Ruben der Kinderen is a Dutch designer based in Berlin and Eindhoven, who runs a studio specialising in product design and the development of social experiences and concepts for promotion and marketing events. One of his latest projects showcases how his studio combines conceptual ingenuity with impressive practical applications. Titled ‘‘BLOW’’, the project exposes modern day production techniques inherent in everyday, contemporary products through translating automated manufacturing, into a straightforward, manual process. A simple PET-tube exemplifies this point. Used as the first case study in his project, it is a good example of an object that can be found in every household that most people invariably, have no idea as to how it is made. By developing a method of creating plastic vases by hand, der Kinderen proposes a Do-It-Yourself approach to product manufacturing, which puts into perspective the techniques and effort involved in creating the innumerable consumables we are surrounded by (similar to designer David Steiner’s approach in his Domestic Factory). And the result? der Kinderen’s elegant BLOW vases and their glass-like appearance go to prove that a DIY approach can produce designs as elegant and mind-blowing as any industrialised production line.
