Who’s Casper? charity project at designjunction
Leading designers, artists and architects will be taking part in Who’s Casper?, a collaboration between designjunction and British furniture company Modus. Proceeds from the project will benefit the charity Movement on the Ground, which supports refugees at the forefront of the European crisis, affecting the men, women and children forced from their homes by climate change, poverty and war.
Who’s Casper? challenges creatives to customise the Casper stool, designed by Michael Sodeau and manufactured by Modus from 100% recycled cork. Participants include: designers Sir Kenneth Grange, Tom Dixon, Ross Lovegrove and Moritz Waldemeyer; artists Jon Burgerman, Barnaby Barford, Alex Chinneck, James Joyce, Nicolas Burrows and Anthony Burrill; architects Autoban, Snarkitecture and Studio Egret West; and illustrators Vic Lee, Esther Cox Kiosk and Chrissie Macdonald.
Casper’s playful design incorporates two finger-sized holes that make the stool easy to manoeuver as well as creating an unexpectedly human and hopeful expression. This suggestion of personhood makes Casper particularly appropriate for the project, which draws attention to the dehumanisation of refugees fleeing persecution and poverty, and the anonymity of the displaced. Instead, Who’s Casper? stresses the importance of seeing refugees as individuals. Each participant has been asked to respond to this theme without significantly altering the structure of the stool.
The customised stools will be displayed at designjunction 2016 as part of London Design Festival. The identity of who designed which stool will remain a secret during the exhibition. The aim of this anonymity is to challenge the emphasis put on known name and reaffirm the equal value of a nameless person.
Visitors will be challenged to match the designer to the stool in a social media competition #whoscasper? All the Caspers will be sold in an online auction, taking place over the duration of designjunction to raise funds for Movement on the Ground.
Deborah Spencer, Managing Director of designjunction, comments: “We are delighted to support such an important cause through Who’s Casper? which uses the talents of designers, architects and artists to highlight the importance of the individual, whatever their identity.”
Who’s Casper? follows the successful Where’s Casper? campaign in May this year, in which 15 limited edition Casper stools were sold in a silent auction to raise funds for Movement on the Ground. Each stool was sprayed hi-vis orange to signify hope, survival and the action required to tackle the ongoing refugee crisis.
