Alternate
exhibition
exhibition contribution, invitation, and poster
Alternate posed questions like “Are designers now creating ‘better’ products—or are they merely producing alternatives that fail to improve on traditional versions?” And: “What cultural and economic value may these ‘alternate’ products have?”
Consumers see products as a form of self-expression. Designers, for their part, create products that reflect their personalities, their artistic vision. Both the buyers and makers of goods crave uniqueness. And products satisfy this craving.
Our contribution analyses the car designs launched over a single season. Stripped of their detail, identified in one group by price and in another by name, the car silhouettes reveal how little one designer’s work differs from another’s. Together, the cars appear to be clones of each other, a collection of virtually lookalike products.