Totemcollective

Forest of Light

TotemCollective was at Columbia College Chicago from the 10^th to 18^th October 2009 that entire week conducting workshops and lectures in addition to discussions of design and copyright.

The two worlds of design and copyright have quite many surfaces of contact and rises some interesting questions regarding the world of ideas and their rightful owner, if such a one exists.

- Can you own an idea?

- Where lays the difference between inspiration and copying?

- Which position do we take as designers in a world where everything is being copied?

- How do we survive as designers in a copy-world?

- Are we basically pro or against copy?

- In which way can we make use of copies in our world?

- Can we create designs that people are able to copy without being criminalized?

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We participated in a workshop held by Digital Urban Living, CAVI and Martin Professional on media facades at Danish Design Center (DDC) in Copenhagen. The aim of the workshop was to develop visual and interactive experiments to explore the potentials of large media screens in public space. The experiments were conducted on six large screens – making a total of 24 square meters – installed in the windows at DDC in the center of Copenhagen.

TotemCollective created an installation using the human body as a curser to navigate in Google earth. A camera located on the roof of DDC was tracking people’s movements within a marked zone.

Collaboration with architect Mikkel Kjærgård Christiansen.

Photo by Daniel Pinheiro

Line Langballe

p: +45 2621 0465

Christina Okai Mejborn

p: +45 2886 7170

TotemCollective have been working as consultative designers for the City of Copenhagen in optimizing the workflow at the Citizen Service Centers.

The Totem Design System was centered on dialogs with the employees and the citizens. Through observations, workshops and interviews we adjusted the workspace and created a new flow in the interior.

ddc.dk

In 2008, The artist group, Superflex, invited us to do a new set of furniture for “COPYSHOP” – a project that was hosted by The Art Gallery of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Scholarships:

2008: Træfonden

2008: Ministry of Cultural Affairs

Lectures:

Oct 2009: Columbia College Chicago, TOCPS / TOTEMCOLLECTIVE, Illinois

Aug 2009: Co2penhagen, USE OF LED IN DESIGN PROCESSES, Copenhagen

Sep 2008: University of Tennessee, TOCPS, Tennessee

May 2007: The Alexandra Institute, URBAN DIGITAL LIVING, Aarhus

Feb 2007: Aarhus School of Architecture, MERGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND PREFAB CONCRETE, Aarhus

Workshops:

Oct 2009: Columbia College Chicago, OPEN (D) SOURCE, Illinois

Nov 2009: Copenhagen City Hall, IMPROVEMENT OF WORKFLOW, Copenhagen

Sep 2008: University of Tennessee, TOCPS, Tennessee

May 2007: The Alexandra Institute, URBAN DIGITAL LIVING, Aarhus

Exhibitions:

Mar – Apr 2010: FAIR USE, Glass Curtain Gallery, Columbia College Chicago

Sep – Oct 2008: TOCPS, The Art Gallery of Knoxville, Tennessee

Warning display at dangerous junctions

We have designed a warning display to prevent right-turn accidents involving bicycles and lorries.

The See-mi technology facilitates communication between lorries, bicycles and traffic lights at dangerous junctions. By means of this communication, the driver of a right-turning lorry is made aware of the risk of cyclists on his right side. This gives the driver an additional chance of avoiding dangerous situations.

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Working with Blendwerk on our design

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This is a new way to use prefab construction in architecture.

Light and images can travel through the concrete by integrating fiber optics. This opens up a whole new world within architecture.

Designed in collaboration with Innovation Lab

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Copylight is a lamp, which challenges problematics concerning intellectual property rights by the exposure of motifs from commonly known lamps.
Copylight’s take off starts from Superflex’ project, “Biogas PH5 lamp”, which is a copy of Poul Henningsens PH5 lamp from 1958.
Copylight seeks the boundaries between originals and when copies become new originals.

Line has been ekstra coordinating for a Playahead TV commercial .

Director Uffe Truust

Christina went to the Herning FoodExpo 2008 to promote Guaraná Power

Installation for a photo exhibition

The big challenge of this project was to reveal only one picture at a time out of a series of four pictures in each element. We decided to create a box in which a strip of pictures rotated in a sequence that showed a new picture every five minutes. The boxes enlightened the garden and created a poetic ambience.
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Working unit for Freelancers

Many people work at home without contact to others because of the rising possibilities that new technologies provide.
This tendency has advantages and disadvantages. Even though the worker has peace at home to be absorbed in his work, he might also lack direct sparring from others.
FreePort is a flexible work community, which provides an opportunity to increase the network of the independent worker.
The Worker reserves a Port for the time needed through the Internet or a mobile phone. When needed he thereby has the opportunity to meet others at diverse locations in the city.

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A bicycle for urban living

The HPM bicycle is designed as a practical link for traveling people who combine a private car with public transport. The main idea behind the bicycle is to request drivers to park their car in suburban areas and continue their journey to the city centre with public transport. Thereby the hope is to minimize the daily environmental damage caused by cars in city centers at peek points.
Compared to other foldable bikes the HPM bike folds easily in a few steps and is a handy companion in the car, train, bus and so on.

Scenarios for The Alexandra Institute

We were asked to give a lecture about the future of urban life seen from a digital perspective at the Computer Science Department, University of Aarhus.

Interactive learning tool for children

SwapIT offers children an opportunity to use computer technology in a new different way.
Usually, computers and computer games are an activity where you sit still and have to watch a computer screen. With the artificial world inside of the computer there is a risk that children become isolated from the physical world and other children. SwapIT gives the opportunity to design your own game with computer technology as an ingredient instead of a tool. Through cooperation with other children, they create “non-artificial” networks with each other where technology has a central part, but is in no way crucial. How to use the technology is optional, though if you want to, you can use it both in free play and in a teaching situation. SwapIT is designed for children in the age 6-8.

Cultural Conference

Participants from Aarhus and Copenhagen researched the potential of increasing the collaboration between the two cities. Politicians, officials and other prominent people from cultural communities were set together to generate and enlarge the already existing network between cultural players in Aarhus and Copenhagen.

The installation was designed as a collaboration between:

Christina Okai Mejborn, Carina Rosenbech Thybo, Maria Maj Hansen, Liselott Stenfeldt and Rune Wehner.