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Conscious Objectives

Mike Malig's sleek modernist lines grace all of his luxuriously finished furniture. Having studied at the RCA after time
spent at Huntingdon Technical College, he now exhibits as far afield as Gothenburg. +loophole asked him to write
about his relationship with the objects he makes.

Design reflects society. Design creates society. We are at a time in which designers can develop our understanding of the world in which we live. Three- dimensional objects affect every aspect of our lives, to an extent that we cannot escape from our relationship with them. Yet there are few designed objects which encourage mindful enquiry to expand our awareness of the lived experience.
 To have a relationship with an object is not as mad as it seems, we do it all the time. We rely on objects to make toast, do the washing, sit and read or to talk to someone. The quicker we make toast the sooner we can get in our cars and drive to work, and of course cars are so far developed that we can begin work the moment we turn the key. As your screen is being de-misted and your seating position automatically adjusted, the phone rings to inform you that your client is waiting in the reception area. We are literally speeding through life without purpose, confusing activity with accomplishment.
 

 
Let's step back a few paces. We are travelling at a hell of a speed. Ten years ago I was drawing by hand on a board. Today, not only do I draw on my computer, I can produce a three-dimensional object in seconds. Its fantastic. But where do we humans fit within all this. Function is only one aspect of our lives. We have to remind ourselves that technology is only a tool which can help us create and mediate the future. We must remember that we are intelligent, emotional, physical, social and spiritual beings. We forget that we must continually nourish all aspects of our lives.

 Western society conditions us to think in economic and monetary terms, discounting any experience that cannot be measured or observed. Subjectivity hangs in mid-air, lost in a limited science, whereas objectivity is thriving.
 It is time to question our values and create a new vision. As an independent designer, I have a responsibility in shaping this vision. I am a small piece of a larger puzzle, but I am purposefully striving to create a new picture which depicts mindful and meaningful experiences. Whilst commercialism and materialism has created unexciting and anonymous experiences, just around the corner is a new generation of objects which empower our role and participation in the world in which we live.

 Instead of shrinking our experience of reality through our five senses and distancing ourselves from a living relationship with the world, a new world view will envelop lifelong learning, sharing and co-creating, balancing masculine and feminine, and harmonising nature and technology.

 In this new world view, humanistic objects will flourish, developing human kind and exploring what it really means to be 'alive'. We need to expand our minds and unfold new visions. We must move beyond our preconceptions and awaken our consciousness. This new cultural shift will continually question our relationship with the world of objects, with others and ourselves. The designer must accommodate this new world view, to seek and mediate through the object - seeking to design a conscious object.

 I am fascinated by social interaction, and in my passion and desire for designing objects, I am pointing towards a humanistic approach; a starting point from which we can begin to look, search and seek objects that help to illuminate a way forward. Objects take time to evolve and adapt. The early stages of creating an innovative object are exciting, the beginning of an adventure.  This unfolding and renewing of experience is about leaping into the unknown with courage and openness. A playful and enquiring mind questions intuitively, promoting humour and triggering emotions. The designer requires this vigorous and intensive process to unlock lateral thinking and to raise self awareness, in an attempt to design an object which mediates meaningful experience and mindful relationships between people and material culture.
 In my quest for designing objects I merely probe into a vast area of the unknown. My work is a continual learning process, I am always asking questions, of us, and of the objects.  +