PREVIEW
DESIGN FOR EVERY BODY
Runs until July 12
Triangle Gallery
Move over Ikea – the 50 objects included in the exhibit Design For Every Body: Swedish Design for an Active Life are concerned with much more than easily assembled shelving units and colour co-ordinated kitchenware.
The exhibition showcases the ways that design is changing the lives of millions of people and, in turn, shifting the attitudes of millions more. Organized by the world’s oldest design school, Svensk Form, in conjunction with University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, Design For Every Body presents household objects, fashion items, recreational products and furniture designed to increase the quality of life for the disabled.
"Sweden has been working with design for disabled people since the 1960s," says Pernilla Abrink, editor of Form Magazine and co-curator of the exhibit. "It has something to do with our democratic thinking."
Sweden is recognized by the international community as a society that is taking great strides toward treating everyone equally. Whether that is the result of the Swedish people being more enlightened than the rest of the world’s population or in response to government policy that was initiated in the 1960s is debatable.
What is not in dispute is that such a lofty goal can be accomplished – evidence of Sweden’s success is available as you tour through this exhibition. A simple item like Chair BD:6 has changed the lives of many elderly and disabled Swedes. Designed by Björn Dahlström, BD:6 has handles on each side of its seat that can be grasped when getting up or sitting down. The simple addition of handles to what is otherwise a basic piece of furniture demonstrates how Swedish design is breaking down barriers.
Another elegant example of combining form and function is the "do Swing Lamp," designed by Thomas Bernstrand. It is indeed a lamp, but doubles as a grip-bar to get in and out of a bed or chair. Rather than separating items into categories of utility and beauty, the designer has combined each of the requirements to create something unique and ultimately liberating for its users.
What is immediately obvious to viewers of the show is that these are not the dull, grey products that are typically available from medical supply stores. Instead, these bright, attractive and colourful objects appeal to both functional and esthetic sensibilities. Most of the items on display are being sold in mainstream shopping outlets in Sweden and, in some cases, across the world.
Rather than viewing disability as a medical or social issue, Sweden has decided to approach the area as one of basic human rights, where every member of society should have the opportunity to participate in a full and meaningful way. To accomplish that goal, the Swedish government has adopted a bold plan, to be implemented by 2010, that aims to raise awareness about the obstacles faced by people with disabilities, remove any existing barriers and attempt to change any lingering stereotypes about the disabled.
Changing belief systems is always a challenge, but one way this is being done in Sweden is to examine the very way "disabled" is defined. Although this word is often attached to those confined in wheelchairs or facing some type of physical challenge, it could just as easily be applied to any person who faces an obstacle that prevents them from achieving a successful and fulfilling life.
That point is underscored in the exhibition by including objects that we would not normally associate with a disability – everything from a silicon lamp you can cuddle with in the outdoors to a fashionable life jacket that will appeal to those who must always look stylish, even when out canoeing.
"Even snobbishness is a disability," says Abrink. "You can see disability in a lot of ways."
Design For Every Body succeeds not because it lectures us or tries to make us feel guilty about our own society’s failings in relation to disability issues, but because it refuses to do that. By simply showcasing these life-altering objects, we can see how it is possible to eliminate all types of barriers – beginning with our attitudes towards disability. |
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