Pliable Decay
Sandra Mirka:
I am a multi-disciplinary designer, who is active in the culinary world and practicing as a spatial designer. Particularly interested in divers matters - from contributions bettering social justice, gender equality to poetic details in built environments and everyday life.
My favored work methods consist of collaborations with other open-minded designers, hands-on practices and research. I've been a part of small teams designing exhibitions and spaces for events.
As a fresh masters degree graduate from Aalto University I am entering into the work field linked to teaching in academia and freelancing. My previous design experience in and out of school has dealt with sustainable design concepts, such as using well-recyclable materials, managing building materials responsibly and participating in projects developing and applying rammed earth in its design.
Karolin Kull:
I am an interior architect driven by curiosity. My approach is collaborative at its core. I am fulfilled by engaging with people and creators who are driven to hold challenging dialogue through their crafts and disciplines, fostering an environment where equality, sustainability, and creativity combine.
Both social and environmental sustainability are embedded in my practice by default. In my work, I aim to make use of whatever already exists in situ, be it materials and resources, or experiences and knowledge - enabling low-resource and low-tech approaches.
Currently I am a second-year master’s student at Aalto University and an alumnus of the Estonian Academy of Arts in Interior Architecture. During my studies, I exchanged at the Rhode Island School of Design and Kunstuniversität Linz, gaining valuable experience through interdisciplinary work.
Professional suggestions (e.g. trendbooks and magazines) concerning spatial design are saturated by short trend cycles. The success of a design based on predicting what is or will be popular and (over)sellable questions design as a creative discipline. Hennessey and Papanek’s implementations presented in literature on alternative ideas for spatial design (Nomadic Furniture vol 1 & 2) were clear statements opposing consumerism and creating awareness around the scarcity of resources, promoting a new vernacularity. Developing manuals for resourceful lo-tech practices and available building materials is increasingly relevant in today's world of crises.
Limitations presented by reuse and repair enable the resourcefulness that drives innovative solutions. As such, remaking something singular in a familiar form either by mending or using surplus materials can lead to distinctive designs – anyone can practice design in fulfilling ways, enriching their surroundings and lowering the pressure on the environment. Wondering if actual revolution lies in looking at how creatively we (as humans) have already reacted to the immediate or spontaneous situations demanding for solutions (no 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), we aim to promote the charm of visible mending (no 8, 9, 12, 13) and highlight the design solutions born out of fast necessity (no 1, 3, 4), a temporary fix (nr 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), or nonhuman interventions (no 11), which we want to further develop in the context of spatial and furniture design.
The goal of Pliable Decay is to advocate reuse, repair, and reconstruction for more expressive, spontaneous, and unpredictable design solutions through building and documentation. Along with prototypes, we will design instructions in the form of a manual that will combine drawings and photos with replicable techniques and tips for using tools - storing and sharing ways of reuse and repair of surplus objects.