Andrea de Chirico

Department: Social Design
Website: www.andreadechirico.com

SUPERLOCAL 0 MILES PRODUCTION

It is urgent that we update our methods of production. They cannot exist any longer just to maximize efficiency or profits; instead production must address social and environmental viability. Industrial capitalism has shown it cannot sustain itself in its current form, based as it is on types of labor that are disappearing, creating wealth for very few, and depleting natural resources.

We are a group of designers who believe that the future of production will be characterized by making things locally. We believe that there is a need for an alternative to the traditional, industrial way of producing goods. We believe in the rise of networks as the new and best generators of social and economic value. We also see that producing locally reduces pollution and the waste of energy and time built into the old ways of producing goods.

We designed some production lines in the town of Eindhoven, finding and connecting resources, materials and labor all found within a short bike ride, in order to make everyday objects. These production lines are then organized within a global network called SUPERLOCAL. This production 1.0 (beta) is then released in open source on the system website, and serves as a starting point for an evolutionary process applied to objects. This demonstration includes a hair dryer, dressing table, mirror, lamp, and a stool.

The goal of SUPERLOCAL is to provide an open production database for making everyday objects, and thereby give creative and critical tools to people for re-creating their world.