[ brand-utopias and its discontents ]

[-Following Psychbloke's interesting take on the "Ikea-as-lifestyle"-theme, spawned by the recent "incident" in the megabrand's north London warehouse, the Electric Dreams HQ decided to devote this post to a short but aptly put postscript on the issue, it can be read as follows:]

PART ONE
"-I don't think the modernist design credo included the notion of lowering prices through the exploitation of cheap labor. Perhaps we should wonder why Ikea's wares are so cheap before wondering whether they democratized design."
Posted by: Étienne Després at February 12, 2005 10:27 AM
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"-Great point. Ultimately, once you get past the seductive designs and the cheap prices, what difference is there between Ikea and Wal-Mart? OK, Ikea probably has more of a commitment to green product sourcing and almost any major retailer treats its labour force better.
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Look at Ikea as a system, rather than a brand. Products are sourced from all over the world; shipped from all over the world; vast resources are consumed (wood, plastic, metal, and especially, oil and energy). The stores are large-surface big-box outlets, which require large energy inputs for heating and cooling (I didn't see any green roofs, geothermal pumps or solar panels last time I visited). They are located out in the burbs and exurbs, you need a car to get to them: they contribute to sprawl.
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In that sense, Ikea is very, very bad design.
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In a world that will soon run out of cheap oil energy, the entire "system" of Ikea will collapse. If Ikea is to continue, it's going to have to shift to local production; ship atoms rather than bits, licensing local artisans to produce bespoke editions of their wares on-demand.
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Will it be more expensive? Probably. Will it be avoidable? Probably not."
Posted by: aj at February 12, 2005 02:45 PM
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[ X COMMENTS:...Quotes from Design Observer's discussion, February 12, 2005 ]

PART TWO
-Well, i must admit i've got a soft spot for IKEA...Compared to the other devilish megabrands: Nike, Coke, McJunk etc. and their sweatshop-exploitations, i don't think we should worry too much...And i need that new sleeping-sofa. Real bad. Last time they came without the screws. Before that they had no holes to screw the screws in. Next time i'll jog out in the woods and craft the damn furniture myself, snow or no snow, lumberjack-stylee, saw in hand, ready to put my bulging muscles to action in a work of love and well-thought-out precision...You'll see me there, out in the woods, carefully balancing my thermos on my knee, biting the edge off the whalemeat-sandwich, warming my frozen fingers by the brickfire, silently humming my songs, my voice turning into small white frostsmoke-clouds in the air, the cold of the snow a'crackling, the distant howl of the wolve-tribes a'humming, no soul in miles distance, free as the bird, only me and the snow and the frost and the smoke and the trees, the creaking of wood as the majestic pine tree slowly bends, starting to fall, the ground resonating, loud thump! of fallen grandeur, i watch it fall knowingly, all those pretty branches, surrendered into the fall, how it swayed and roared until the saw-wound got its release, the buzzing of birds as they lift away to safer nesting-grounds, the quiet air before the fall, which is known to all, the second of alertness, the whole forest is holding its breath, elks are huffing and puffing no more, just barely brave enough to poke their heads out from the shadows to watch me win, the bittersweet taste of conquest, how the image of a tree stout and prideful will haunt my dreams forever, together with voices of innate condemnation, as if mother Gaia's voice could hastily transcend itself into the very deep and darkest brainspot of my dreams, twisted, single-minded, speaking in tongues, from one mind, from many bodies, whispering tales of dark deeds i do not possess or yet know of, adding my Eve's-betrayal as the sin of sins and crime of crimes, oh wicked betrayal, oh Cain's splintered eye, it is a sorrow to behold, such a killing of earth's finest treasure, the entities which cannot defend themselves, yet we must exploit them, ah isn't life such a mystery?, i barely recognise it, the world spins faster, the wheels keep on turning, Gaia's voice is ever-weeping, black smoke is forever growing, covering our pale blue jewel in dust and dirt, nauseous gases and toxic proposals, yeah it is a sight to behold, the human species' quest to destroy, each other and the land they inherit, will this suffering earth ever be free to breathe, all living species able to comprehend? -The future is dim, the lights are fading...
***
[ X EXPLAINS: this was the X's half-idiotic rage-blast comment on the fact that even though today, February the 16th, 2005, the Kyoto Treaty has finally been declared valid, the US and Australia still haven't ackowledged it, and these countries constitutes 30% of the world's CO2-emissions...We are all in deep, deep shit. The future will not be a bright one. Global warming will continue, the shameless pollution and environmental damages continue unhindered by big-capital. -Oh,the humanity. What can a poor android do, but despair? -Shake your fists like skinny antennas to heaven! -Creak your teeth in outrage and bitterness!-Tape their newspaper portraits on your bogrolls and toilet-lids! -Poo in the face of public passitivity! -Smash your televisions! -Shag like rabbits! -Create your own spheres of happiness! -Hug a bum today! -Smile to your neighbours! -Plant tomatoes and sunflowers in the grey concrete of your grimey backyard! -Refuse to believe in lies! -Read! -Think! -Love! -Be free!:) ///-HERE THE TRANSMISSION ENDS. THE AUTHOR IS BEING DRAGGED AWAY BY NICE WELL-MEANING CHAPS IN WHITE COATS, READY WITH THE SYRINGE OF HAPPY-JUICE AND BLASTING THE SOUND OF CORPO-CO(tm) TO RID THE SQUAT OF UNPLEASANT ELEMENTS. TRANQUILITY IS RESTORED. THIS FILE WILL BE DELETED. THERE IS NO GROUNDS FOR CONCERN. WE REPEAT: DO NOT WORRY. ALL WILL BE WELL. THANK YOU AND GOOD-DAY.////]