Prospective design at Saint Etienne International Biennale 2013

Friday 15 March 2013

Aire Concept by João Lammoglia: a wearable mask that could create energy and charge small appliances when breathed into

With Empathy as the general theme for the 2013 edition of Saint Etienne International Design Biennale, designers across all exhibitions are contributing their own personal vision of how to improve our lives in the near or not so near future.

One exhibition in particular, Demain C'est Aujourd'hui (Tomorrow is Today), is showcasing prospective ideas to do so. While some projects are conceptual ideas that have no technical possibility of hitting the market soon, others could become our reality in a few short years.

The art of eating insects by Ento
Many of the designers showing at the Biennale are focusing on how to feed the ever-growing number of people on the planet. Julene Aguirre-Beischowsky, Jacky Chung, Aran Dasan and Jonathan Fraser from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College have created a range of take-away foods made from insects.

L'auto plus légère que l'homme: L'APLQH'H by Olivier Peyricot



Another recurring problematic in the exhibition is how to travel. L'auto plus légère que l'homme (The car lighter than man) by Olivier Peyricot is a prototype of a foldable and portable car that, if ever manufactured, could change the face of cities. Drivers would be able to take their car into the office with them, which would resolve parking issues and improve the urban landscape.

Organ Crafting by Veronica Ranner
In the area of medicine and healing, Veronica Ranner wonders if organs could one day be crafted. In a world limited by a shortage of organs, she imagines that genetically modified silk worms could weave biodegradable hearts and livers.