TAPE
We use tape to stick things together. Unlike most of the tools in a designer’s arsenal, which require a fair amount of planning (consider woodworking machines, computer aided processes etc), tape invites impulsivity. We often reach for tape when we need something to be done instantly, but not perfectly. As a result, tape provides a direct translation from your brain to your body–an opportunity to understand by creating. The objects that tape enables are an honest, unmitigated reflection of the way a designer makes decisions. These moments of frantic, harried, frenetic invention happen in almost any design process, but they are often absent in the final result. What if instead, tape could be an end unto itself?
The exhibition at 8×7 will feature 9 design studios, each one investigating adhesive tape. Each designer’s methodology for exploring tape can be pragmatic, poetic, historical or personal. Together, these objects will create an installation that looks at why and how the designers are connecting things: permanent or temporary, improvised or planned, literal or metaphorical.
“Duct tape is not a perfect solution to anything. But with a little creativity, in a pinch, it’s an adequate solution to just about everything”.
Jamie Hyneman, MythBusters
