DESIGNING CONSEQUENCES

YONG JIEYU

Conditions + Consequences = Social Evolution. Designing consequences is a proposition for design to take on the role of forecaster and communicator. Three works by the artist Yong Jieyu take the particular example of chemical changes in our water as their subject. By investigating the effects of chemically altered water on our environment and bodies, a series of ‘future objects’ have been projected and designed. The Umbilical Cord Filter is a response to scientific studies that have found hundreds of disruptive chemicals in mothers’ bodies. What happens when we need to filter ourselves to keep our babies safe? Activated Carbon Ice Cubes are designed to absorb impurities from your glass of water. And Precocious Matryoshka Dolls are designed to help ease the discussion of issues arising from precocious puberty caused by estrogen & other chemical pollutants in water. All three objects propose scenarios and ask questions about the consequences of our industrial development on the natural world, and on our own health and security.