Ore.e Ref. - No Chair Desiging Challenge!

Challenge for Designers back to top>

Ore.e Ref. is challenging designers of the world to NOT design chairs for the rest of the year. It's that simple.

We believe that the world already has enough chairs. Designing new ones only takes time away from renovating the ones we already have. Consider this the ultimate challenge for you to rethink how sustainable design should be manifested. If not that... Then think about the amount of time you'll save when you don't have to design chairs for the rest of the year.

To show you have accepted this challenge sign up below. Your participation will be added to the People IN list of this site if you so choose (by default your participation will be anonymous). During 2012 you may also send us an SMS* (text/photo) telling us what you've done when not designing chairs. Five designers will be rewarded with "DnS - Design and Craft Diplomas".

*Only standard price for the SMS

You can also find us on Facebook and join the challenge there. The challenge runs parallel with WDC-Helsinki (World Design Capital 2012). NCD-C is a part of the Alternative Design Capital 2012 – Network. The campaign is run by artist blacksmith Jesse Sipola from Oshipala Air Hammer Studios and Eero Yli-Vakkuri.

How NOT to Design Chairs? back to top>

Hear a testimonial of the benefits!

Problems with tutorial? Try this link.

Challenge a Friend back to top>

Send the NCD-Challenge to your friendly neighborhood designer or local organization/institution or ask Ore.e Ref. to do it in your behalf. Join our efforts in making a chair design free year.

<example>

Dear Colleague,

I challenge You to NOT design a chair for the rest of the year.

Consider my challenge seriously. I've come understand that we already have enough chairs and designing new ones only takes time from renovating the ones we have.

I know it's going to be tough not designing chairs but I believe You can do it. I just learned about this tutorial which shows "How NOT to: Design Chairs" and looking at it I became confident I can help you in NOT designing chairs. Let's do it together!

The tutorial can be found here http://oree.storijapan.net/NCD-C

Sincerely,
xxx

</example>

You can do it with an email or better yet a letter. As an attachment you may include imagery from our Official Campaign Kit . Contained in a .zip file you will find print-ready flyers, posters and web optimized banners/.gif animations. Everything you need to start the campaign in our own neighborhood. By challenging a friend you automatically agree to not design chairs the next year too.

You can make this challenge public by filling the form below (Optional).

Sample of NCD-C Business Card size flyer found in the Campaign Kit.

Downloads to get involved back to top>

If this issue appeals to you, download a package of official campaign material and use it the way you like. You may use this material to promote NCD-C or just to amaze your friends with nifty web-banners, stickers and posters. The material features an ambivalent slogan:

The Campaign Kit includes everything you need to push these ideas forward in your own neighborhood.
Web: banners, gif | Printable: badges, posters | Video: stills (4:3/16:9).zip .zip ~10MB

If nothing else print this TUTORIAL ZINE.pdf and share it with friends. [Opas suomeksi (.pdf)].

If you want to contribute to the project or fork it into something else join and start discussions here. If you just want to follow the campaign signup for a newsletter here. The project is being build in an agile manner and changes in texts will take place (see Timeline for details). So there is time to catch up with the campaign development.

You can also help the project by transferring Bitcoins to us: 1A3CCq5eMnibEvV8xaKdyba892w3h82HJM
(Assets will be used for printing t-shirts, badges etc.)

People and Organizations back to top>

List of people and organizations NOT designing chairs 2012

Keijjo, Paula L, Anonymous (1), ReFound, Anonymous (2), Rainer Belfast, Outi Heiskanen, Bec Barnet, Tatu Marttila, Anonymous (3), Janne Rahkila, Anonymous (x), Charlotte Poupon, Ivanda Jansone, Tom, Jan Hakon Erichsen, littlebadwolf, Robert Eames, josedelfin, LS, Rob Smith, Josh, Thomas Levine, Guy in the US, Nicholas Ellan, Anonymous (4), Anonymous (5), DannyBoy, Valentina Trimani, diannakwinters.com, Emma Rose, Chan Herman, juro kouril, Lorenzo P., George, Barry, Carlo Luccioni, Liane, Anonymous (6), Michael Schuster, Rebecca Mason, Noppan Kaewkanjai, Diana Tamm, Monica Pachon, lemu, Mitchell Dillman, Vanessa Karaoglou, Brendan Howell, Alice Moon, Said the King, Cuyabracadabra, Inka Pitkänen, Anonymous (7), TimBobTastic, Marvin, yvonne maddox, Kay Kay Scott, Anonymous (8), http://www.pacocaballer.com, Sebastian Chavez, Futureistoday, tuijaasta

AND via Facebook some 291 brave people.

List of people and organizations challenged by the community

jh, cs, dd, nc, fl,

Organizations and notable designers challenged by Ore.e Ref.

Aalto University: Students of Design Department, WDC 2012 Helsinki, Designers of IKEA, Stefan Lindfors, Yrjö Kukkapuro,

FAQ back to top>

Not much asked yet... Start chatter here or call us.

Q: I design chairs professionally. How can I make a living if I'm not designing chairs?

A: Ore.e Ref. Does not have a foolproof answer for this. Perhaps you could start designing tools to repair the chairs you have already made or offer refurnishing/repairing services for them. A year of NO-CHAIR-DESIGN goes past quickly and does not cause permanent harm to you business. Consider is as a sabbath year; Learn new skills, travel and think of it as an experience which strengthens your creative practice.

Q: It's midyear already. Can I still take part?

A: Absolutely! Starting from this very moment: Your IN. Do NOT design chairs for the rest of the year and you have conquered the challenge. Sign up with the form above. 2013 the diplomas will have been already handed out... But if you are doing something really brilliant with your time send us an SMS anyhow and we'll think about remaking a batch of them.

Q: Can I still call myself a Designer if I'm not designing stuff?

A: Yes. But You'll be a different kind of designer... Define it as you like. You can call yourself an Anti Designer or Radical Designer (these terms link to the '60ties). To spice things up Ore.e Ref. promotes the concept No-Design and you can call yourself a No-Designer after you have conquered the challenge. This signifies that you cherish sustainability over the creation of new. This does not make you a conservative. It certifies that you approach modern production methods and lifestyles from a critical perspective.

Q: I'm not a designer... Can I still take part in the challenge?

A: Sure! Send a message to designers out there to: Not create new before we've repaired the broken. Just sign up for the challenge and download our campaign material post it on your library wall etc. Link to this site on your webpages etc. Any and all help is very welcome.

Links back to top>

NCD-Campaign

The tools we use:
Blog on Tumblr (Experiments and noise on and off topic).
Facebook Event
Facebook/etc optimized at Picbadges.com
LinkedIn
Official Campaign Kit on Flickr (Just for show. Please download official kit here).
http://getsatisfaction.com/ (Customer service for people involved).
MailChip (Newsletter provider).
Newsletter 1# (.pdf)
Instructables: How-NOT-to-Design-Chairs

Press/Reviews/Comments/Etc.
"Hast Du einen eigenen Stuhl?" (Brief Introduction to the Campaign in German) //Not working!
"What?! No New Chairs" (Blog at www.visi.co.za/)
"Turn a How-not-to into a How-to" (www.hermanmiller.com)
"How NOT to: Design Chairs" (http://designheap.posterous.com/)
"Crazy Finns Challenge the World to Stop Designing Chairs" (http://curbed.com/)
"A Call to End Chair Design" (www.wearedesignbureau.com/)
"Finns Challenge Designers Not to Design Chairs" (www.mediabistro.com/)
"The world has enough chairs, right?" (http://unconsumption.tumblr.com/)
"No Chair-Design Year 2012!" (www.dpsdbeyond.gr/)
"Next year’s best design challenge"(http://kmtam.tumblr.com/)
"A New Designer Manifesto: Stop Designing Chairs!" (www.fastcodesign.com/)
"Please, Stop Designing Chairs" (http://www.architizer.com/)
"Stop designing chairs – and white tea cups!" (http://www.indexaward.dk/)
"NO-CHAIR-DESIGN Challenge" (http://osocio.org/)
"¡Deja de diseñar sillas!" (http://www.designaholic.mx/)
"Standing room only." (http://www.dia.org.au/)
"Muotoilu on paskaa" (http://ylioppilaslehti.fi) //Small note in Finnish

Timeline back to top>

25.07.2011	Prologue	Links to this webpage and the video will be send to selected friends and colleagues and additional input on the campaign collected in face-to-face talks.
28.07.2011	Launch	Ore.e Refineries launches NCD-C at the "Unconference on Art and Sustainability" in the idyllic country-side of Estonia.
xx.08.2011	Marketing	Information on the project is send to selected design companies and institutions. Particular focus for marketing is on design schools. Also forums, social media sites etc. are targeted. Press-releases will be send to international design related magazines. Also a list of notable designers will be approached with personal emails/letters. A Social Media event will be made.
xx.10.2011	Dev. end.	At this time all the texts have found right form and the project development is complete. The http://oree.storijapan.net/NDC-C will remain relative static (Only People -list, links and FAQ are updated) until information on the persons receiving the diplomas will be received.
xx.11.2011	Random	Ore.e Ref. is looking for possibilities to present the project in seminars etc. We are pretty confident that some opportunities will arrive.
1.1.2012	START	For a year no-one designs chairs. The economy does not collapse because of this.
xx.05.2013	Mid-Cycle	Mid-Cycle Meet-Up for friends in Helsinki and launch of "repairing public seating arrangements" tutorial.
1.1.2013	STOP	People are deeply changed by the challenge and have altered their view on sitting.
3.2.2013	Diplomas	The persons awarded the DsN diplomas will be notified, contacted and send the diplomas. Along this press will be notified both in Finland and abroad.
xx.xx.2013	De-Launch	After we have received conformation that all the diplomas are received and we see there is nothing more to do marketing vise Ore.e Ref. goes for beers. At the same misty night the texts on this site will be changed from "NO-CHAIR-DESIGN 2012" to "NO-CHAIR-DESIGN the NEXT YEAR" so that if people so choose they may continue the project for an infinite duration.

Changelog:
250711 Fixed Wufoo form spelling errors. Fixed random spelling errors. Added unlisted youtube.com link under video (for Mobile devices etc). Added "No-Design" to FQA etc. Added A4.pdf with URL to here (also found in Campaign package). Added 1x1 anim gif. blacktheme and qr-code (also found in Campaign package). Added Bitcoin tip option.
260711 Changed "Get Involved" to "Challenge a Friend". Added Links. Added Focus on anonymity in participation. Added Businesscard to Campaign material. Added Businesscard sample as a banner, removed old "good vs bad" banner. Added Additional iframed from for challenging friend. REMOVED Menu link to Timeline. Changed form to join Newsletter iframed form to simple link (too many forms). Added <example> letter to challenge a friend.
280711 Changed "Challenge a Friend" iframed form more user friendly. Changed "After talking with Jesse we decided to go to Facebook after all. NCD-C will be promoted as an 'Event' for 2012".
010811 Added Facebook link and made event (FB 52). Added Links allsorts friends etc. Added First entries to "People IN". Fixed iframed sample "Be polite" to "Play fare".
020811 Changed (FB 86), Added Links to people involved trough iframed. Added Usefull links (repairmanifest pf21) Added Notified blogger sphere. Changed List of People and Organizations from taking part in the challenge to ...NOT designing chairs 2012. Added Tumblr Blog link and Jussi Koitela video link.
050811 Added New entries to People IN. (FB 100!). Changed Youtube video to public under title "Tutorial..." to attract more traffic.
060811 Added Tutorial in Campaign kit together with tutorial .gif Added Ultraboring FB badge thing link. (FB 101). Fixed Run out of space on server, Deleted Vuosaari interview material. Added Instructables.com link and tutorial (Hope it sticks) also took part in eco design challenge on site (its moderate hope they have sense of humor).
060811 (FB 111) Added Robots.txt and updated lists Fixed spelling error in page title challenge to challenge.
170811 (FB 127) Added LinkedIn.com group link. Added Massive emailing for Finnish design bloggers and newspapers. Added Material to Campaign Kit. Changed Focusing more on WDC-OFF.
260811 (FB 137) Added Entrys to People In & Challenged. Fixed My personal attitude, will pitch the project for German journalist what ever it takes (the project needs a boost - We need press).
300811 (FB 139) Added First challenges by the community. NOTE: Hurt my ass when trying to sit on "invisible chair" in attempts to convince German journalist of the NCD-Campaign.
050911 (FB 141) Added More entries to People In.
160911 (FB 151) Added Jesse Sipola and Oshipala.com link and took away reference to WDC OFF (the name Parallel WDC is now being talked by people working on the project. Changed Some external video link so that they also feature the name "epätuoli" so that they might link here - Due to failures in artist-journalist communications (while attending Habitare Fair).
280911 (FB 154) Added Mention to Alt+WDC (Alternative World Design Capital project) with link to Pixelache.ac.
241011 (FB 162) Added Nifty "Back to Top>" navigation links and almighty "Downloads" link and ADC link. Changed Alt+WDC to ADC as was agreed in network meeting. NOTE: We where selected to join an exhibition called Now Here Finland which will be in Jyväskylä. We are working to build a kick ass exhibition piece with Jesse. Hence I took away "but is not affiliated with their program from WDC intro" Fixed Text positioning and took away faulty headers left from editing. Added "Bored with tutorial?" link. NOTE: This possibly marks the end of dev. cycle.
310111 (FB 182) Added New entrys to People IN Fixed Iframe size to fit submit button on s60 mobiles. NOTE: Dev. Cycle end.
071111 (FB 185) Added Special video embed (to make the site video independent from patents, also helps with archiving project) Added New entry's to People IN. Added Link to interview. NOTE: Site is occupied with random gif animations in support of the occupie movement for a week a project by "The Free Art and Technology Lab (F.A.T)".
101111 (FB 192) Added Links to new artwork and blogs, etc and People IN NOTE: Did a promo for people "Not Yet Responded" on Facebook. Changed Video embed to link – Was to messy.
121111 (FB 194) NOTE: Site participation in Internet Occupy has ended (7days).
131111 (FB 196) Added Added "getsatisfaction.com feedback" badge (wish I had done this sooner but it was only after the Occupy week I begun think about any sort of community this project links to).
191111 (FB 197) Added New entries to People IN and reviews/etc. NOTE: There is some kind of boom now and we hit 1,265 viewers on Vimeo. The video is embedded on a lots of sites which is cool. Still not getting people to commit to the project and sign up on this site. Also interesting to note that some blogs have mentioned stuff from around the oree.storijapan.net. They have gone trough the trouble of calling looking up that I'm a carpenter.
291111 (FB 202) Added New entries. NOTE: There is still a boom going on and I have to push to make the new tutorial video before Christmas so that people can look it over during the holidays. Added Google Analytics (this is dirty – But the campaign needs some tool to estimate why people are not signing up for the form on this site).
021211 (FB 230) Added New entries.
071211 (FB 236) Added New entries. NOTE: It seems that making a tutorial on how to fix the public chairs in Helsinki is delayed untill spring. A possible video to promote the campaing during hollidays it Topi promoting it.
091211 (FB 238) Added New entries. Added Tutorial Zine (both into the campaing kit and as a separate download link).
211211 (FB 261) Added New entries. Added "Testimonial #1" link.
261211 (FB 262) Added Mid-Cycle Meet-Up and tutorial to timeline. Changed From "...next year" to "...for the rest of the year" to make campaign more epic. Changed Stuff from Campaign kit from "...next year" to "...not to" or "...rest of the year" and updated Campaign Kit.zip also Wufoo form updated.
311211 (FB 268) Added Newsletter link to .pdf (I think that is more robust then link to mailchimp).
030112 (FB 279) Added New Challengers.
060112 (FB 283) Added New Challengers. Added "Share this" button. NOTE: Normally I hate these kinds of systems.. I used to hate youtube too... I'm in a process of virtual gentrification.. A result of this development could be that I have adsense banners all around and host these kinds of texts on wordpress sites.. I have to be cautious.
090112 (FB 285) Added New Challengers. NOTE: Still in agony over the "share this" button.
260112 (FB 287) Added New entries. NOTE: Exhibition building for Now Here Finland is complete – Lucky new is that the exhibition venues are expanded abroad too. Look us up in Finland: 28.1.-13.5.'11 Suomen käsityön museo (Craft Museum, Jyväskylä), 15.6-26.8.'11 Savonlinnan maakuntamuseo (Savonlinna Provincial Museum) and 4.-22.9.'11 Sibeliustalo and in Madrid later the year (I don't know the venue yet). There has also been some discussion about lectures and performances too.
140212 (FB 290) Added New entries and blog links. NOTE: We didn't get any funding from the state/etc for this year and I feel sad about that. I didn't expect much but still.. It feels tiresome to fight windmills. This is precisely the kind of work that should be funded by grants – As there is no plausible business model out there to support such a chivalry cause. There are definite plans for the spring and these plans keep me going. Jesse is shoveling snow down from rooftops for 10€ per hour to fund his practice. I have some gigs but barely enough to scrape by. I'm over 10k in depth. Wonder how much of great art/design is actually made possible because of bitterness? The less financial support we get = The more bitter I come and out of spite I become wittier in working with funding issues and motivated to work unpaid. This is now about revenge.. To destroy the evil empire of product design and modernization.
220212 (FB 290) NOTE: Just received conformation from Jyväskylä that you invisible chair will be presented there during design week 21.3. There is also a small fee involved. Also worked today on the public workshop "Swingers Club for Mature Chairs" during which we'll be fixing chairs at Kääntöpöytä, mid-Pasila, Helsinki. That's scheduled to take place 13.4-15.4. Added New Challengers.
120312 (FB 290) Added New entries. NOTE: Preparing for Jyväskylä with new FB event and first ever Finnish press releases.
190312 (FB 291) Added New entries and zine in native Finnish with "sign up by post" option (will do this for eng. later).

Video in Patent-Free format (Just in Case).ogv

Crafts, Metals and Ore Refining with a Twist!

NO-CHAIR-DESIGN Challenge