Milan Salone 2016: Subversive dreamers

By Aleksandra Szymanska 13 : 04 : 2016 ECAL : Media & Interaction : When Objects Dream

Milan – Can objects dream? Students from the Media & Interaction Design course at École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL) consider the hidden aspects of everyday products.

Objects on display reveal hidden content through human interaction
Projects propose a new dynamic in which products demand attention rather than providing a service

Presented under the collective title When Objects Dream, the projects include two separate product categories. The first introduces virtual reality entry points into the most banal of household items – a table you can sink your face into to feel like you are jumping into a bottomless hole, a vase you can gaze into to discover floral-inspired animations. ‘I imagined a fictional, parallel life of the light bulb. What if, instead of emitting light, it played out these game-like scenarios in its own head?’ asks Aloïs Geiser. Her project, Headlight, created in collaboration with Andrea Ramirez Aburto, features an interactive lamp that enables the user to manipulate digital objects displayed inside the lampshade.

The second family of products bridges the divide between physical and digital interaction through sensor-augmented objects. A light-hearted exploration of the future of connected products, the projects introduce humour and tactility into this technocratic vision, forcing us to re-examine our mistrust of technological progress.