IN THE BUBBLE JOHN THACKARA - witz cultural

yond the age of speed by having moved into the age of—and I say the word
with a certain trembling—‘real time.’ The move toward real-time is one
way out of the world of speed.’’ 54
Slowness does not have to be a drag on innovation. Products and services
that incorporate selective slowness, and that are consistent with economic
growth and continued technical innovation, are already being developed.
Slow Wash
A project by Whirlpool exemplifies multiple-speed design. Few industries
are as competitive and no-nonsense as the white-goods industry, with its
do-alike and look-alike refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, and the
like. But Whirlpool Europe’s ambitious design director, Richard Eisermann,
was determined to rethink the clothes-washing process as a whole, including
aspects of its ‘‘social speed.’’ In Project F, the notion of washing as a
social event is emphasized, and a notion of ‘‘clean’’ has emerged that
involves more than just hygiene or a process for eliminating dirt. ‘‘Clean’’
is linked to a feeling of well-being. ‘‘We all feel the need to slow down
sometimes, to tune into natural rhythms, connect more fully with our
actions, add quality to our experiences,’’ Eisermann told me. ‘‘When we
spend time over a task, it shows. If we take things slowly, and step
outside set schedules and routines to seek independent cycles, we find
continuity.’’ 55
Speed 45
Project F is informed by insights into new ways of living explored by
Francesco Morace, a Milan-based researcher. Morace is fascinated by ‘‘the
new domesticity.’’ His investigation into the changing social contexts in
which we wash clothes began with an open exploration of the washing
process and of new relationships among products, spaces, and humans
involved in it: ‘‘Container þ Water þ Detergent þ Agitation ¼ Clean.’’
Teams of designers then proposed scenarios for every aspect of the process.
Tactile, organic forms, inspired by the body, emulated the softness of
human touch. Nanotechnology was exploited in semitransparent, iconic
shapes to provide a ‘‘waterless approach to washing.’’ And hydroponic
purification of water was coupled with fuel cell technology to provide a
‘‘slow wash’’ approach called BioLogic, based on natural principles of
regeneration and efficiency. Nature transforms sunlight, carbon dioxide,