[Surrealism Chair by David Pompa.  ??? ]

“PRODUCT DESIGN IS NOT POP-CULTURE!

  NOT POP-ART TOY !

  NOT SILLY KITCH GAME OR SHINING ENTERTAINMENT !”

[Andrej Statskij, founder of the Oops Design Awards]

I’m going to sign off this week with one of the best websites/ideas I’ve seen in a coon’s age.  Via another great website that my dear friend Iris sent me called CoolBoom, I came across this piece of long overdue shining entertainment.  

[Chair One by Charlotte Kingsnorth, manufactured by VITRA (can you believe it?)]

The Oops Design Award is a NOT honorable award group (think ‘bad design’ police) created by Lithuanian designer/architect Andrej Statskij, German design journalist Magda Braun-Sommer, and American/Swiss product design historian Adam Hoops.  The awards highlight the Ugliest, the Silliest, and the Most Useless products completed and/or manufactured in the areas of product, furniture, lighting, & etc. design.  All the images in this post are nominees from this year and a few from last year. In Andrej’s own words, this is the gist, from their category heading, Design and Stupidity: 

“In the 2008 I visit I Saloni furniture fair in Milan together with my little daughter Veronika and after two days I ask my daughter o you like any furniture which you saw here,at fair ? And she has told : No,because furniture I see here is ugly and silly ! I have reflected on its words and have understood that it is absolutely right.Our world is overflown by useless,silly and ugly products .The little girl understood that,but big adult designers and businessmens   do still not ! I wish ask why so occurs ?

[Evolution Chair by Nacho Carbonell. Andrej's comment: "Oh My God - say my wife - I never stay in the room together with such..."]

 For the last 10 years profession with name “designer” become too popular and thousands chosen this profession to be in the fashion only. Some famous product designers became similar pop-stars,design magazines propagandize   product design as part of pop / glamour – culture and , of course,therefore young designers think that product design is similar pop-culture,pop-art,pop-sculpture etc. etc. They assured that product design is not serious professional work but entertainment,something shining,funny and amusing similarily to infinite TV show.What products we can get in result if product design overflown by pop-artists not professional designers ? Right,we get only useless,silly and ugly products !!!”

[Cross 1 by Human Since 1982.  Yikes.]

So the Oops Design Award team is taking it upon themselves to serve up a hot plate of finger wagging ‘titch titch’ to those straying from the path.  And good on ‘em. (Of course if I end up on the list some day I will vehemently denounce the whole premise…)

And just in case you want a finger wagging badge of your own I have good news, anyone can join and gain the power to nominate designs and help select the winners.  I sent in my application last night and I want to peer pressure you into doing the same.  Do it… and then have a great weekend!  See you Monday.  xo 

[Wooly Chair by Jason Miller. We might have a winner right here...]

[Cipria Sofa by Fernando + Humberto Campana. Shame shame boys...]

via: CoolBoom, images from: Oops Design Award