Pop Up Repair Shop / Unlearning Studies is a two-part design-as-social-practice / design charrette combined into one installation piece.

Part 1, Pop Up Repair Shop, is a free furniture repair service provided to members of our surrounding communities. We have distributed flyers calling for submissions around several Detroit neighborhoods physically and digitally. We will then select a feasible number of repair projects to take on and survey each client on the history of their piece and the desired functionality and aesthetics of the repaired piece. We will then repair each piece to the client’s desired level of creative intervention. Upon completion, we will return it to the client and, with permission, document the new piece with the client in their home. The resulting documentation will be exhibited as a part of the installation.

Part 2, Unlearning Studies, is a design charrette in which we will collect broken, discarded furniture from our surrounding neighborhoods and through the process of deconstruction and reconstruction, give these objects new life. This series of objects will be created as an exercise in unlearning certain ideals in the design world that has explicitly promoted constructs that only allow for western notions of design. During this process, we hope to reject our learned sensibilities for what is considered “good design”. By working intuitively and limiting our material palette, we hope to create a dialogue about inclusion within the design field. These objects will also be exhibited as a part of the installation.