Carl Alviani - Not Created Equal: The history and discernment of plastics in product design

The idea of plastics as cheap substitute materials has been wide spread for decades -- sometimes justifiably, but frequently not.

Stretching back to the mid 19th century, the history of polymers is a lot more complicated than most folks realize, as is the array of different materials that fall into that category. There are, in fact, plenty of historical examples of plastics as explicitly desirable materials, known by name and sought after by consumers; and some recent trends indicate that may happen again.

The presentation gives a rapid overview of polymers in history, fads that they spawned and reacted to, and some fascinating bits of cultural background that lead to their alternating embrace and ridicule. Bakelite, for example, was once so popular it was made into jewelry, and Werner Panton's iconic curvy chair, designed in 1960, had to wait 6 years for ABS to become common enough that it could actually be manufactured. And so on.

The biggest issue at the moment with all of these polymers, of course, is keeping them out of landfills. While potentially the most recyclable materials on earth, public perceptions of polymers and the designs they encourage actually work against this process; the presentation concludes with steps to combat this trend.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Ignite
• IP9
• igniteportland

[maxlent1]

Great presentation!

[jrizos]

Awesome. Long live the materials revolution!

[brandingopportunity]

Great presentation, Carl. Very informative and fun to watch. What could be better?