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Arkady and Boris Strugatsky came up with doubles back in the mid-sixties of the last century. Remember “Monday starts on Saturday”? We quote: “A double is a very interesting thing: as a rule, it is a very exact copy of its creator. Let’s say, a person doesn’t have enough hands, he creates a double for himself: brainless, unresponsive, who only knows how to solder contacts or carry weights, or write from dictation, but who knows how to do it well.” Exactly 50 years have passed since the story was published, and duplicates have not yet been invented. This is outrageous! Just imagine: you went on vacation, and at the same time your double is running around sales, trying on dresses and sending you selfies. And he is not too lazy to look for the right size and chase sellers for the same dress, but with mother-of-pearl buttons. What a beauty!
You already have a manicure printer, it's time to move on! Why not come up with a thing that will print any makeup on our faces in five minutes? Firstly, we spend a lot of time every morning trying to draw what we want on our faces. Secondly, this most desirable thing is different all the time: sometimes the season changes, sometimes trends, and you need to learn or get used to it again. Thirdly, the arrows: the arrows never turn out the same!
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All these micellar waters, hydrophilic oils and makeup remover wipes are a thing of the past! It's high time to invent some kind of magic lamp. Not the one that needs to be rubbed to make the genie fly out (although that is also needed), but something like a Minin reflector, also known as a “blue lamp”. Do you remember when you were little and sick, you were supposed to open your mouth and shine the light of a blue light bulb on your face? So, it’s high time to invent some kind of “green lamp”: you bring it to your face for a second, turn it on, flash, and - hop! — the makeup fell off. All. Is it really easier to kill pathogenic bacteria than to make mascara fall off? We don't believe it!
Not to be confused with the “tube” into which traffic police officers offer to breathe. We are absolutely not interested in knowing how much of these same ppm we have in our blood. We need this thing to start vibrating when the norm has already been drunk and it’s time to stop. And we also don’t really want to calculate this norm ourselves. We will simply set the conditions: “mom will arrive tomorrow morning,” “get home by subway,” or “the main thing is not to text your ex.” Let the smart device determine how much alcohol you can drink - in accordance with the task. And let the morning be good, yes.
Just imagine: he doesn’t pester you with stupid conversations and doesn’t pester you at all, because he’s not a person. He doesn’t smoke in the car, doesn’t smell like Sasha cologne (which he apparently drank the day before), doesn’t shout out the window, “Where are you going, you monkey, son of a donkey?!” and does not say that he has no change. And he doesn’t drive you recklessly and take you to the industrial zone, because “it’s faster, we’ll get around the traffic jam,” and you, accordingly, don’t squeeze into the seat out of fear: either he’ll cripple you in an accident, or he’ll do something worse. Oh, here's another thing: he doesn't turn on the Chanson radio. Invent it already!
Electronic content has already been stuffed into seemingly every item of daily use: photo frames, cutting boards, children's sneakers, and cat litter boxes. And we are still forced to squirm in front of mirrors, trying to take a decent selfie. How long?! I looked in the mirror, pressed a button, and the reflection instantly went straight to Instagram. With a filter, of course. It's so elementary!
Doubles, of course, are a wonderful invention, but at a party we want to have a blast ourselves. And in the morning, maybe we want to burst out with creative ideas at the meeting, rather than sneaking a yawn into our diary. When will they come up with magic pills that can turn two hours of sleep into proper rest, huh?
Let it be a translucent tight cocoon in the shape of an egg, for example. You press a button on some smart gadget - and a translucent field is formed around you, which moves with you. And let this very field allow nothing in except muffled sounds and purified air. And here it is, happiness: you are not afraid of bad weather, you are not bothered by greasy looks, and most importantly - stinkers and boors in public transport as if they cease to exist. It’s wonderful, isn’t it? This elixir? Our years are our wealth, by the way! Even more: the imprint of the years lived on the face is priceless when you need to put an annoying monster in his place, make a new subordinate work with the life credo “he’ll get fried somehow!” or a primary school teacher who suddenly decided that she knows better than you how to raise your child. In such situations, every wrinkle works for the result. But on a date they are, of course, superfluous, and at the alumni meeting too. So please come up with an age regulator for us. She smeared herself with cream - and, like Bulgakov’s Margarita, she became young and beautiful. I smeared it from another jar - and with one glance you can drive the youngsters off the seats in the subway. This is what we understand - this is a useful, necessary elixir. Necessary!
— tells what kind of furniture modern offices need, what constants are still preserved in this changing world and why one still wants to reinvent the wheel.
This year the pavilion is under the auspicesVitra— like one big exhibition about what the office of the future could be like, in what environment we will work. How do you see him?
This year I am presenting two small concepts here, and both are about transformation and rapid change. Chair Table (“chair-chair”) is a chair with a table in which the lid folds back to form a backrest, like a throne. And the Stool Tool is a small chair made of plastic, it is stackable and very light, with a special recess-handle for carrying, and it can always be used as a tool for shaping any office landscape. This chair is suitable for cafes and conference rooms, meeting rooms and lounge areas, and in summer - for organizing outdoor recreation areas. Modern office spaces are so flexible that they are gradually moving away from fixed workspaces - standard cubicles and personalized desks. People spontaneously form into teams at any unoccupied point in space, after 5 minutes they disperse and gather somewhere else - for such cases and offices, the Stool Tool is universal and indispensable. An important aspect is that it is very economical to produce and is quite inexpensive.
Chair Table (“chair-chair”) is a chair with a table in which the lid folds back to form a backrest, like a throne.
Plastic is not the most typical material for Vitra. But last time you were done with them workplace from even less traditional plywood (model HACK). And for Galerie Kreo they designed an avant-garde collection of glass furniture. What determines the choice of this or that material for you each time?
Everything, of course, depends on the project. To a large extent, it is determined by function - in case of an error, the invented object can be difficult to produce. But at the same time, each material also has an emotional “dimension”. If you make furniture from glass, you are going against the grain, against human expectations, even against human comfort itself. Although it is clear that the collection was made for the gallery and was more of a manifesto, a provocation, an irritant. However, in commercial interiors such as offices, functionality is critical.
Do you have a favorite material?
Again it all depends on the project. I, for example, I actually don’t like glass, but in the project for Galerie Kreo it was very interesting for me to work with it.
Do you feel more like a German designer or something else?
I would say that I am a European designer. My father is from the former Yugoslavia (and this could not help but affect me), but he was born in Germany, and therefore I am a German designer to a greater extent than some Londoner. On the other hand, I received my education in London, so I thoroughly absorbed European culture. But I sincerely admire the phenomenon of “German design” itself - it played a huge role in the formation and development of design as such.
→ What would you like to invent?
I was once asked: “What would you like to invent?” I thought for a long time, rummaged through my sketches and drawings, which I have had for three years now, pondered options for the development of our society and eventually came to the conclusion: we need to invent new look fuel that can replace oil, gas and coal without any major changes in industry.
Now we live in an era of an ever-approaching energy crisis. Major powers are already trying to get their hands on as many resources as possible (including oil), revolutions and local wars have flared up again, which is affecting our country. And if oil and gas run out completely, then what will happen? The best option is a new one world war, which is quite capable of destroying humanity. Is it necessary? Why don't superpowers invest in the development of alternative fuels? After all, options such as electricity and hydrogen fuel have already been proposed. But... More and more news is coming about the invention of new types of weapons... I’m not a pacifist, of course, but I also really want to live. Or at least die not in the flames of war...
Sorry, I got distracted. So, it would be nice to invent a new type of fuel that is easy to obtain, whose resources are huge (and maybe endless), relatively cheap, environmentally friendly and safe. The invention of such fuel can solve many economic and, possibly, political problems. Prices for Benin will begin to fall, the level of environmental pollution will also decrease, and interest in wars will temporarily decline, as countries will be busy switching to new fuel and inventing methods for its extraction and processing. Of course, the ideal world is still far away, but life can be made ordinary people at least a little better! Yes, yes, new fuel (like other inventions) must be invented for ordinary people, who are the main consumer. If you do not release inventions to the people, but only to a limited circle of people, society will face regression and destruction. So... If I had invented this very fuel, I would have started promoting it to the people. And there, perhaps, other countries will be interested...
Well, you could also invent a teleport. Then many transport problems (for example, traffic jams) would be solved. But there are also some negative effects: the world economy will instantly collapse (since the cars on which the economies of most countries are based will no longer be needed, as well as the fuel for them), the crime rate will increase (after all, criminals will be able to teleport to hell - and that’s it, look for the wind in the field) and mortality (firstly, due to the same crime, and secondly, the very use of the teleport can be life-threatening). So this invention is still very controversial.
In general, you can endlessly dream about what else you can invent. The problem is that not everyone needs these inventions. And the fact is that at the moment the effect of them may be negative. But this is not a reason to freeze something revolutionary and slow down its creation - someday any invention will find its application.
Probably many in childhood or even today dreamed of inventing or creating something, but everyone is destined to be born with a brilliant head on their shoulders and not everyone is ready to agree with the world, and our dreams will remain dreams.
I, too, would like to create a lot of things, but most of the things are beyond fantasy, so I will describe the most plausible of them.
Glider- a machine capable of flying. Comparable in overall shape and size to a car, it can fly up and down like a helicopter and as fast as an airplane. The most similar design was in the movie "Men in Black 2" by Agent Jay and GZ Serlina towards the end.
Due to the fact that I constantly get carsick, and they themselves are slow clunkers, easily stuck in traffic jams like in a swamp, forced to follow the road rules, I would like to have the equipment that will personally take me anywhere, without any obstacles on the way. I was inspired to use a glider by Mass Effect 2, which seemed to me to be an ideal car that allows me to drive on absolutely any surface without having problems with such heavy maintenance as cars. And thanks to its flight, it makes it possible to fly in three dimensions and easily replaces all any equipment, not only cars, but also planes and ships. It would be especially chic if it were an autopilot. You set it to fly from point A to point B and forward. You sit quietly and enjoy the view from above, while the car itself takes you directly to wherever you want. Luxury is strikingly higher than millions of sports cars.
I could even calmly play right in my chair while the glider takes me wherever I want. The glider is an ideal transport for couriers and travelers,
Teleport- In general, I really like to travel. But not in our era. I love to walk in any corner different places, but not all day long and not holding other people’s hands.
That’s why I don’t like resorts and I don’t like cruel “safari” places where you always have a guide next to you, and you yourself will definitely die in a couple of hours + it’s still a long journey to get to such places. And in some places they don’t let you in at all. Especially during work hours.
And I especially hate modern airplanes - constant controls, the need for these beautiful pieces of paper, starting with a passport, ending with money for many hours. Then flights from 2 to 12 hours in stuffy planes, among other people with their smell of sweat and eating some dubious food that you don’t like, but you don’t have to choose. Pipes.
I want to wake up one day, for example, calmly at home, take a walk for an hour, for example, in the mountains of Norway, freshen up, and back. No crowds, paperwork or primitive transport. And how many problems with movement will be solved, which even gliders will replace.
Our travels will become as simple as getting information on the Internet. Many people can go to work even on the other side of the globe.
No crowds, no deprivation of personal space, no extra time for all these face controls. You can easily boil your own eggs at home and eat them in Australia in another restaurant, and then just as easily go shopping for dairy products and eat them fresh at home. No sanctions will bother you. The whole world will actually be united by a new single network. And it won’t just be the Internet.
Molecular retarder- a more fantastic thing. I would also call it “slowing pollen”.
This is a formula that creates a certain space around itself in the form of a barrier within which everything slows down in the spirit of Slo-mo, like in the game. When in contact with organic matter, it increases the radius of the barrier. Everyone who is inside the barrier, accordingly, sees the outside world in an accelerated form. The amount of pollen also increases the radius of the barrier. The concentrate increases the duration of the slow. Composition - deceleration force.
Certain suits with LEDs repel it, allowing the wearer to walk inside the barrier at normal times.
Why would I want to create this thing? Because I think it is the best argument against war and violence. Any terrorist will be neutralized. Once you shoot this pollen at him, it doesn’t matter what he was holding or who he was holding - a hostage, a bomb, a grenade or a cannon. Everything around him will be in slow motion and people in suits can take him alive without the slightest bruise. Uprising or riots on the street? Massive pollen bombing - no one was hurt or even scratched. You take everyone red-handed. Innocent citizens? They weren't hurt either. Bomb or grenade? The explosion is slowed down and its inertia is weakened. Full support of the rights of any person without the slightest damage to him and the instant suppression of any terrorist acts or riots.
Inspired by the cartoon "Final Fantasy", which is a non-canon JRPG series about ghosts. The local disants landed from airships directly to the ground using this pollen without any parachutes.
Reducing field- not exactly a reducer, but a field that reduces everything inside itself. Inspired by Bulychev's children's book about Alice, chapter "Rusty Field Marshal". A kind of compact container. Any thing that gets there decreases in miniature size, including mass, but as soon as you take it out, it becomes the same. One small suitcase will contain the entire assortment of your apartment. This way you can even carry cars with you.
Or a whole house and then put it wherever your heart desires. Extremely convenient and no more heavy backpacks. So you can carry everything in your pocket. :)
Gravity Control- we are not talking about quantum mechanics, but rather about the artificial creation of mass in a certain place. For example, create a semi-invisible plate in a certain place that has its own gravity, regardless of its position. Either vertically or downwards.
An ideal opportunity to save money by building temporary places or entire cities right on the planet where people can live in cities upside down. No gyroscopes or unnecessary waste of energy, where each piece of land is a separate small planet with its own environment.
And also the creation of entire flying castles. ^__^
Decoy of Time- greetings from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Such a cheating thing, but it was not used, for example, against “Volodya-Morda”. Or while saving your own. Well, in general there are enough mistakes there.
In general, this is the same decoy, only it works differently. The feature was inspired by the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time series. Where, after falling, you press a button and the whole game rewinds back in time, including the GG himself, who, despite the fact that he also “rewinds,” remembers everything and can turn off the rewind.
The ideal solution for getting rid of any mistakes in your life. I rewound it and corrected it.
Time Fixer- like “saving” like in the game, only in real life. When the decoy “remembers” a certain moment and place in your life and sends you there in case of an emergency. The film series "Final Destination" is best suited for this.
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Book/Game/Cartoon- write/create/make a story about your world. Setting. Like the famous Warhammer, World of Darkness, Dungeon & Dragons, Lord of the Rings, etc. etc. About what I see, about what my characters will see, about what will happen, etc. The story is huge, has many sub-stories, characters, etc. This is a World that combines all the worlds that I have absorbed. A world that will unite other worlds and create a relationship between all of them. It contains a lot of philosophy that goes against human logic to the point of absurdity, and dynamic actions and surrealism that refracts human ideas. A story in which all worlds come to life and tell how their hearts beat.
It's a pity, but I tried to draw for more than 10 years, tried to write books and even just play musical instruments for several years. And the results are always on the level kindergarten. It’s like I have a “reverse form” of talent with a “-” sign. No progress.
It looks like this world still owes me a lot.
