthetics of materials used for repair.

Bison Kintsugi
Lotte Dekker (NL)
Designer Lotte Dekker developed a new way of gluing porcelain based on kintsugi, an old Japanese technique from the 15th century in which porcelain is repaired with gold leaf. It is an extremely time-consuming, expensive method. Dekker found Bison glue to be the perfect Western variant for making beautiful yet simple repairs.

Dispatchwork
Jan Vormann (DE)
“I want to repair every broken wall in the whole world with Dispatchwork. Why not? I think it is a fun approach towards conceiving the decay that time brings along.” Jan Vormann uses Lego for fixing cracks, holes and crumbling corners. He fills them with the plastic bricks, calling the practice Dispatchwork. He already left a colorful trail of repairs in Berlin, Tel Aviv, Amsterdam, New York and many other cities around the world.

Shoe Goo repair station
Arne Hendriks (NL)
Shoe Goo is a waterproof adhesive which is perfect to mend the soles of worn out shoes. The product is well known among skaters to repair their destroyed skate shoes.