Current Project: ABJECT OBJECT - Working directly with Los Angeles’ Downtown Women’s Center, and members of the homeless community who aim to improve their situation, the Los Angeles Chapter design team will collaboratively develop and produce functionally simple, easily made objects from inexpensive, recycled or readily accessible materials.

The latest: (December 1, 2008) Four main concepts for textile products have been developed, and are being prototyped at the Los Angeles Chapter’s weekly meetings. All of them are wearable garments that can be used as something else - the Hood Bag, Sandal Rug, Hammock Wrap, and Pocket Scarf. The focus remains on functional objects that can be used both by the people who make them and a retail market. The chapter continues to explore how the construction might be simplified and optimized to incorporate desirable skills such as sewing, weaving, knitting, and crocheting.

(November 19, 2008) The chapter is meeting weekly to develop prototypes for the textile-based products with design team members from the Downtown Women’s Center.

Chapter Head: Kim Karlsrud

Contact: Kim Karlsrud, kim (at) projecthdesign (dot) com

Chapter Size: Under 10

Looking for new members? Yes

Meeting Schedule: Every Sunday afternoon

Donate to this chapter:

Images: (See all images in the Los Angeles chapter’s Flickr album here)

Concept sketches

Material explorations

(More images via Flickr here)