Curatorial Cooking: The Design Practice of Platform21

Joanna Van Der Zanden, Artez Press. From 2006 - 2009, the design think tank Platform21 inspired new ways of thinking about design, and new ways of interacting with the design objects around us. The group was founded as a collaborative project that would eventually lead to the creation of a new workshop and exhibition space, Supermaker. Unfortunately, Supermaker did not come to fruition, and so the Platform21 project ended, but was not forgotten. It left in its wake pioneering ideas such as the repair manifesto (a manifesto that opposes throwaway culture and encourages imperfect items with longevity), IKEA hacks (redesigning and customising IKEA products to make them your own), a breakfast machine and a series of experiments in creating tangible products from foodstuffs, including a lemon battery and a flute made from a carrot. Platform21 inspired many professional designers and laymen alike to see more creative potential in almost everything. Curatorial Cooking includes plenty of fascinating text and examples of projects to encourage the reader to reuse, create and redesign. Includes projects by Aart van Bezooyen, Akinori Oishi, Arne Hendriks, Cynthia Hathaway, Dewi Pinatih, Dinie Besems, Erik Wong, Guy Keulemans, Heleen Klopper, Hybridspacelab, Maite Abella Grau, Marco Bevolo, Nancy Nowacek, Nox Architects, Robert Stadler, Sang-Kyu Kim, Scott Burnham, Sergio Davilla, Shane Waltener, Ted Noten, Van Bergen Kolpa Architecten and Yuri Suzuki. Contents: Introduction: Designing the Design Museum Twelve Projects to be Continued: 1. Checking Reality 2. Folding 3. Me and my Character 4. Cooking and Constructing 5. Hacking IKEA 6. Travels through Paradise 7. Displaying Tables 8. Jamming 9. Joyriding 10. Something Fake 11. Le Paris Lounge 12. Repairing: Awaiting the Rebirth of Platform21 21 Without a Platform: Projects and People 2005-2009 ILLUSTRATIONS: 150 colour.…