#fieldresearch

[pmsvanidhi-servicedesign]

On the Street

Following limitations encountered online, we shifted focus to street level interactions. Conversations with vendors revealed varied responses, ranging from complete unawareness of the scheme to apprehension rooted in past experiences with government initiatives and fear of being scammed. Very few vendors reported attempting to apply independently. A visit to a nearby bank, however, presented a contrasting reality, with nearly forty to fifty active PM SVANidhi files. This contradiction suggested that while awareness among vendors was low, the scheme was actively being used through alternative, mediated pathways.

[magdadurka]

ARCHIVE REF: 001 // THE CRYPT LAB: GESTATION SITE

Proposed central installation for the 2026 residency. A site-specific assembly station designed for the grafting of skeletal frameworks and stimulus-reactive skins. This serves as the primary node for daily "Inhabitations" and live material research.

[thelifeofobjects]

Printing the Leaflet on Fabric in the Makerslab

Analysis: I printed the leaflet I made about the process of making the objects on A2 pieces of fabric. I had to use nylon fabric since the ink would go through natural fabrics such as linen and cotton. I would have liked it better to use natural fabric, but since I couldn't I tried to find a synthetic fabric that has kind of a silky look and feel. The printing itself didn't go very smooth, since the first time the vacuum was turned on (which creates the spots you see in the second image), the second try it turned out the printer couldn't actually print A2 like it said but 10mm less, which is why the text was cut off on one side. The third time I tried, the text wasn't cropped since I made the image smaller, but the ink kind of leaked out. Also, my plan was to print it double-sided but the fabric would let it shine through too much so it would look messy.

Insights:

Conclusion: In the end, it didn't turn out exactly how I had in mind, but I learned a lot and it still looks quite fancy as well as fitting my concept and the brand.

[thelifeofobjects]

binding the concept book

I printed the concept book on 200g sustainable paper and then did the binding myself. I used bookbinder glue to glue the pages together on one side and then covered the spine with a fabric piece. At first, I was not focusing enough on what I was doing so I put the glue on the wrong side of the pages. Fortunately, I realised it quickly and was able to take the pages apart again. You can still see a little damage though on the right side of the pages.

[thelifeofobjects]

3D visualisation in Blender 

I scanned the objects in Polycam and then imported the 3D scan into Blender. There I made them rotate, added lights and a camera and screen recorded the movement since it would take too long to render the whole thing. To look really professional, they should not stop in between and have a better camera view. But since I am not very familiar with Blender yet, it took me a long time to let them rotate already. If I want to use this in the final presentation, I could ask my friend who is really good at Blender to help me.

Analysis: The light, surroundings and way it moves make it feel unreal and a little unsettling. Since the objects themselves look quite 'innocent' in real life, I tried to give them another angle or context to see them in a different light. The music was a song I made earlier in the process as an experiment. Since the atmosphere of the song is quite positive, it either adds to the weirdness of the visuals or makes them more harmless.

Insights: I am not sure yet if this COS since it has a different aesthetic than what they usually do. This could be an opportunity or a pitfall. Same for the song, which might be too experimental for COS. Another option would be to use wind as a soundtrack for the objects.

Conclusion: I will see what the feedback is for this, since I am not sure myself if this fits the rest of my project.

[thelifeofobjects]

Some of the images I took of the objects with a 35mm lens

Analysis: I wanted to achieve a COS-style look for the photos, which is why I used a white backdrop and natural light. I planned the shoot so that I could use the sun and its shadows to my advantage. The shades of white bring a certain calmness to them, which puts the focus more on the objects. The space I left around the objects gives them room to breathe and makes the images less busy. I chose not to use too many close-ups since this is what I will shift for the film already.

Insight: The images will work well for posters too, since they have enough space for text, logo and graphic elements. I could imagine as picture taken by COS, so I would say this execution is on-brand. In general, the shoot isn't super interesting, but I mainly wanted it to look professional and put the objects in focus.

Conclusion: I still have to choose the best images and edit them, which will show which ones I will use in my final presentation. I am also not sure yet what I will do with all of the images, if I will use them for posters or maybe also postcards to take with you from the store?

[thelifeofobjects]

sketch final presentation

[thelifeofobjects]

sticker design

It was a good idea of Ellis to brand the objects with a sticker since now it really feels like the objects are a part of COS and the collaboration. It also adds a branding aspect to it, which my project is otherwise lacking in some parts.

Analysis: I designed the stickers in a pretty simple way. For one, because I didn't have much time to design and produce them. But mainly because I was thinking of how COS would design the stickers. In former collaborations, they use the 'x' to communicate a collaboration, so I wanted to use that element as well. The colour of the x makes it more prominent and clear that it's a colab. I used another font for my name to communicate that I am not part of COS. The blue colour is something that comes back in both COS's collections and my own products. The stickers are made from organic kraft paper, which is partly made from farmer's trash. The glue is compostable as well, which makes them very sustainable.

Insights: The stickers add the branding element to the sculptures. This is something I sometimes for get, so I should pay attention to brand as much as I can to make sure it is clear that it is a collaboration between COS and me.

Conclusion: Since I have some stickers left, I could also stick them on other things for the final presentation such as the headphones, pedestals etc.