Eau de plastique

Tangible Data - How can data be made comprehensible and spatially tangible? What methods can be used to translate abstract values into spatial dimensions using alternative communication strategies? We are looking for ways and means of making information and knowledge accessible through emotional points of contact.

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Interaction Design of a data translation in the context of an exhibition

"Eau de Plastique" design represents the evolution of a perfume series from 1980 to 2015. It consists of eight flacons, each of which represents five years of plastic. On the one hand, the plastic history provides information about the amount (in tons) of plastic produced globally, and on the other hand it shows the proportion of plastic waste that remains. This is made up of the proportion that is thrown away recklessly, the proportion that is incinerated and the proportion that is recycled. This information is conveyed to the visitor through various sensory stimuli.

The amount thrown away is communicated by the height of the base, the mountain of garbage on which the respective perfume stands. Through the targeted use of material, color and appearance, the metaphor of the mountain of garbage is made clear.

The second level of information, the heart of the design, is the amount of burnt plastic. This is conveyed by the intensity of the fragrance, which was obtained from burnt plastic using an extraction process. As the amount of burnt plastic increases continuously over the course of the perfume evolution, the intensity of the fragrance also increases. The last category to appear in the perfume series - the amount of recycled plastic - is communicated via the height of the cap. As no plastic has been recycled in the first two bottles or in the first ten years of the collection, there is no cap here. In the subsequent bottles, the increasing proportion of recycled plastic is illustrated by the ever larger cap, which is made from recycled plastic. The total amount of plastic produced globally is the sum of the other quantities of plastic waste. In order to be able to read the values in absolute figures on the flacons, they are translated into a scale (1mm cap and base height corresponds to 1,000,000 tons). This perfume collection is above all a sarcastic response to our throwaway and consumer society (always-more-and-cheaper society). This is further emphasized by the delicate and high-quality appearance of these products, which thus stand in contrast to the fragrance.

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