Objects of Control by Ed Lewis

Command and Control

With all the political upheaval these days it is easy to lose faith in politicians.  Indeed, many believe that politicians habitually distract the population using subtle and sophisticated measures in order to disguise their means of social control and manipulation.

Inspired by this conspiracy theory, designer Ed Lewis created Objects of Control - everyday objects modified in order to mess with your mind.  First up: pencils made of brass instead of wood.  This makes the process of sharpening them so laborious that you will think twice before deciding what to write (or perhaps decide to use a ball point pen instead).  Our favourite is the spoon with a spout.  Pointless in the sense that nobody really demanded one, but now that it's there you would most likely be tempted to try it out and make a mess in the process.  See what they are doing to you??

Ed Lewis is a graduate of Northumbria School of Design and Objects of Control is part of his graduation project.

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Ed Lewis

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Product Inspiration

Unusual looking products with unexpected uses is a great way to add interest to a design scheme.  We love the robot-shaped Robox bookshelf from Casamania and the re-imagined airplane trolleys from Bordbar.

Go for lighting with an unexpected twist to put the fun into functional.  We love the monkey lamps from Seletti and also the super slick Twee. T birdcage light from Casamania.

For fun and unexpected accessories what about candlesticks made of pipes (Pipe Work candlestick from Nick Fraser), a bird house in the shape of a mosque (Holy Homes Bird Mosque from Frederik Roije) and an ice bucket in the shape of a thimble made of brass (Here ice bucket from Ghidini 1961)?