Singgih Kartono's New Radio Now Available in USA
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.30.08
Last year we loved the minimalist, retro looking wooden radio designed by Singgih Kartono. The designer used sustainably harvested wood, but also wanted to revitalize craft industries, creating jobs for people who were making simple handicrafts, but now can supply the cases for a high tech, high value, "MP3 ready" product, redesigned with FM, AM and two short wave bands. (how retro is that?)
When we talk about how good design is the key to sustainability, products like this come to mind: sustainable materials, great design, creating decent jobs and building communities all at once.
When he won an award from the International Design Resource Association (IDRA) in Seattle last year, they wrote:
"IDRA is an annual product design competition with the goal of creating new product designs and built environments using recycled and sustainably harvested materials. "Crafts Radio" fits the award criteria as a product made from post-consumer recycled material or sustainably- harvested material, and bear the potential for future recycling and for adding value to the commodities used.
"Crafts Radio" is based on the concept of relations between human and product, human and electronics-based technology, and local resources technology, added with the perspective of environmental issue.
Crafts Radio's designer wants to change people's perspective which views handicraft as an art which only has a role in traditional scope, in the form of simple souvenirs. Crafts Radio allows a synergy between industries : the electronics industry which makes up the "content" part of the Radio, and the handicraft industry which makes up the "physical" part of the Radio."
Now available in the US for $275 through ::Areaware
Craft industry is wonderful, and I certainly support paying more for fewer carefully chosen and durable possessions. But $275? Not going to cut it.
How about offering the guts of the radio for sale, so crafters can make their own case, be it out of wood or leather or tin cans or crochet?
While your at it, make sure the guts of the radio can be easily reprogrammed by downloading software that will allow adaptation to formats other than mp3.