Zen Blaster
by Joey Roth, Brooklyn, USA 
on 05.10.07
Inspired by traditional bucket-and-bamboo water carriers, Designer Waikit Chung created this digital boombox for monks. While Wakit's design might be slow to market (the Zen Buddhist/ loud music crossover market is definitely niche) the blaster is a great example of design that fits seamlessly within the cultural and natural ecology of its intended users. It seems almost a reaction to the iPod and its ilk, fostering community rather than headphone-assisted isolation.
The controls are simple, and the use of an SD card instead of an internal drive encourages sharing. Factory-formed bamboo as the main structural material creates an interesting contrast with the ghettoblaster's silicon guts- bamboo enclosures for electronics will hopefully become more and more common. I just wish the shiny ABS plastic were press-molded stoneware!
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Treehugger, you're losing it. The world's on fire, and you're publishing nonsense like this..? This site used to be a model of eco-awareness - now you're trivialising the issues, and commodifying pseudo-greenness.
This is the industrial designer's version of those ridiculous poofy hats models wear on the runway. Interesting aesthetic, but kind of pretentious and ungreen.
Those bucket and bamboo water carriers are built that way because it helps with the distribution of weight required to move water. They are not built that way because monks really love putting very small things (like boombox electronics) into ridiculously oversized, cumbersome wooden carrying cases that serve absolutely no function other than to prevent them from doing anything useful with their bodies. Unless, maybe, they're really into mortification of the flesh.
Saying that this art piece fits "seamlessly" into the cultural ecology of its users sounds nice on the surface, but is kind of insulting when you really think about it.
Actually, I take that back. After looking at the designer's rationale--it'sa ceremonial device intended for long marches--I'm starting to see the theatrical appeal of the design.
It certainly isn't efficient, practical, or a very good use of wood and storage space, especially not for daily use, but sometimes pageantry is more important than efficiency or natural resources.
Wow... this is so neat...
I see a lawsuit coming if they stick with that name.
Creative labs has a whole line of "zen" MP3 players.
First, thanks to Joey Roth for publishing my student work here.
Secondly, I need to clarify the assignment of the design, in order to understand the design better.
In 2004, this design was created and it was a result of a university design project, in which our mentors asked us to design a ghettoblaster for monks. Surely the students understood it might be ridiculous to have the zenmonks, who live in serenity, use a ghettoblaster. But it was interesting to cope with such contradiction.
The assignment was meant to let the students experiment and think about the interaction between the user and the product and the interaction between the environment and the user&product. How would a monk use a ghettoblaster if we assume he would? How would the product fit into it's environment?
So I came up with a design which I believe would be appropriate in the context of the zenmonk.
The last thing I need to say here is that the use of bamboo was not meant to be environmental friendly. It was chosen because of the context that determined the look of the product.
By the way, I did not create the name 'Zen Blaster'.
Regards,
Waikit Chung
Industrial Designer & Founder of www.productdesignforums.com