Thirteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

This work calls for key authors from design history to rethink the fundamental presuppositions of design and functionalism. This study came from a sequence of ideas about creative consumption and free appropriation of objects, such as being independent in a capitalist society and contributing to curb consumption, avoiding the compulsory substitution of objects driven by the proposition of new functions, and the creation of new necessities. Presenting readings of functionalist design authors, trying to explain the reasoning that led me to finally find liberating ideas in their work, and not projects constrictive sentences about people lifestyles and practices, as some interpretations seemed to induce us to believe. This is the result of a theoretical and practical research, taking as a case study a porcelain industry with a long formal and manufacture tradition. Research was also done on the traditional techniques and forms of porcelain from different origins, which not only influenced the production of the factory at its genesis, but also are now essential references to illustrate the diversity and cultural plurality of the world in which we live today. This is a multidisciplinary work that makes use of several areas of knowledge to characterize contemporary thinking and the opportunity of new design practices in tune with the most current issues.