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The-hard-wired-shop
Wellcome
to my hard-wired shop! Please find below all the information about my
first auction on eBay, my retail shop and a bit of what I do.
About
the Hard-wired idea
The idea of the Hard-wired devices is simple: I re-manufacture existing
electronic devices by upgrading their interfaces with better ones (or
strange ones too :)
Think
about it, there are lots of poorly designed interfaces for products (hey,
don’t send me your list of complaints). What I do is improve them
-well, do my best- by simply customising a new electronic relationship
between the two existing products. I usually hack into great vintage electronic
appliances.
I use
lots of alarm clocks from 80s for example. Some companies did a great
job and manufactured beautiful products. Most of these electronic objects
are survivors of a couple of decades of wear and tear, and they still
work! But I have to confess to you that my obsession is... joysticks!
My supplies are mainly from 70s and 80s game consoles (Atari, Commodore,
Nintendo, to name a few legendary brands). I think they are the best interaction
design products ever! Great plastic shapes, big red buttons, solid grip
all around… They are also part of the golden age of computer gaming,
and I blend them with the serious culture of functional household appliances
to create ... "Hard-wired devices"!
These
are the type of objects I will showcase in this shop (check my actual
collection on my site). I will soon introduce more objects… some
for auction too.
My
Company
How do I work? I am an Interaction designer and
live in London. My suppliers are mainly in the UK, my delivery is worldwide
and my production line is vertical (as tall as I am).
I
carefully research into each object. I am specially interested to reveal
who produced these objects, when they were launched, their stories of
success or failure ... and the anecdotes about them.
Generally, I contact companies (like Philips, Sony) who kindly search
their archives and send me great bits of insider information. Each of
my designs is documented with this research as a tribute to each final
piece (you can read this documentation below each of my objects, on my
web page).
Finally,
I find most of the objects on second hand markets. Family and friends
donations are also welcome. And, of course, I find most of the stuff on
eBay. So the most logical thing to do after hard-wiring these devices
is to sell them right here… on eBay!
Why
am I telling you all this? Ok, here is my secret: I read a couple of marketing
books... you know, to get some tips about selling. They say you should
show your customers your production process so they know you are being
transparent (not invisible :)
The
object
You
are bidding for a unique fully working electronic device, for home or
office use.
Please note that this object is NOT part of a small production of the
same object. You are bidding for a UNIQUE piece of work, hand signed by
me and recorded with a serial number. Some of the objects have been on
shows all around Europe, like in a major design exhibition in the Centre
Pompidou in Paris (actually exhibited right next to the cool Swarovski
iPod:) some great collectors already bought exclusive pieces of my work.
Customer
service
Well, here we are…. I hope you don't expect
from me to open a repairing workshop next to your hometown. I don’t
have a 24/7 hotline either. But I can guarantee you that the pieces have
been tried and tested. And yes, I will do my best to assist you should
your piece need repairing (I also read in those marketing books that you
should have a personal one-to-one relation with your customers).
Starting
bid
When you open a shop you should invest a little
bit in promotion and make a "great opening offer" (the marketing
books again, dam it, I shouldn’t have read them). I hope the starting
bid will attract some action.
What
else should you know?
Well, you should know that interaction design is
about creating beautiful interfaces so we can talk to objects (and they
can talk to us).
Happy
bidding!
Roger
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For
auction now!
The
piece for auction
This auction is for the piece titled “Nintendo
gun shoots Sony Digicube”, designed by Roger Ibars. This piece connects
two electronic pop icons from the 80s: the famous cube-shaped bestselling
alarm clock from Sony and the Nintendo light gun Zapper, launched in 1985
along with the also bestselling 8
bit game console NES. These
two devices are hard-wired so the time and the alarm of the Sony clock
can be set up firing with the light gun. See the “hard-wired functionalities”
below to know how it works. This piece in particular has been featured
in the magazine Artinvestor
dec. 2005 (special issue on Game Art).
Description
Model name: Nintendo gun shoots Sony
Digicube
Serial number: HWD-C-07
Year: 2005
Series: Control
Size: 30x40x12cm
Power: Mains 220V
Features
Device: Clock Radio
Manufacturer: Sony
Model#: ICF C-120
Launched: 80s
Device:
Light gun
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Model#: NES 005
Model name: Zapper
Launched: August 1985 EUA
Functionalities
Turn gun 135º
and fire: Alarm set up (hours)
Turn gun 45º and fire: Alarm set up (minutes)
Turn gun 225º and fire: Time set up (hours)
Turn gun -45º and fire: Time set up (minutes)
Hold gun: Alarm off
The
Collection
The
Project
The “Hard-wired devices” are a collection of vintage electronic
devices -from 70s and 80s- in which two cultures of interface blend: the
computer game culture and the household appliances culture. The first
one is represented by the golden age of computer games -with great devices
such as joysticks. The second one is represented by the commonly named
labour saving devices -with devices such as alarm clocks. The result is
a new functional electronic device with an upgraded interface that allows
you to set up the Time and the Alarm of the clock using different joysticks,
game pads or light guns.
This
project reviews the contradictions and beauty of this two different interaction
design cultures. All devices have been restored, re-manufactured and re-introduced
to the market to create new interaction design experiences beyond impersonalised
and mass produced interfaces. The final objects are both a tribute and
a critical approach to interaction design and the outcomes aim to expand
the boundaries of our experience with daily electronic devices.
The “Hard-wired
devices” have been exhibited in London (Royal College of Art), Dublin
(Digital hub), Lisbon (Design Biennale), Copenhagen (Next05), Amsterdam
(Open Source Congress) and Barcelona (H2O gallery, solo exhibition). The
Centre Pompidou in Paris exhibited a series of “Hard-wired devices”
as part of the exhibition D.DAY
Modern Day design. From June to October 2005, this exhibition was
a major presentation exploring the vitality of design in a wide variety
of fields. See here the Exhibition
Catalog with all the objects.
This
project has also been featured in magazines such as Axis in Japan and
in articles on electronic gaming art, such as GEE magazine or Art Investor
(Germany). They will also be featured in the book Game Paused, a tribute
to gaming culture.
Work
Statement
Roger Ibars approach to design explores the growing use of techniques
imported from crafts in product and interaction design. This responds
to the growing interest in rendering a dimension of individuality and
identity to objects, as a means to distinguish and emancipate them from
the anonymity of industrial and digital production.Roger Ibars lives and
works as an interaction designer in London
See Roger Ibars' work
online
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