The Bic Crystal: A Confluence of Design, Science, and Art

Extract

[...] In the first part, we will formally present the object in question and examine its relationships with the sciences. In the second part, we will focus on its relationships with the historical context, which will also be contextualized from a social, political, and economic perspective. In the third part, we will concentrate on the scope and impact of the Bic object in the world of art. Through this example, we will attempt to prove in our conclusion, in the manner of V. [...]

[...] The designer must increasingly confront these problems of our century, and outside of a 'perfect' object once in the hands of its user, must also be perfect for the good of humanity and our planet. Catalogue of the Bic exhibition CLOSKY Claude, Avant/Après colors) - 29.5 x 39.5 cm; BIC ballpoint pen on paper. Charly Gosp. Courtesy: the artist and BIC Collection Bic covers The Bic pavilion at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris, Designed by architects and engineers Yousef and Elias Anastas, Yann Santerre and Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, Jean Dubuffet. [...]

[...] From then on, and according to the statements made by Valem Flussal, « the forms discovered in nature can thus be submitted to become reinvented forms within the framework of the creation of an object To begin with, the volume of the Bic is due to the ingenuity of bees. From a formal point of view, it is largely inspired by nature and the forms created by them. First, its hexagonal design is inspired by the shape of the honeycombs of insect hives. [...]

[...] In conclusion, the Bic, born from an integrated design office, because it is the work of a whole team, without any designer in this team. The shadow of Baron Bich looms like a signature. The industrial object has an aesthetic that retains its modernity intact, without the mass production having annihilated its identity. In Petite histoire du design, Villem Flusser explains that the risk of design is to gradually annihilate humanity, taking the example of the helicopter, or even the fighter plane that is designed to annihilate and launch missiles could be devastating. [...]

[...] In this way, the writing tool becomes a Bic fork, spoon, or knife, depending on the user's needs. It is based on the assumption that the consumer society uses and abuses disposable products that Bic decides to take the opposite approach by doubling its function of use. Producing removable cap-utensils may be a way to effectively fight against disposable plastic utensils for two reasons: first, because the object is reusable, and second, because it is an add-on piece, it consumes less plastic than a whole standard plastic utensil. [...]