But “transition” is truly a word that scares people. It describes what we are experiencing, but in a merciless way. It is one of those words preferred by those who work on the future, on the planning of new economic models and, indeed, models of design. The good news is that the change happens through very determined and expert teams of young designers, who could perhaps be defined as ‘hybrid,’ since their areas of interest are very wide in range. “As soon as we finished our studies (at Design Academy Eindhoven, ed) we realized that we were interested in the relationship products have with people and the environment,” says Archibald Godts, the founder of Studio Plastique together with Theresa Bastek. “We have rooted our design practice in crucial issues.”
This approach has piqued the curiosity of brands and institutions that work with the Belgian duo. But it is clear that the first obstacle to overcome, when we decide to change, is to understand how the life cycle of a product truly works, and normally this is a very complex pathway, with aspects that are unforeseeable and complex. “This is the responsibility of the designer,” Godts emphasizes. “To turn the attention to products inside a system. And the material, its reuse and recovery represent one of the most interesting parts, because we can transform unwanted abundance into a resource.” This is demonstrated in the radical research that has given rise to Common Sands, the project that has brought Studio Plastique to greater renown. Using materials of siliceous origin salvaged from ordinary appliances, Studio Plastique has recovered the glass for a tableware collection. It is clear that the new designers see the world from a critical and constructive standpoint, that of those who want to invent a new relationship with objects, to get beyond the scarcely encouraging reality of compulsive consumption.