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Graduation project

Super Lekker Super Mooi

Joel Blanco Martinez

By presenting itself as something that is primary and, in a way, very humane, a world-record-size donut challenges ideas that are often taken too seriously according to Joel Blanco. The donut confronts us with the silliness of life, at the same time it shows – and forces us to stare down – the abyss that is opened up by all human activity, be it known as high culture or popular culture. What is value? What is the essence or core of something? Does not the essence of things reside in the void? As a powerful metaphor the donut confronts us with a certain nihilism, an awareness that, in the end, everything is meaningless and tautological in the grand scheme of things.

To turn this piece of cake into a monumental object, however, Blanco proposes a new kind of value: not the value of eternal truths or wisdom, but rather the value of temporary fun. "This is my design strategy. If you cannot know anything outside the donut, nor anything of the core, then design can only focus on that which resides between the emptiness’s - that is, on designing the context around the hole. In other words: a designer can only design a donut. For me, design is about making donuts. Let's present the hole and celebrate the dough! They cannot exist without each other."

Department

Contextual Design

Degree

Master

Graduation year

2017

Video or Digital Media

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