Droog Lab – The New Original

In a recent idle moment, we got to thinking…. if the Chinese – at least according to popular perception – just keep copying design ideas from others.

Why don’t we copy their designs?

That’ll teach them! We reasoned.

A reasoning which of course brought home just how pointless the idea was.

It would’t teach no one nowt.

The cheeky dogs at Droog Lab however have copied Chinese designs.

But not out of revenge, rather as an exploration of the possibilities presented by copying.

“The possibilities presented by copying?”, you cry, “Have you out of your tiny minds, copying is theft!!!”

The direct copying of a design and then marketing it as being original, is, when not always legally theft, always unfair and undesirable – for all when the copy is substandard and dangerous.

That’s not on.

Copying however is rarely a direct 1:1 process; rather, normally involves some form of adaption for the new, local market.

So argue Droog.

And not just Droog, we regularly meet design professionals who are also the opinion that the process of copying can bring positive results. And indeed a central feature of Open Design is that while one can use a design as presented, the majority of people make modifications to suit their requirements.

In a way taking decisions on form and function away from designers and giving them to the users; the designers job being to develop a universal, white board, solution.

As an attempt to explore in how far European designers can learn from the plagiaristic instincts of the Chinese, and, in effect, where collective intelligence could eventually lead design, Droog Lab travelled to Shenzhen, China. And had a bit of a look around. For things to copy.

The result is a collection of 26 objects by Richard Hutten, Stanley Wong, Urbanus, Ed Annink and Studio Droog, all of which have taken a “normal” Chinese item, and coped it into a new context.

Until April 9th 2013 all 26 objects can be viewed in the exhibition “The New Original” which is on show in Guangzhou, China.

Knowing the demographics our readers, we’re assuming not many of you will get the chance to view it.

We certainly wont.

However, knowing Droog we’re fairly certain that “The New Original” will be presented in Europe before too long.

And if not, we’ll just copy the idea and stage or own exhibition…..

Full details on “The New Original” can be found at www.drooglab.com.

Droog Lab. The New Original. Here a Chinese teapot adapted with a handle by Richard Hutten