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Recently, the DIY furniture giant, IKEA, launched a new product: the Müpolash. The product combines IKEA's top four sellers, and it is a "thing" that has no function but is hundred-percent Instagram-worthy.
Throughout human history, we name that non-functional thing in our daily lives "Art." For example, paintings on the walls, decorative objects on the shelves, and even legendary chairs in the museums. And we seem to have a particular taste for "things."
The thoughts behind this campaign from the Belgian company- Ogilvy Social Lab is this: if Ikea's mugs, pots, lamps, and shelves are getting a ton of attraction on social media, then the Müpolash, whose name is a portmanteau of all those products, should be the "most Instagramable thing ever made." So contrary to IKEA's philosophy- offer easy-to-use, functional home furniture that is affordable to many people; this product seems simply gunning for being photogenic on Instagram.
Oh heck, what is IKEA trying to tell us?
I heard some feedback on that "thing." Some people think it is a pure "toy," but for more sophisticated audiences. Some people think it is an edgy concept and will only get publicity: these non-functional "things" will end up in landfills, and publicity is such a selfish act.
But I have a slightly different angle.
The ideology of IKEA even made their "artwork" so "affordable" and such "environmental-friendly" (made of biodegradable material), leading their consumers to become "educated" about the overall design philosophy of IKEA. In other words, their consumers will become "approachable" with their future designs and products- since they are used to IKEA's beauty.
Here is another story.
The Vessel is a structure that plays a centerpiece of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project in Manhattan. Designed by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, this elaborate honeycomb-like landmark consists of 154 flights of stairs and 80 landings for visitors to climb. (In some way, the development team "incarnated" M.C Escher's artwork). The cost of this structure was $200 million.
After reading Vessel on the press. IKEA’s Müpolash makes me ask myself: can we copy IKEA's marketing strategy to our urban space? Can we produce an Instagram-worthy space both online and offline? And will that space be considered an art, architecture, or something else?
"Blight" is a word you probably won't miss when reading urban planning's glossary. It means "a condition of the property or the uses of property ... that are considered detrimental to the physical, social, and economic well-being of a community."(1)
Let's look at our urban surroundings. Do we have to make every single space functional? Could we just beautify our environment so we would enjoy walking around more? Would it be possible to enhance our living hood without cost a million, or perhaps, even not leaving a carbon footprint?
I love Art. And I appreciate scaled artwork that brings our human sensation to the next level.
But it’s time to ask ourselves. Would we like to buy $20 of biodegradable "Müpolash" or build a $200 million solid-rock "Vessel"?
Notes and references:
This prescriptive definition is excerpt from “UrbanPlan“ Handbook, an outreach program by the Urban Land Institute (ULI)
"Blight area" can also include abandoned buildings or those severely neglected by their owners, a vacant lot full of rubble, and garbage or dangerous or illegal use.
While I am the consumer who benefits from the convenience of online shopping and their easy-return policy, I have to link this video here as our reminder of the amount of carbon dioxide we create from those "unwanted" inventory.
Last update: 2022/02/08