Anne-Laure FelixDeep dive into planned obsolescence and right to repair
Talking about sustainability, we could not miss the Repair Revolution! exhibition held at the Museum für Gestaltung in Zürich.
Who has never given up on repairing an object when buying a new working one is so easy (and cheaper!)? Ever wondered why repairing has become so complicated when it seems like the natural thing to do? It is now established and well-known that whether or not an article can be repaired is decided at the design stage. Whereas design for maintainability is standard practice in engineering, it is still the exception in product design and architecture. So we learn as soon as we enter the exhibition, which sets the tone with a first section dedicated to planned obsolescence.
Planned obsolescence is the strategy of designing products so that they become obsolete after a certain pre-determined period of use, and need to be replaced, with the intention, for the manufacturing companies, to boost their sales. The exhibition presents us with a very well-made chronology starting in the 30s in the US with the beginning of planned obsolescence strategies, to the rise of ecological consciousness and consumer associations in Europe in the 2000s, through the opening of the first repair café in 2009 in Amsterdam, the first right to repair law passed in 2020 in Massachusetts and to the EU right to repair proposal in 2022. In Switzerland, the Swiss Foundation for Consumer Protection (Stiftung für Konsumentenschutz) exists since 1964 and opened the first repair café in 2014 in Bern[1].
“The article that refuses to wear out is a tragedy of business” Printers’ Ink, 10 May 1928
The exhibition questions the reparability of objects, whether there is little or no information on the lifetime and repairability of a product we buy, or we lost the know-how, or spare parts are not available (or too expensive) for repair. The visitor at this stage is invited to participate in a mural and express his/her frustration about reparation: “Which of your appliances has repeatedly broken down or proved impossible to repair? Vent your frustration here by adding it to our list!” The wall is filled with individual stories (including mine) of brands and products that did not last long or could not be repaired. Extremely liberating!
While repairing had always been part of many cultures, including in Switzerland where mending clothes used to be taught in schools, western societies took a turn where great value is attached to new wares. With the advent of the DI movement, repairs are back in the spotlight as a social movement, illustrating concerns such as anti-consumerism, avoidance of waste, and promoting consumers’ self-empowerment and community. The decision to repair something and make the repair visible has also become a statement. Think of Kintsugi in Japan, where ceramics are repaired with gold for instance. Or in fashion, where designers are getting more and more inspired by traditional methods of repairing and have made repair patches part of their creation. Also, did you know it was possible to repair paper bags with wool? This is what we can see at the end of the exhibition.
In addition to the wall of frustrations mentioned above, visitors can also participate in a workshop in the middle of the exhibition where they learn to creatively patch and mend textiles and are invited to pin their work to a community wall. On certain days, there is even the possibility of bringing something to the exhibition to be repaired by a professional. The day we visited the exhibition was not one of those, but we happily took part in the patching workshop! On top of learning repairing techniques and materials for textiles, we found a directory of where to go for repair in Zürich. So helpful!
Exhibition will end on October 15th, there is still some time to go! So what will you now repair?
Toni Areal, until October 15th.