DIWhy?

DIWhy evaluates the practice of making in consumerist societies, exposing our inability to resolve problems with minimal resources.

We are in the middle of a startups boom, where many of them generate revenue by selling kits. This project intends to criticize this new form of consumerism, showing how needless it is to buy these things that makers can find or repurpose themselves. In developing countries, and even in rural areas of developed countries, innovation is a necessity, not a choice. Wealthy developed nations take for granted access to ready-made resources.

PROPOSAL

DIWhy critiques commercial maker kits, using this medium as social commentary.
The kit is presented on a packaging with several designed elements: call-to-action faces, logos, and images from the final product. Inside the box, I had pieces collected from the trash, carefully positioned.

With the parts, it is makers will be able to build a power generator if they correctly follow the instructions.

I paid particular attention to the instructions, where I do not just explain how to build the kit, but also showed where to find the pieces on your own.

WEBSITE

An important element of the project is a website, which followed the same visual styles of the kit and the instructions. The sarcasm is present in all the communicational components of the kit, exposing how unnecessary it is to buy something that you could find in the trash.

A crucial aspect of this project is that the user will never be able to buy the kit, because, in the end, it is unnecessary to purchase fancy expensive packaging to build a DIY power generator. As a consolation prize, anyone will be able to download the instructions where they will learn how to build the Trash-Torch dynamo with pieces that they could find scavenging their local trash and recycling bins.

PARTICIPANTS

This was a solo project, where I was extremely lucky to have the most amazing advisors:
Katherine Moriwaki
Andrew Zornoza
Anthony Deen
Special thanks to Michel Hernandez and Ernesto Oroza for the advice and collaboration.