"Once Was" -- A Reminder of Where Stuff Comes From
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA 
on 12. 3.07
Like The Light Drop we featured before, Brazilian designer Rafael Morgan's new "Once Was" comb is designed to be a thought-provoking commentary on our consumption first and functional art second. Says Morgan, "We are so used to some everyday objects that sometimes we don't realize what's behind them, where do they came from. Great part of the exotic wood that is consumed in USA and Europe are illegally imported from poor countries like Brazil.
"This comb reminds us of what it once was in the past.
"It once was a tree, it once was alive."
Should the comb ever be mass-produced, Morgan assures us it'll be carved from certified sustainable wood. See more thoughtful, sustainable designs at ::Rafael Morgan
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Funny if the statement "Morgan assures us it'll be carved from certified sustainable wood..." wasn't just plain dumb.
Why? Do we really need to cut down trees, even if sustainably harvested, to remind us of what our products once were?
Does that really pass a line of meaningfulness, as "thought provoking commentary"?
If so, I'd argue we're definitely going the way of the 99% of species that have come before us.
We just happen to be the first in history (that we know of) to be documenting our extinction (or sheer obliviousness to it).
Mass producing something like this falls into the category of creating more crap for no reason.
However, I can't deny there's some merit to the "thought-provoking" point. I wouldn't mind seeing a label on food, for example, that said something like "this was once a plant" or "this snack was factory-created".
Learning more about Sustainable Living at MovingLikeWater.com
Brazil is not a poor country, interesting item it is thought provoking.
That's got to be the worst "comb" I've ever seen! That's certainly not going anywhere near my hair.
I don't think I've EVER had a wooden comb. This thing is like filling a gas can with maple syrup and putting a catchy "green" message on it. It's utterly useless.
I think maybe I had a brush with a wooden handle once but the teeth were plastic.
Nicholas...I agree completely about labeling for everything from food to buildings.
I think your point is dead on though...this isn't labeling, this is cutting down trees to be "thought provoking".
If that's what it takes to make people think, we're already lost.
Thanks for the comments about my work guys!
I do not have the intention to produce "thousands" of this combs, it´s a concept guys!
Maybe I will make a few hundreds...
I just wanted to spread a message and I think you have got it, don´t you?
Cheers,
Rafael Morgan.
Aesthetically it's a fine enough design.
About your message...was your message something along the lines of "i want to needlessly consume to remind consumers about what the effects of needless consumption are"? or "i want to destroy trees to remind people about the impacts of consumption"? or "i want to destroy trees to remind people that doors, combs and flooring was once a tree?"
my point, and the others here i think, is that your art sends a different, perhaps unintended message.
maybe i'm wrong with that guess. either way, we're lost if that's the level on which we are right now relative to the issues we face.
Hi again guys,
Well, I think your opinion is very important and I respect it so much.
I just think we don´t need to stop consuming things to make the world a better place, that´s what the word "sustainable" is about.
All I think is that we need to develop better consuming habits.
You know, If one thousand people see this image, maybe just a few will really want to buy the comb.
It means that many people may get my message without even buying it.
Anyway, everyday objects like this comb, a shoe or a towel will never stop being consumed, so it´s definitely better to buy one made of sustainable materials and carries a "thoughtful" message like this.
Thanks so much for your critics guys, I really appreciate it!
If anyone want to discuss it further, please contact me trough my website www.rafaelmorgan.com.
All of the best,
Raf.
imo people are being too hard on this guy. It's not like he's going to produce tens of thousands of these for Wal-Mart or something.
It is a small comb and would be made with sustainable wood, so I hardly see a problem here. This is art and a statement piece, and is hardly a pointless knick knack in my book.