The Metex Prize winners are Dario Aquet and Venla Elonsalo
This year, the Metex Prize will exceptionally be awarded to two master's theses. "We want to bring together designers and Finnish industry. This year, the selection was difficult because all the theses were excellent”, said Jussi Neuvo, representing the Metex Fund.
Dario Aquet’s master’s thesis for the Contemporary Design Programme at the Department of Design stresses the importance of sustainability in the design processes. A consumption-critical study, Rethinking Portable Bluetooth Speakers: Disassemblability and Reparability in Product Design, shows how dismantling and repairability can promote a new culture of sustainability and responsibility in design.
“Aquet’s thesis is an excellent example of a work that shows how the design decisions made by an individual designer can be far more significant than just for a single product”, says Simo Puintila, Lecturer in Industrial Design and the supervisor of Aquet’s thesis.
“The example he uses—rethinking the product architecture of a speaker—could be applied to almost any other product or industry. The work is a hopeful example that the systemic-level changes required for a more sustainable lifestyle and consumption solutions are indeed possible, and that they can very well begin from the desk of an individual designer.”
Venla Elonsalo’s work I weave dogs and clothes: Digital technologies for woven textile-form design for the Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design Programme at the Department of Design was made under supervision by Maarit Salolainen, Professor of Textile Design.
The experimental, practice-led thesis examines the design of four-layered woven garments and accessories. Elonsalo explores methods that make the designs more durable and creates novel design possibilities within woven textile-form design.
In addition to the design contribution, the thesis observes how computer-aided design supports the design of 3D-woven garments. Weaving entire garments is a sustainable alternative to traditional clothing production, where manufacturing garments to order is more profitable. This reduces waste caused by overproduction.
The Metex Fund, which promotes Finnish industries, operates as part of the Technology Industry 100th Anniversary Foundation. Each year, the fund awards a prize worth 5,000 euro for an outstanding master's thesis by a student graduating from Aalto University.
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