Plastique is a collaboration between the Brussels-based designers Archibald Godts and Theresa Bastek. They founded the studio in 2017 after their studies at the Design Academy Eindhoven.
With a common passion for cross-cultural investigations and societal topics, their practice aims to forge links between the past, the present and the future, the ratio and the heart, the material and the emotional, the real and the virtual, the human and the machine. By doing so, their work embodies the human needs among the rigid structures we are surrounded by, in a way that feels obvious or sometimes absurd.
This striving for empathic approaches in an increasingly dehumanised world, combined with the necessary rational methodology, results in environments and objects conceived for human life to bloom, as well as critical reactions on contemporary phenomena and envisions of future scenarios.
Q > How did you decide to start your collaboration and create Studio Plastique? How has it evolved till today?
A > When we graduated, the idea that, as designers, we would potentially be contributing to filling the world with more unnecessary mass-produced stuff stripped of any character, meaning or grace, quite frankly horrified us. Instead, we found a common desire to address the many challenges our world is facing. The studio explores design’s potential impact on the world, and how it can instil change. We do this by investigating available resources and material supply chains, production processes and their social and environmental impact, and by designing end-of-life scenarios for objects. Our work challenges common concepts such as ownership, and explores the social, ecological and economic sustainability of design.
Q > Could you tell us some examples of topics that you often discuss within your practice, and which areas of study do you think are breaking new ground?
A > The material world, the mining, trade, exchange, processing and consumption of commodities and the correlation between those on a geopolitical level are definitely aspects that preoccupy and motivate us at the studio. As designers we consider design as a tool to investigate holistic scenarios in which all actors collaborate to generate sustainable value. This is breaking ground, unfortunately, as this approach is not mainstream yet, although it does gain ground slowly but surely. This is due to the lack of education of emerging professionals with the tools to bring such investigations to the real world. But we also observe, of course, how commitment of certain industries is lacking or remains very superficial. Setting strong and beautiful cases in the world will contribute to a better understanding of what design and collaboration can mean.
Q > Tell us about your most unconventional project.
A > Educating education might be considered an unconventional project as education at large is not usually a matter approached through design. We observe however, through the knowledge acquired along this research project, that design can contribute to this. The analytical skills in combination with the skills to make ideas tangible, material and attractive makes us, as designers, a discipline that should definitely be involved around the table of educational reform. So far, our project could only highlight the necessity for a reform of the educational systems worldwide as we are still educating people following very old systems dating back to the industrial revolution and beyond. We are not educating people to function in the current world. We would love to be involved in the process of helping education to be a better designed system.
Q > Building upon research and transdisciplinary work — tell us about your process, how you consider different sustainability criteria, and the partnerships that help bring your ideas to fruition.
A > For us, sustainability is a term that refers not only to the natural environment but also the environments at large — the people involved in the production processes, the consumers and their actual needs and the economy. Only if all these factors are considered holistically, something sustainable can be created. We very much enjoy the process of uncovering the forces at play and contexts involved. We like to involve as many stakeholders and people as possible in the process from the beginning on. Along the way, when things start to materialise, further collaborations are initiated, and this usually happens quite naturally. In these collaborations it is important that we feel a mutual generosity, curiosity and desire to work without compromise. Collaborations don’t always happen with likeminded people, but at the end of the day a mutual desire for an outstanding proposal is what brings us together. For too long, industries, companies and individuals have been denying the responsibilities linked to our human activities. Man-made stuff needs to be considered from beginning to end, that means from the mining and processing of resources and materials to the user scenarios and end-of-life scenarios. We can no longer focus on one aspect alone and pretend “someone else will deal with the consequences”. This way of thinking is very immature and has proven to be wreaking havoc.
Common Sands — Forite Tiles. In collaboration with Snøhetta and Fornace Brioni. Photography by Oioioi
Q > How do you balance the creative and the technical aspects when thinking of a project?
A > With in-depth research and understanding, technical challenges have the tendency to resolve. For us the creativity lies in the way we can apply properties such as material properties for applications that make a right match. In that sense one could say we love technical challenges. Therefore, we believe creativity and technical understanding go hand in hand.
Q > Tell us about your most challenging and/or rewarding project, and why?
A > Current Age, an investigation of electricity as a seemingly indispensable source of energy today.
As designers, this immaterial phenomenon isn’t an obvious matter of choice. But considering it forms the very base for modern life, culture, communication, industry, medicine, technical development and research… it seemed inevitable to take our roles as designers further than the design of lamps; the final use of electricity that is. If, as designers, our tasks can be to shape a lamp, should it not also include the way the light comes into it?
We looked at four general themes: the use, the infrastructure, the ways electricity are generated and the fascinating magic of electricity as a phenomenon. In the end it remains a natural phenomenon that we managed to tame and reproduce at large.
For the exhibition we have engaged and worked with a large variety of stakeholders such as grid operators, energy providers, innovators, university academics, European lobbyists for sustainable energy and high-tech as well as low-tech experts. We were invited by Z33 to create an exhibition and we have had about 6 months to research, create and design this public moment. Inevitably this generates a whole load of new opportunities. Even though the exhibition is now over, the work has really just started.
Current Age (exhibition view). Photography by Selma Gurbuz
Q > You have recently received the Henry van de Velde Young Talent Gold Award in Belgium and the SYN Award in Germany — tell us what are your next goals as designers, and how these recognitions might help you push forward your ambitions?
A > Recognitions such as these provide a necessary and welcome motivation by rewarding the hard work and making it worth the while. They also confirm the course of the studio towards our clients and collaborators. We look forward to keep on reaching out to the diversity of contexts out there and work on beautiful projects together.
Q > Awareness, obstacles and opportunities — what are the key contemporary issues we should be addressing, and how do you see design practises evolving to tackle these issues?
A > Finding your own way of being of meaning to the world in all its facets, to your community… as a designer is defining. There are so many ways of making sensible and empathic contributions as a designer and the world urgently needs those.
Also reaching out to others is key: we see too often how projects fail to make a difference because they weren’t worked on from different perspectives and with as much knowledge on board as possible. And collaboration isn’t just meaningful but, foremost, rewarding.
Images courtesy © Studio Plastique
