What does “THE PRESENCE OF ABSENCE” indicate to the world

『HOW TO CREATE THINGS FOR THE WORLD SUSTAINABLY』　
Sarah K. is the author of this wonderful book, which was published in 2023. She is the organizer of the sustainable design project Supercyclers, and under the name The Sustainablist line, she has proposed a new circular and experimental fashion platform called Little Black Smart Dress.

Spurred on by the idea of protecting the environment, she decided, through design, to take action.

Sarah, who studied architecture and worked in film production and furniture design, became interested in environmental activities after moving to Hobart, Tasmania, in 2006. She saw trucks piled high with logs driving past her house many times a day, and piles of wood chips at the harbor.The media reported that deforestation was being regulated, but the situation that unfolded before her eyes was something she found hard to believe.
After returning to Sydney a few years later, she started a project focused on solving environmental problems. She thought that, although there had been environmental conservation activities up until then, she wanted to make it something that would have an impact on the larger debate, using her own aesthetic, and give people the opportunity to actually take action.

Post-war consumerism was defined by economist Victor Lebow.
　
“Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption….We need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.”
　
What would the ideal consumer be like in 2024?

The world of minimalism, which is familiar with the aesthetic of “less is more”, has something in common with sustainability.
　
The ‘No Heater Winter Chair’ was designed for modernists who turn on the heating more readily than they would put on a jacket at the change of season. The chair, wrapped in wool, is a collaboration with the Waverly Wool Mills company. It is an attempt to reduce the environmental impact of products without changing their convenience, by using alternative materials and construction methods.

A Little Black SMART Dress that makes you to commit

In the world of fashion, which is also a form of self-expression, there is always a desire for more. The designer has come up with a circular economy as a sustainable solution for an industry that is at the top of the environmental pollution rankings. The Little Black Smart Dress (LBSD) is a dress made from semi-permanent plastic material that is reused. It is made from a resource that cannot be thrown away, does not destroy clean energy or people or the environment, and even incorporates responsibility for what happens to the product after its lifespan is over.
It is predicted that within the next few years, the sale of second-hand goods will account for 40% of the entire economy, but if they are sent to landfill, it will be a waste of time and effort. LBSD requires customers to sign a contract agreeing to return the item when they purchase it. An RFID tag is attached to the item, and the postage is stored and linked to the purchaser’s email address, so if the purchaser wishes to do so, they can arrange for the item to be returned immediately and free of charge.

　“What I wanted to do was eliminate the feeling of clicking without thinking and having the item arrive in your mailbox the next day, and create an opportunity to stop and think. I want each person to think about whether they really want to take responsibility for this product.”
Of course, the returned dresses will be given the appropriate treatment and posted as “Second Generation Little Black Smart Dresses”. The names of all the previous owners will be listed on the preloved items, creating a sense of solidarity with a new story. We will always question the absence of responsibility and shift from linear to circular.

“Global issues are big issues, and we need to think big. But at the same time, I think we need to value the expertise that each individual has, and tackle these issues with that in mind. By contributing to these issues, you are already having an impact in that area. Rather than worrying about your ideas with too many big ideas, it is much more sensible to simply apply ideas about how to bring about small changes. On the other hand, the idea that someone else will do it can have a negative effect. If you have the attitude of “I’ll do it”, you will become a person who takes action and makes a difference, and you will influence the next person you meet. If you feel strongly about something, it’s much better to just do it. Even if it seems like a very small thing, the principle you are thinking about is much bigger.”

「不在」が問いかける、ありあまる「存在」の意義

In 2022, Sarah presented the installation “The Presence of the Absence” as the culmination of ten years of sustainable design activities. The slide that usually shows “in a meeting” etc. has the word “NEAR FUTURE” written upside down. When you enter the empty room, there is a sign on the wall.
　
‘This room is the near future. Here, the absence of things is preferred, and materialism has come to an end. … In 2022, the world reached a state of saturation with things created by humans…’.

An object can no longer be perceived as just the static thing in front of us. Every object is the sum total of its past, present and future
――物体は、もはや目の前にあるだけの静的なものとして認識されることはない。あらゆる物体は、その過去、現在、未来の集大成である