http://www.aditiruiz.com Portfolio Aditi Ruiz Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:06:10 +0000 http://www.aditiruiz.com en http://aditiruiz.com/MODELS-SECOND-NATURE http://aditiruiz.com/following/aditiruiz.com/MODELS-SECOND-NATURE Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:06:10 +0000 Portfolio Aditi Ruiz 2032261 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2032261/Plant_series_1_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="328" width_o="670" height_o="328" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2032261/Plant_series_1_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="10108196" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2032261/Creatures_1_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="335" width_o="670" height_o="335" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2032261/Creatures_1_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="10108193" border="0" align="left"/> http://aditiruiz.com/SUNBURN http://aditiruiz.com/following/aditiruiz.com/SUNBURN Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:52:00 +0000 Portfolio Aditi Ruiz 2032108 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2032108/Sunburn_1_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="514" width_o="670" height_o="514" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2032108/Sunburn_1_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="10107496" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2032108/Sunburn_2_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="149" width_o="670" height_o="149" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2032108/Sunburn_2_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="10107783" border="0" align="left"/>The focus of the workshop was to analyze the role of the chicken egg production industry (designers, consumers and policy makers) and achieve a balance between quality of life, resource consumption and economic growth. Based on the documentary Food, Inc. (Robert Kenner, 2008) we analyzed ecological and social aspects such as energy, land use, waste, social security, animal rights and product quality. We focused on the concept of free-range chicken farms where the animals are given air, sunlight, grass and freedom. These farms work on a small-scale level and focus on the production of ‘vegetarian eggs’. SCENARIO 1 Chicken farm utopia: the sustainable dream It takes the unsustainable ‘hot-spots’ observed in the documentary and drastically turns them around to exaggerate the outcome. The result is a too-naïve scenario that makes people question whether it is serious or not. SCENARIO 2 Chicken farm dystopia: a change in landscape A counter-version, it applies a dark vision to the farm utopia and mixes it with current social issues (overpopulation, rise in obesity, waste production and green-washing). The outcome reveals the failures of pursuing a utopian ‘green dream’, and how the bio-product industry is not always able to supply the consuming needs of a population larger than their current niche market. These scenarios reveal both sides of a situation, initiating a reflection on why the food industry operates the way it does and the amount of work that will be needed to change it. Results of a three-day workshop on the topic of sustainability. Project done in collaboration with Christian Schlatter. The focus of the workshop was to analyze the role of the chicken egg production industry (designers, consumers and policy makers) and achieve a balance between... http://aditiruiz.com/SKETCHES-1 http://aditiruiz.com/following/aditiruiz.com/SKETCHES-1 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:40:51 +0000 Portfolio Aditi Ruiz 2031206 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2031206/brAun_sketches_AditiRuiz-08.jpg" width="670" height="670" width_o="670" height_o="670" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2031206/brAun_sketches_AditiRuiz-08_o.jpg" data-mid="10102863" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2031206/brAun_sketches_AditiRuiz-05.jpg" width="670" height="670" width_o="670" height_o="670" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2031206/brAun_sketches_AditiRuiz-05_o.jpg" data-mid="10102859" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2031206/brAun_sketches_AditiRuiz-06.jpg" width="670" height="670" width_o="670" height_o="670" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2031206/brAun_sketches_AditiRuiz-06_o.jpg" data-mid="10102860" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2031206/brAun_sketches_AditiRuiz-07.jpg" width="670" height="670" width_o="670" height_o="670" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/2031206/brAun_sketches_AditiRuiz-07_o.jpg" data-mid="10102861" border="0" align="left"/> http://aditiruiz.com/POST-TELEPHONE http://aditiruiz.com/following/aditiruiz.com/POST-TELEPHONE Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:08:31 +0000 Portfolio Aditi Ruiz 1844951 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1844951/Post_Phone_1_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="482" width_o="670" height_o="482" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1844951/Post_Phone_1_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="9191067" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1844951/Post_Phone_2_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="482" width_o="670" height_o="482" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1844951/Post_Phone_2_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="9191068" border="0" align="left"/>This telephone makes a critique towards the loss of human contact with the constant technological advances in telephony, and seeks its recovery through an auricular in the shape of a hand. The product’s aesthetic establishes a dialogue with the motives of the critique: the solitude and existential angst, the capacity of human alienation and the technological advances that lead to the ridiculous. An emphasis is made on style over substance. The hand auricular was created in the workshop of a wax sculpture museum. A mold was made by covering a person’s hand (in the picking-up-the-phone position) with hot melted wax and dipping it in iced water. This mold was later filled with plaster, which tends to slightly heat up when drying. This allowed an easy removal of the wax. The hand replica was then smoothened and polished, plasticized, and finally painted. A telephone cable was integrated. The telephone was constructed using standard telephone pieces and styrene. This telephone makes a critique towards the loss of human contact with the constant technological advances in telephony, and seeks its recovery through an auricular... http://aditiruiz.com/VIVIR-LA-MUERTE http://aditiruiz.com/following/aditiruiz.com/VIVIR-LA-MUERTE Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:08:29 +0000 Portfolio Aditi Ruiz 1352226 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1352226/Vivir_la_muerte_3_Aditi_Ruiz.jpg" width="670" height="448" width_o="670" height_o="448" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1352226/Vivir_la_muerte_3_Aditi_Ruiz_o.jpg" data-mid="9284284" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1352226/Vivir_la_muerte_5_Aditi_Ruiz.jpg" width="670" height="676" width_o="670" height_o="676" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1352226/Vivir_la_muerte_5_Aditi_Ruiz_o.jpg" data-mid="9284390" border="0" align="left"/>“Someone spoke to me all the days of my life, into my ear, slowly, taking their time. Said to me: live, live, live! It was death.” – Jaime Sabines The story aims to portray the knowledge every person has about death, how it is inevitable but often seems too distant. And when it is close we yearn for life and resist abandoning it, as if time had not been enough or it was not fair. The film takes action at this point, proposing the chance of some extra time. There are three characters: an old man, his attractive nurse and a mysterious man in black. Each character was assigned a color according to what they represent in the story. These colors are then translated to the environment and set a theatrical visual tone for the film, illustrating a pronounced contrast between life, death, and passion. CHARACTERS The old man is the color red. He is an eccentric who lived an unusual and agitated life, therefore refuses to die because he suspects he is going to hell. He collects extravagant objects, which are displayed throughout his house. In the end, his cleverness might be what saves him and gives him another chance to enjoy life. The nurse is the color white. She takes care of the old man and reads him his favorite stories. Her dedication to him could cause her falling into his trap to escape death. The mysterious man is the color black. He is in charge of collecting souls and giving them their sentences. He comes to the old man’s house to announce his death, but could end up being cheated. Art direction and costume design for the short film ‘Living the death’, directed by Carlos Alberto Godinez. Art direction assistant: Fabiola Herrera. Filmed in May, 2008 “Someone spoke to me all the days of my life, into my ear, slowly, taking their time. Said to me: live, live, live! It was death.” – Jaime Sabines The story... http://aditiruiz.com/DYSTOPIAN-DESIGN http://aditiruiz.com/following/aditiruiz.com/DYSTOPIAN-DESIGN Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:08:25 +0000 Portfolio Aditi Ruiz 1338230 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1338230/Dystopian_design_1_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="414" width_o="670" height_o="414" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1338230/Dystopian_design_1_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="10102997" border="0" align="left"/>A dystopia evidences the most alarming aspects of a society and provides propaganda for a change in direction. This is achieved by a fictional visualization of the future, extrapolating the key factors that keep us on the road to apocalypse. This research presents a design strategy – dystopian design – based on the depiction of worst-case scenarios. It explains how it can be applied to objects, as well as its value and position within critical design theory. How can design fiction be used to initiate social change? A bleak view upon the future can tell us a lot about the present hopes and concerns of our society. The vision of a landscape shaped by dystopia serves as an ideal scenario to commence debate. Working within this vision delivers a meaningful message and acts as a way of warning. In the end this could echo into the present and improve things not by better design, but by better thinking. A dystopia evidences the most alarming aspects of a society and provides propaganda for a change in direction. This is achieved by a fictional visualization of the... http://aditiruiz.com/WELCOME-TO-THE-FUTURE http://aditiruiz.com/following/aditiruiz.com/WELCOME-TO-THE-FUTURE Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:08:22 +0000 Portfolio Aditi Ruiz 1769596 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1769596/Dystopian_design_1_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="414" width_o="670" height_o="414" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1769596/Dystopian_design_1_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="10102980" border="0" align="left"/>Exploring worst-case scenarios as a tool for social change We live in an era where conjuring the end of humanity has become quite frequent (in some cases even credible) because we live constantly with knowable fears. A dystopia shows the world in its darkest hour, depicting its best and worst, and acts as a solid warning for what it is to come. In this workshop we will imagine how society works around such visions, and how they shape the ideals and values that cause an impact on our interaction with objects. Participants will use a critical approach in the exploration of alternative scenarios. These will be based on current events, with the purpose to communicate an issue and initiate debate. The aim is to understand possible experiences rather than predict how the future could look like. This will serve to highlight the often-invisible problems of contemporary living and make them visible through design concepts. Exploring worst-case scenarios as a tool for social change We live in an era where conjuring the end of humanity has become quite frequent (in some cases even... http://aditiruiz.com/VIRTUAL-FARMING http://aditiruiz.com/following/aditiruiz.com/VIRTUAL-FARMING Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:08:08 +0000 Portfolio Aditi Ruiz 1919501 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1919501/Second_N_1_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="897" width_o="670" height_o="897" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1919501/Second_N_1_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="9510122" border="0" align="left"/>Series of illustrations that depict the future of virtual farming, part of the project Second Nature. Series of illustrations that depict the future of virtual farming, part of the project Second Nature. http://aditiruiz.com/ONE-HUNDRED-MILLION-YEARS http://aditiruiz.com/following/aditiruiz.com/ONE-HUNDRED-MILLION-YEARS Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:08:04 +0000 Portfolio Aditi Ruiz 1919082 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1919082/OHMY_1_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="1010" width_o="670" height_o="1010" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1919082/OHMY_1_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="9509755" border="0" align="left"/>Series of illustrations that depict the future of virtual farming, part of the project Second Nature. Series of illustrations that depict the future of virtual farming, part of the project Second Nature. http://aditiruiz.com/SECOND-NATURE http://aditiruiz.com/following/aditiruiz.com/SECOND-NATURE Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:07:54 +0000 Portfolio Aditi Ruiz 1338317 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1338317/Indoor_Forest_1_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="448" width_o="670" height_o="448" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1338317/Indoor_Forest_1_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="8712174" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1338317/Second_Nature_2_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="448" width_o="670" height_o="448" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1338317/Second_Nature_2_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="8712724" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1338317/Second_Nature_4_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="448" width_o="670" height_o="448" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1338317/Second_Nature_4_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="8712727" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1338317/Second_Nature_3_AditiRuiz.jpg" width="670" height="448" width_o="670" height_o="448" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/104861/1338317/Second_Nature_3_AditiRuiz_o.jpg" data-mid="8712725" border="0" align="left"/>A dystopian view into virtual farming There are 80 million urban farmers across the world, but they are farming virtually through social networks. What does this imply for the future of the farm? How is this reshaping our perception of the environment? The hype in virtual farming creates a need to redefine the natural experience. Second Nature explores interactions between the virtual and the real. This project consists of three machines for virtual farming. They are networked devices that translate farming activity into the domestic setting, recreating the online experience in a tangible way. Through a fictional visualization of the future, a dystopian landscape is portrayed where technology replaces nature. This vision evidences how technology acts as a mediator in our perception of the natural and the alienation it causes. The aim is not only to speculate on the future of the farm, but also to create reflection and debate on current practices for urban sustenance. The devices include: indoor forest, gold bank, and farming alarm clock. INDOOR FOREST A small forest replica for the domestic landscape. It provides a natural experience to the observer, with added functions such as light and color responsiveness to virtual farming activities. It promotes the concept of the over-designed nature. GOLD BANK A domestic gold-farming unit to manage the harvested online currency. Allows the user to sell and purchase farm cash. It combines the virtual and physical aspects of monetary exchanges. FARMING ALARM CLOCK Keeps track and regulates farming activity while the user is asleep. Online tasks can be predetermined for overnight work. It acts as a bridge between real time and virtual farming time (which is never altered). The project began with a trend research about the changing perception of what is natural within product design. This was then focused on a specific phenomenon: the increasing popularity of virtual farming. The topic was explored through an analysis of virtual communities; studying how they work, grow, their philosophy, and interviewing experienced virtual farmers. Through a reflective practice, several iterations were made with practical case studies generated out of the research content. The result is a proposal of several product concepts: the machines for virtual farming that would exist in a landscape where this phenomenon is dominant. For more information visit here A dystopian view into virtual farming There are 80 million urban farmers across the world, but they are farming virtually through social networks. What does this...