Industrialisation has lead to specialisation. Markets and division of labour are at the heart of capitalism. Consumerism and globalisation have further advanced these developments and production has moved ever further away from the point of use and consumption. The team at Brikolör are planning to turn this development on is its head.
Brikolör is based in Göteborg and the team designs and manufacture furniture. They believe that mass production and the lack of understanding of the production processes by the consumer has devalued furniture. If consumers can see and understand how a piece of furniture such as a cabinet is made for them, they will be prepared to pay for the real value.
Information technology allows us to see how the chair is produced. We simply install a camera in the workshop and the production process can be documented or the consumers could even see real time when the joiner is working on their product. The chair will come with its unique identity and story. The producing hand becomes visible and my chair will be of more value than a chair.
The chair will be produced to a very high level of quality. The consumers will not only buy a chair for themselves but also to pass it one for further use. Brikolör is aiming to guarantee 300 years of use and relationship with the product. The team is currently researching the legal requirements for their offer and investigating new purchasing and ownership models for their products.
Fewer products and products with long lifecycles will certainly reduce energy and resource consumption as well as CO2 emissions. The team at Brikolör believe this can also lead to less dependence on quick fixes through consumption and more happiness in society.
In April 2009 Brikolör launched their first prototypes at the International Furniture Fair in Milan. The group consists of Victor Alm and Sami Kallio, both designers (MFA) from HDK in Göteborg, Fredrik Hansson, architect, and Mathias Eriksson a trained journalist working in advertising. Two of the prototypes from Milan have been developed into products and are soon to be launched. The LODLÄRK cabinet is pictured here, photograph by Niclas Löfgren.