For one month, the Hesse family lived completely without plastic and had to manage their everyday lives using products made of wood, metal, glass, wool and ceramics. The exhibition Plastbantarna shows what happened – while also revealing the plastic that is otherwise hidden in our homes. The project is based on a method developed by design researchers at Green Leap, KTH, in which sustainable futures are developed and tested in people’s everyday lives over longer periods of time. By trying out new products and behaviours in real life, norms, habits and obstacles become visible – showing that a plastic-smart everyday life is possible, and closer than we might think.

By working in an exploratory and creative way, students investigate the role of plastic in everyday life and reflect on how material choices affect both use and the environment. The programme combines experience-based learning with hands-on making and gives students the opportunity to think like both detectives and designers – with a focus on sustainable alternatives.

Plastic Detectives is carried out in two steps:

  • Detectives in the field (at Form/Design Center):
    Morning visit to Form/Design Center. Here, students encounter the exhibition through a guided tour and film, explore perspectives on time in an interactive workshop, and try the role of a designer in the quick sketch exercise “The Object of the Future.”
     
  • Headquarters (at school):
    After the visit, the work continues in the classroom. Through inventory, material analysis and creative prototyping, students deepen their knowledge. The project can be concluded with a student-curated exhibition at the school showcasing objects of the future.
     

The aim is to give students tools to understand the role of plastic in society and to inspire them to see design as a possible method for creating a more sustainable future. By sharing their insights and design proposals, the students also contribute to KTH’s ongoing research on plastic, materials and sustainable transition.

 

BOOK YOUR CLASS

When you make a booking, we begin with a dialogue about your wishes and how we can shape the programme to suit your needs. You will also receive preparatory material ahead of the visit.

FOR BOOKINGS AND INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT:

johanna.sjogren.duthy@formdesigncenter.com