Capitalism, Consumerism, Desire, Impermanence

"Now our relationship with possessions seems so much emptier. The allure of a product is created and sold on a basis of a look that does not survive physical contact. The bloom of attraction wilts so rapidly that passion is spent almost as soon as the the sale is consummated.

Desire fades long before an object grows old." The Language of Things (p18), Deyan Sudjic.

This notion that we're exploring: of short attention spans, desire, throwaway consumerism and culture is what we can relate to for the brief of Resilient City and the idea of sustainability.

Deyan Sudjic notes in his writing that consumerism is capitalisms's way of sustaining itself.

So what if we were to design for this generation of impermanent desire? Rather than dictating for the culture to re-evolve itself past its ways of over-consuming and being environmentally aware, maybe it is a possibility for us designers to outwit capitalism and design to cater for that.

Take the idea of renting for example. A good amount of us young adults pay between AUD 700-1500 a month alone for a shell to store our possessions and wares. On average, we are likely to spend anywhere between just four to ten hours daily at the rented apartment to shower and sleep (and the very most have breakfast). Why do we fork out that much money for a shell that houses our possessions moreso than us? That's one.

This is two. A friend recently purchased a brand spanking new single speed bike just at the start of the year. A friend of hers joined in the biking craze and bought his visually captivating single speed bike just a fortnight ago. It i this new purchase along with the aesthetic of the bicycle as a product that has her wanting a new bicycle to replace her three month old one.