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Issue 59 - The Life Outside Issue

Issue 59

The Life Outside Issue

Introducing the Life Outside issue of Habitus magazine. With life increasingly being absorbed into a digital space, there is never a more important moment to hold something tangible. In this context, the power of nature to have a physiological impact on our sense of wellbeing has never been more important. So how can we cultivate the benefits of the our natural environment in the most intimate of places – our homes? This was the question that helped to bring this issue of Habitus to life.

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Field Experiments
ConversationsHabitusliving Editor

Field Experiments

A trio of designers has come together in Bali to challenge the traditional concept of the souvenir, in a new collection of work that will be exhibited in New York this May. By Annie Reid.

Above: Multi-brush

From Melbourne, co-founder of design studio U-P, Paul Marcus Fuog, teamed up with Benjamin Harrison Bryant, an industrial designer from New York and Karim Charlebois-Zariffa, a designer and director from Montreal, to further the four years of research and travel they had previously completed in Bali.

Fuog,-Zariffa,-Bryant-on-Sept-5,-2013-Field-Experiments-highres

From left to right: Fuog, Zariffa, Bryant on Sept 5, 2013

Leaving behind their studio practices temporarily, they set up a studio for three months in Lodtunduh, a farming community on Ubud’s outskirts.

Disposable Bottles_01 Field ExperimentsDisposable Bottles

“For us, the story started to emerge when we looked at souvenirs,” Fuog says, who is based in Melbourne. “We wanted to create something that was much more personal.”

observations_wooden_mask

Observations – wooden mask

Through a stringent process of observing, documenting, playing and collaborating, the design collective began to experiment and partner with the Balinese craftspeople to work with traditional making practices such as masonry, woodcarving, weaving, batik (fabric), painting and kite painting.

Stone-Play_Field-ExperimentsStone Play

As a result, they generated about 200 ideas, enjoying the infectious, loose energy that resulted from the daily act of doing.

Rubber-Inflatables_13-Field-ExperimentsRubber Inflatables

“Whatever we were doing felt right because it was just a response to our environment. It wasn’t being informed by contemporary culture,” Fuog says.

observations_stairsObservations – Stairs

In collaboration with a selection of Balinese craftspeople, they converted their ideas into a collection of more than 50 objects, including kites made from shopping bags, ad hoc lighting made from fishing nets and rods, furniture assembled from bamboo baskets and plastic stools found in the local supermarket.

Precious-Stone_Field-ExperimentsPrecious Stone 

With the collection currently in New York and plans for a book documenting their experience, Fuog hopes the project will effect a positive change not only for tourists travelling to Bali, but also the Balinese, with some of the objects to become prototypes for future products.

Adhoc-Furniture_01_Field-ExperimentsAdhoc Furniture 

“It was so good to really learn about the culture and people and the country through design,” Fuog says. “And then learn through doing.”

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Issue 59 - The Life Outside Issue

Issue 59

The Life Outside Issue

Introducing the Life Outside issue of Habitus magazine. With life increasingly being absorbed into a digital space, there is never a more important moment to hold something tangible. In this context, the power of nature to have a physiological impact on our sense of wellbeing has never been more important. So how can we cultivate the benefits of the our natural environment in the most intimate of places – our homes? This was the question that helped to bring this issue of Habitus to life.

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