The Loaded exhibit encouraged designers to ask questions about the value of everyday objects. It explores the fluidity of currency and how objects are shaped by global systems of trade, cultural ideologies, desire and emotions – whether we are aware of it or not. The sight of this exhibition during a week packed with glossy, shallow, and ill-conceived products was a welcome mental break. Even though the theme of the show may have been imposed on the students, it works, and one leaves feeling a bit relieved that there still are responsible and aware designers out there.

Brian Anderson showcased a metal necklace that he described as “part jewelry, part cloak, part cartwheel ruff, part affluence”. Cake, as it’s called, is a piece communicating the polarities of having something while wishing to consume it too.

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