Rowan de Graaf
Internship: TooManyAgencies
rowan@studiorow.nl, studiorow.nl
Hi there, nice to meet you. I’m Rowan. – Graduated interior/object designer. I transform stories, perhaps your story, into a design. Whatever inspires, motivates and excites you is exactly what stimulates my creativity. My aim is to make design intertwine with personal emotion, without becoming abstract.
GRADUATION PROJECT
It used to be - objects for making memories.
Memories are precious. They connect us. Since the beginning of mankind, we tell each other stories about everything that should not be forgotten. The memory of a lost loved one is a valuable asset. Whoever you lose in life, that which is engraved in your memory about this person, will remain.
Unlike memories, the lifespan of the things someone leaves behind after death is a lot shorter. Whereas with one object the value is obvious, with another this value is created by a personal connection, hidden from the person without this connection.
The beauty of an heirloom of visible value is that it is passed on from generation to generation without text or explanation. Passing on a personal connection doesn’t happen by itself; everyone connects in their way. The emotionally valuable heirloom is transformed while retaining its essence. The result is an utility object that tells something about the new owner, an object that offers space for new connections.
The more people are part of a memory, the longer a story lives on, and so does the value of the associated object. Therefore, an essential element of the transformation is that the outcome brings people together; old memories are shared, but at the same time, new ones are created.
THESIS
It used to be
A research into the relationship between people and used objects; How this has changed with the increase of mass production, and what it is that still connects us to the objects around us.