MA Eco-Social Design: Thesis Project by Giula Bencini | WS 17.2

Sur - The Act of Giving

A different way of making gifts.

Supervisors

Kuno Prey, Product Design
Alvise Mattozzi, Sociology

GINGKO - Gift from Francesca for Andrea, an earring for Francesca’s stretched piercing which is given to Andrea when the couple is separated.

The Act of Giving is a research-based project about “gift giving” which aims to explore and understand this complex topic. The output of the exploration at issue is a diagram that can be used to read the phenomenon itself. A system which re-evaluates the so-called “gift articles” has been conceived as the outcome of the preceding study. Its focus lies on specifically thought gifts, objects designed to generate, regenerate and organize relationships among people.

RIFLESSO - Gift from Stefania for her family, a salt and pepper shakers which works as a frame for Stefania’s pictures too. A tool to start positive conversations during shared meals.

Sur is the design output of the system. Sur is a path of reflections upon relationships we all have with others. Assisted by a designer and the tools at his/her disposal, the giver is guided through the conception and the creation of a gift expressly realized to support, recover and/or nourish the relationship with the receiver. The system’s flexibility makes it a format which can be applied and adapted to different spaces and contexts, since it is developed to take advantage of local potential and resources of every place that will host Sur.

MATE - Gift from Matteo for Riccardo, a man purse made of the recycled coat that both the brothers wore when they were children.

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