Alёna Konyk (alena)

My interest lies in the investigation of a deeper connection between industrial design and biomimicry. According to the definition of Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), industrial design is the service of creating and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value and appearance of products and systems. Mass manufacturing is characterized by high production rates and dominates the world of industrial design, where great emphasis is being placed on efficiency and optimization in order for the manufacturers to remain competitive in the market. 

Efficiency and optimization are also driving forces of manufacturing within complex and mature biological ecosystems. Today’s increasingly complex world of industrial manufacturing is composed of multiple factors, among which sustainability is rapidly becoming influential. Biomimicry – a science, representing the study and imitation of nature’s methods, designs, and processes – offers sustainable solutions to design problems and is a critical answer to the contemporary problem of mass production.

Interdisciplinary by definition, biomimicry in industrial design is often evident in a few formal functions or features of the product. Designers often successfully mimic the natural form, which is called the first level of biomimicry. However, copying the surface is only the beginning, because it does not guarantee a sustainable product, much less a system in today’s complex world of industrial manufacturing.

I am interested in re-evaluating the role of biomimicry in industrial design through a more holistic approach. My professional goal is to propose a tangible artifact to connect industrial design and biological systems in a manner such that materials and energy are used efficiently, waste is minimized, and cyclic processes are integrated on all three levels of biomimicry.