Fabiola van den Berg
Internship: 75B
fabiola-vandenberg@hotmail.com, studiorigters.com, instagram.com/fabiolavdberg
In a distant 500-feet-deep mine, the beginnings of an iPhone come to life. As we fall in love with our freshly unboxed, colourfully glowing machines, we don’t necessarily take into account the production of these devices, what was involved in collecting, making, and assembling each and every one of them. Digging for iPhones explores the material and social impact of these devices. The project consists of handmade iPhones used as a medium for cumulative storytelling. The collection invites users to explore all aspects of the device’s creation and encounter the iPhone anew.
LOVE LETTERS LEFT ON READ
Thesis
When the doorbell isn't ringing we don't go up to the door and open it, but why do we keep unlocking our phone when there is no new message? During the day we keep repeating this action. What are we exactly trying to fulfill by repeating this action on a daily basis?
The past two years my smartphone and I have gone through countless amounts of text and phone calls, but now the time has come to say goodbye. Seemingly, one of the closest relationships that we can have is not with other humans but with our smartphones. People all of a sudden depend so much on a little piece of technology to the extent that they are willing to purchase a new device with relatively few improvements. We all crave the perfect relationship, one that will last us forever, but we should ask ourselves the following: Is that realistic? Now with the countless dating apps around us that offer us new people to meet, every single day we tend to think whether there is someone better out there to be in a relationship with. Is it true that the grass is always greener on the other side and does this also apply to our smartphones? And lastly, how perfect is this relationship with our smartphone in comparison to the relationships we have with other people?
In my research, I am looking into the elements that make us have a toxic relationship with our phones, and with the help of a timeline created around the two-year relationship you would have with a new phone. My research starts with explaining one specific type of user. I will furthermore take you to a place where phones are worshipped, a place where one’s candles were lit on iPad's, so to speak. And finally, I’ll explain how one keynote presentation changed everything in the world of smartphones.