Cathrine Kramer
With a focus on new and emerging technologies, I have developed a practice that aims to provoke dialogues around issues of the social, cultural and environmental, allowing me to merge my design skills with a broader set of interests. Engaging with questions surrounding our relationships to each other and the environment we live in, my explorations are designed to raise questions rather than offering a solution to the many problems that we face. In my work I employ a range of objects, performance, digital media, graphics, animation and food to engage the public with the good, the bad and the ugly of future technologies.
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The Cloud Project informs in such an engaging and fun way – can you explain how it came about and what your aims are?
The Cloud Project was developed in collaboration with Zoe Papadopoulou while we were doing an MA at the Royal College of Art. It all started at the mention of nano ice-cream in a lecture, and Zoe thought that would be an entertaining way to get people talking about nanotechnology. From that, we got to thinking about weather modification and ice-cream falling from the sky, and The Cloud Project was born.
One of my favourite quotes is by David Grey: “Once a new technology is out in the world anyone can use it. At that point it becomes a weapon in human conflicts and an embodiment of human dreams.” Our aim was to create a space that helps people imagine ways in which new technologies may be used and subverted.
How do you get on with scientists as opposed to creative types?
I generally get on with most types, and one thing I found from talking to scientists during the cloud project is that they’re generally very generous with their time and knowledge. Basically, we are very similar creatures, driven by a natural curiosity, we just have very different methods for trying to answer questions.
Talking to scientists is a fundamental part of my process when developing projects, because I discover things which shape the outcome, rather than creating work based on assumptions. I’m not interested in creating something that is simply a fictional indulgence. Science is often stranger and much more fantastical than fiction anyway!
I think more scientists and designers should develop projects together, because not only can they help to validate each others work within a greater context, but they also push each other to think about their work in new ways. There is so much fascinating scientific research going on, and designers can have an interesting role in communicating that to a wider audience.
What’s the Design Interactions Department like at the RCA – it looks so inspiring and entrepreneurial?
It’s unique as far as interaction design courses go, because it’s focused a lot more on implications rather than the applications of emerging technologies. This is what initially got me interested in the course. It’s a bit like a playground where dysfunctional members of the art/design community can get together and experiment, putting old skills to new uses.
Designers and artists seem to be developing more of a social conscious – selling ideas rather than things – what do you reckon?
I’m not sure. People aren’t getting tired of spending money, and never before has there been so much focus on ‘designer’ products, whether those products embody ’socially conscious’ ideals or not. We are currently bombarded by eco friendly products, and this greenwashing is often just a marketing ploy, leaving the real and difficult questions about how our society functions untouched. I don’t really see myself as selling ideas, but as questioning existing ideas and ideals, so it’s more about starting a dialogue rather than selling an idea. There are no simple solutions to the big problems we face, and that fact can’t be neatly packaged and sold….
Love the idealism and theatricality of your work – could you tell us a little bit about your creative output and what you’re into?
My background is in graphic design, which I think is evident in most of my projects, but I love working with a variety of media; animation, illustration, wood, metal, ice-cream vans, clouds, robots, food, performance, sugru, paper, people, etc.
Basically, my projects evolve from an idea, which generally informs what media I use, rather than sticking to a particular design discipline. I enjoy creating a bit of a spectacle, and entertaining people. It helps me remind myself not to take things too seriously.
Got plans for next year – new work? new projects?
Besides freelance design work, I’m developing a project that explores food systems and rituals around food. However, it’ll be a while before that’s completed! In the meantime, I can recommend reading Hungry City by Caroline Steel, Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and Tomorrow’s Table by Pamela C. Ronald & Raoul W. Adamchak
Cathrine Kramer
With a focus on new and emerging technologies, I have developed a practice that aims to provoke dialogues around issues of the social, cultural and environmental, allowing me to merge my design skills with a broader set of interests. Engaging with questions surrounding our relationships to each other and the environment we live in, my explorations are designed to raise questions rather than offering a solution to the many problems that we face. In my work I employ a range of objects, performance, digital media, graphics, animation and food to engage the public with the good, the bad and the ugly of future technologies.
The Cloud Project informs in such an engaging and fun way – can you explain how it came about and what your aims are?
The Cloud Project was developed in collaboration with Zoe Papadopoulou while we were doing an MA at the Royal College of Art. It all started at the mention of nano ice-cream in a lecture, and Zoe thought that would be an entertaining way to get people talking about nanotechnology. From that, we got to thinking about weather modification and ice-cream falling from the sky, and The Cloud Project was born.
One of my favourite quotes is by David Grey: “Once a new technology is out in the world anyone can use it. At that point it becomes a weapon in human conflicts and an embodiment of human dreams.” Our aim was to create a space that helps people imagine ways in which new technologies may be used and subverted.
How do you get on with scientists as opposed to creative types?
I generally get on with most types, and one thing I found from talking to scientists during the cloud project is that they’re generally very generous with their time and knowledge. Basically, we are very similar creatures, driven by a natural curiosity, we just have very different methods for trying to answer questions.
Talking to scientists is a fundamental part of my process when developing projects, because I discover things which shape the outcome, rather than creating work based on assumptions. I’m not interested in creating something that is simply a fictional indulgence. Science is often stranger and much more fantastical than fiction anyway!
I think more scientists and designers should develop projects together, because not only can they help to validate each others work within a greater context, but they also push each other to think about their work in new ways. There is so much fascinating scientific research going on, and designers can have an interesting role in communicating that to a wider audience.
What’s the Design Interactions Department like at the RCA – it looks so inspiring and entrepreneurial?
It’s unique as far as interaction design courses go, because it’s focused a lot more on implications rather than the applications of emerging technologies. This is what initially got me interested in the course. It’s a bit like a playground where dysfunctional members of the art/design community can get together and experiment, putting old skills to new uses.
Designers and artists seem to be developing more of a social conscious – selling ideas rather than things – what do you reckon?
I’m not sure. People aren’t getting tired of spending money, and never before has there been so much focus on ‘designer’ products, whether those products embody ’socially conscious’ ideals or not. We are currently bombarded by eco friendly products, and this greenwashing is often just a marketing ploy, leaving the real and difficult questions about how our society functions untouched. I don’t really see myself as selling ideas, but as questioning existing ideas and ideals, so it’s more about starting a dialogue rather than selling an idea. There are no simple solutions to the big problems we face, and that fact can’t be neatly packaged and sold….
Love the idealism and theatricality of your work – could you tell us a little bit about your creative output and what you’re into?
My background is in graphic design, which I think is evident in most of my projects, but I love working with a variety of media; animation, illustration, wood, metal, ice-cream vans, clouds, robots, food, performance, sugru, paper, people, etc.
Basically, my projects evolve from an idea, which generally informs what media I use, rather than sticking to a particular design discipline. I enjoy creating a bit of a spectacle, and entertaining people. It helps me remind myself not to take things too seriously.
Got plans for next year – new work? new projects?
Besides freelance design work, I’m developing a project that explores food systems and rituals around food. However, it’ll be a while before that’s completed! In the meantime, I can recommend reading Hungry City by Caroline Steel, Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and Tomorrow’s Table by Pamela C. Ronald & Raoul W. Adamchak