Although our bodies are evolved to move, we tend to design our objects based on monofunctional use and posture. Technology is taking over more functions our bodies were used to execute, developing a useless body for tomorrow. Instead of using our body for productive life, we compensate the lack thereof with leisure activities. Moving our body becomes a choice, a lifestyle and therewith segregated.
 
Govert Flint’s voice stands out in the crowd of graduates at the Social Design department of Design Academy Eindhoven. As founder of The Institute for Applied Motions he aims to generate alternatives for the future scenario of having a useless body. In the coming years the designer will gather neurologists, anthropologists and dancers to tango and tackle the relations between happiness and movement.
 
In his graduation project ‘Segregation of Joy’ Govert Flint shares his first discovery in the search for a useful body in contemporary society. By observing dancers of the Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, he found movements that can be applied daily. Full body movement correlates with feelings of happiness.

And yet, we spend days sitting behind a computer. To make this more dynamic, Govert made an exo- skeleton chair that allows the body to move freely. Programmer Sami Sabik worked on the digital translation. Changing the body’s gravity point moves the mouse and just kick a chair leg to click. With this chair, our bodies are once again functional, stimulating regular movement. After all, that’s what we were designed to do, according to Flint.
 
Jules van den Langenberg
 
www.govertflint.com
 
 
Jules van den Langenberg graduated at Design Academy Eindhoven and developed himself as design curator and exhibition maker through self initiated projects and freelance works. Through associative thinking the young, Willy Wonka like, visionair develops narratives and concepts which form fundaments for a variety of curatorial projects. After Dutch Design Week 2014, Jules shares with us some of his discoveries and « coup de coeur ».
 
www.julesvandenlangenberg.nl