Resonant Design: The Transparent Speaker

I read Jonathan Chapman’s Emotionally Durable Design and was appalled to learn that 80% of objects get thrown out into landfills because people aren’t able to form a strong enough emotional bond with them. Landfills often cannot provide the right environment for microbes to be able to break material down, so landfills keep piling up with things. As a designer, I consider the quandary of consumerism, pollution, and short-term attachment to material goods. Audio speakers are often marketed on their external form. But as I was researching speakers, I became more interested in their internal components: the feat of engineering that creates sound. I wanted to flip the focus in my design by highlighting the internal components and minimizing the speaker shell. I chose to create a simple clear box that is almost like a museum case; it highlights the functional aspects of the speaker as a technological work of art. My hope is to extend the life of the speaker by designing for emotional connection, which in turn leads to longer use and, therefore, improved conservation.