Project
Bristle to Brush
Year
2021
Location
Design Academy Eindhoven
Type
Research, Documentary, Installation
“Bristle to brush” started with an investigation of the role of automation in the extinction of craftsmanship. The question emerged: in what ways can automation and crafts coexist? This urgency led me to search for symbiotic relationships between the two, at first glance, paradoxical fields.
For the project “Bristle to brush”, I visited one of the last brush factories in Germany. In a short documentary film, I portray the intergenerational efforts to transform an endangered industry from artisanal production to an automated one. The documentary reveals their strive for innovation yet communicates their passion and attachment to the material itself and the lack of opportunity to incorporate these emotions into low-cost production.
In a second step, I try to find a symbiotic relationship as a coworking space between automated and artisanal manufacturing in the production of a toothbrush. The fully automated production process with a 3D printer and my participation as a craftsman display both the aspiration and the lack of knowledge to accomplish this task.