A computer mouse made from wool felt, teak, and aluminum.

This prototype will be show for the first time on Friday May 13 – Monday May 16, 12PM to 7PM daily, as part of the American Design Club’s exhibit “Use Me” at 45 Great Jones Street.

These teacups will be shown for the first time with Fair Folks and a Goat in New York:
7 East 88th street, buzzer #0006

The opening is Thursday, May 12 from 5 to 9 pm

More information here: Room for Two

ID Magazine “New and Notable”, page 56:

Men’s Journal “The Wish List”, page 46:

7×7 “The Holiday Issue”, page 76:

The same thinking informs cars that lose value the second you drive them off the lot, fashion that only lasts one season, and iPods that look terrible when they get scratched through daily use. Our culture so values factory-freshness that the moment of box-opening is the only stage of a product’s life that’s usually designed. The rest is left to fate. We need to make products that exist in a user’s world, over a substantial period of time, instead of in stasis on a hoped-for shelf in MoMA’s design wing.

Every material feels the effects of time and use. My favorite designs articulate their wear artfully rather than attempt (never successfully) to hide it, or worse, to ignore its inevitability. Yixing teapots are left unglazed to promote the development of a patina over the course of many infusions. The most beautiful floorboards have a soft, almost frosted texture from centuries of bare feet, and you “season” rather than wear out cast iron cookware. Designers need to design beyond a single moment in time; freshness should be important for veggies and ideas, not a mass-produced product.

Like products, cities exist all the time. Designing for crisp, sunny days in early autumn and trying to “deal” with weather that deviates from this ideal isn’t just difficult, it’s a missed aesthetic opportunity. Why not use runoff to grow walls of fluffy moss instead of uneven bacterial stains in subway stations? Just replace the tiles with porous concrete and add some dried moss to get things started. Or sidewalks that use two kinds of cement that look the same when dry, but change when wet to reveal a pattern only on rainy days. Rain is already a trigger in a system of mostly hidden feedback loops – any other ideas for designing these loops into the city’s surface?

I see potential beauty in this waste stream though. I’m currently showing the Ceramic Speakers at Accent on Design, and arrived on set-up day with only my hammer, Japanese saw, ruler and sketchbook. I scavenged through the materials that other exhibitors were throwing out and designed/ constructed my booth on the spot.

PSFK visited me while I was building and designing.

Sorapot from Kevin Rose on Vimeo.

I’m excited to introduce some new work at IMM Cologne next week, and to visit Germany for the first time. If you’re in the area, I’d love to get a drink and meet up.

I’m showing my designs at the entrance to Hall 3.1, as part of DesignSpotter’s d3 exhibit.

What really has me excited is the chance to make my debut as an international DJ! Along with designers Miron Lior and Jo Meesters, I’ll be spinning dubstep, grime, and classic house this Tuesday. If you’d like to attend, just let me know. It would be great to see you there.