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past project:Amsterdam, Platform21

Platform21 = Hacking IKEA

All IKEA hackers unite!

Who wanted to know what else a LAMPAN could be besides a lamp or how the PRODUKT milk-frother could also be used for other purposes, looked at Hacking IKEA for inspiration.

Hacking existing design is a recent phenomenon. Around the world, for a variety of personal motives, professional and nonprofessional designers are making individual alterations to off-the-shelf products. In the process, they pay little or no attention to a product’s original function. Some do it for fun, others out of necessity, and still others out of a critical attitude toward mass production. IKEA hacks – the appropriation, adaptation and transformation of standard IKEA products – are among the most noticeable expressions of this movement.

IKEA is a very successful and consumer friendly multinational, with a large fan base all across the Western and Asian world. But it is also a cultural entity, an economic force and an icon of global change. Therefore it is not surprising that numerous artists and designers as well as the general public, have a special relationship with IKEA.

Platform21 = Hacking IKEA showed the work of those professionals and amateurs and commissioned new work by makers to whom the practise of hacking is central.

GYNEA by Sander van Bussel - Photgraphy by Leo VegerGYNEA by Sander van Bussel - Photgraphy by Leo Veger
GYNEA by Sander van Bussel - Photography Leo Veger

Platform21 = Hacking Ikea was part of the festival 4 Weeks of FreeDesignDom (September 2008) in Amsterdam and showed an adjusted version of the exhibition during the Dutch Design Week 2008 in Eindhoven. It travelled to South Korea to be part of Design MADE - Manifesto for Annual Design Exhibition - in November 2008. During the Taiwan Design Week 2009 several Dutch IKEA hacks were shown alongside new hacks made by Taiwanese designers in Taipei City. Several IKEA hacks have travelled to NAi in Rotterdam and Ars Electronica in Linz.

With contributions by a.o. designers and artists: Bas van Beek, Joe Scanlan, Cynthia Hathaway, Remy&Veenhuizen, Bjorn Andreassen, Sander van Bussel, Eric Morel, Studio VOLLAERSZWART, Helmut Smits, Frank Bruggeman, Daan van den Berg, Stefaan Dheedene, Jason Salavon, Maarten Vanden Eynde, Kieren Jones, Eric Von Robertson, Rutger Emmelkamp, Studio Plus, Mark Hoekstra, Alan D. Joseph, Daniel Saakes, Dinie Besems, Guus Alders and Sander Kunst, Zinoo Park, Kira Kim, Kyum Bi, Jihoon Ha, Sanghyun Joo, Mikyung Lee and Heesung Kim.

...28 Sept 2008
  • IKEA hack

    GYNEA

    Designer: Sander van Bussel

    GYNEA provides a glimpse into the private lives of omnipresent IKEA products. The hyper-impersonal IKEA chair becomes the place…

  • IKEA hack

    Merrick

    Designer: Daan van den Berg

    “From an unknown location, I break into IKEA’s computer server. In this nerve centre, the CAD files for every IKEA product…

  • instructable

    Make your own PLATONIC SUN

    With the instructions Daniel Saakes placed on instructables.com, you can put this round chandelier together yourself.

  • IKEA hack

    IKEA Love Toy

    Designer: Mark Hoekstra

    IKEA is the perfect family shopping paradise, but as Mark Hoekstra strolled through his hometown IKEA, something bothered him.…

  • IKEA hack

    BLÖCKSTÄR

    Designer: Alan D. Joseph

    Alan D. Joseph searched for a basic IKEA shape that he could use in all sorts of ways. Just like IKEA does with LACK, a whole…

  • IKEA hack

    SIMULACRA

    Designer: Bas van Beek

    Bas van Beek paired one of the store’s cheapest vases with the vase Hella Jongerius designer for IKEA to copy her famous Dutch…

  • IKEA hack

    MUSIC FOR IKEAS

    Designers: Studio VOLLAERSZWART

    MUSIC FOR IKEAS is an attempt to musically hack the entire emporium of IKEA through the release of a CD. Music is an effective…

  • IKEA hack

    ÖLKE BÖLKE

    Designera: Remy&Veenhuizen

    The ÖLKE BÖLKE is an improvisational assembly of components. Buying a flat pack enables one to use one’s own judgement on…

  • IKEA hack

    PLATONIC SUNS

    Designer: Daniel Saakes

    When Daniel Saakes decided to make a round chandelier out of LAMPAN lights, it turned out to be harder than he had expected. How do…

  • IKEA hack

    DESERT LODGE

    Designer: Eric Von Robertson

    The DESERT LODGE is a prototype for a makeshift shelter one can use to get from A to B – a synthetic tumbleweed that drifts in…

  • and the winners are...

    Hack-your-IKEA has two winners

    ASTRID hack by Lisette Haasnoot and ERIK, the elk! by Nora Feddersen

    Sunday 21 September, on behalf of the jury futhermore made up by Erwin van der Zande - editor in chief of BRIGHT magazine - and…

  • movie

    A talent for assemblying IKEA furniture?

    This manual made by Alan D. Joseph is one for pros.

  • research

    IKEA, cornerstone of society

    Looking to the world from an IKEA point of view. That is exactly what Bjorn Andreassen does. Andreassen is interested in cultural…

  • instructable

    IKEA Hack-a-Lack

    Check out our own hack which lets you assembly an IKEA table in a whim!

  • report

    Hacking IKEA in Eindhoven

    During the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven (18 until 26 October 2008) Platform21 presented Hacking IKEA in a slightly modified way.…

  • report

    No IKEA for Korea

    Hacking IKEA Seoul

    Saving by Design, part of Design MADE 2008, is dedicated to designers who re-use or re-functionalize what we would normally consider…

  • festival

    4 Weeks of Freedesigndom

    Platform21 = Hacking IKEA is part of the Freedesigndom festival.

  • inspiration

    Superuse

    This website proves that when done in an innovative way, recycling can be beautiful.

  • past contest:Amsterdam, Platform21

    Hack-your-IKEA

    Make your own hack and win design fame!

    15 Sept 08

    Platform21, BRIGHT and Superuse called on you to hack an IKEA flat pack. Make your own design ...

  • live hacking

    Beauty, Play and Protection

    What can YOU do with 100 IKEA Family umbrella's?

    Eric Von Robertson is one of the artists which Platform21 invited to make an IKEA hack. He made a mutifunctional object from IKEA…

  • Amsterdam Weekly reports

    Read "KILL BILLY" online

    Flip through the pages of the digital version of Amsterdam Weekly and read the article on page 7.

  • project:Rotterdam, NAI

    Hacking IKEA lamps on show at NAI

    Shape our Country

    Can a lamp solve traffic jams? In the manifestation Shape our Country in the Netherlands ...

  • in memoriam

    Mark Hoekstra

    Passionate hacker

    With consternation we learned that 'professional geek' Mark Hoekstra passed away Friday 19 September 2008. We will remember him as…

  • IKEA hack

    FLAMMA

    Designer: Helmut Smits

    The thought of people burning their furniture during the war so they could keep warm and cook formed the in- spiration for…

  • IKEA hack

    IKEA GARDENING

    Designer: Frank Bruggeman

    There is no natural daylight in IKEA, though it does sell plants. They are at the end of the route, where they fulfil the role…

  • IKEA hack

    LACK alphabet

    Designer: Dinie Besems

    LACK: the world famous side table with four square legs and one square table top. Also this product, which can be found in millions…

  • IKEA hack

    SOLITAIRE

    Designer: Eric Morel

    Transform your LACK table into a playful solitaire game using this specially designed stencil and BILLY shelf pegs. IKEA ingredients:

  • IKEA hack

    SOLO

    Designer: Sander van Bussel

    SOLO provides a glimpse into the private lives of omnipresent IKEA products. The hyper-impersonal IKEA bed becomes the place…

  • IKEA hack

    TRASIGT HJÄRTA

    Designer: Eric Morel

    TRASIGT HJÄRTA (broken heart), the hack made by Eric Morel, is a rebellious vision of the state and the use of love in the…

  • IKEA hack

    USITGEBÄCKEN

    Designers: Guus Alders and Sander Kunst

    Now at last, you can bring IKEA along to campgrounds and garden parties, thanks to the USITGEBÄCKEN mobile kitchen! Easy to…

  • IKEA hack

    Flatpack re-arranged

    Designer: Kieren Jones

    Kieren Jones used IKEA’s best selling products, the POANG chair and BUMERANG clothes hangers, to create new products such as a…

  • for sale

    Hacking IKEA catalogue

    No longer available

    November 2008, Hacking IKEA travelled to Seoul in South Korea. There it was part of the Design MADE manifestation revolving around…

  • IKEA hack

    DOMESTIC SPORTS

    Designers: DAREDO

    One of the contest's entries got our special attention. The guys from design collective DAREDO went to IKEA in their sports outfits…

  • Hack-your-IKEA contest

    Spotlight on entries

    We have received nearly a hundred national and international entries to the contest. All from enthusiastic hackers that each in…

  • contest submission

    IKEA CRAFT

    Shane Waltener took the LINUS chair in hands for his hack submission for the contest. With artisan handiwork he changed this mass…

  • inspiration

    IKEA hacker

    Hacking IKEA products is a recent phenomenon worldwide.

    This blog lists them all. From practical in-and-around the house solutions to inspirational outbursts of creativity.

  • instructable

    Hack-a-TINDRA

    Another one of our own creations: IKEA strawberry aroma therapy for total IKEA submersion.

  • project:Amsterdam, Platform21

    Platform21 = Hacking IKEA in Seoul

    During design MADE 2008

    On invitation of the Korea Design Foundation Hacking IKEA traveled to Seoul. There, the ...

  • on tour:Taipei, MOT Gallery

    Platform21 = Hacking IKEA in Taiwan

    during Taiwan Designers Week

    28 Aug 09...6 Sept 09

    The worldtour brought Hacking IKEA to Asia for a second time. This time 30 new IKEA - hacks were ...

  • inspiration

    BRIGHT

    Enjoying the excitement of hacking? For other hacking ideas and much more, check out BRIGHT.

  • movie

    BILLY in China

    In Shanghai, Metropolis TV followed four art students who buy a BILLY for in their room...

  • workshop:HANGARAM Design Museum

    Hack the IKEA blue bag

    During design MADE 2008

    22 Nov 08...22 Nov 08

    Arne Hendriks talked about Hacking IKEA and gave a workshop involving the iconic blue IKEA ...

  • article

    Hack a Dutch Design

    Upgrade IKEA

    IKEA’s mission is to make design accessible and affordable for everyone. It’s a laudable goal, but it does lead to a certain…

  • stories, live hacking and drinks:Amsterdam, Platform21

    10 x 10 x 10 Hacking IKEA

    Friday 12 September, 20:30

    12 Sept 08

    10 Hackers who present, sing, perform or demonstrate their hacks live, each in 10 minutes. ...

  • report

    NOS Headlines reported Hacking IKEA

    Watch the movie here.

  • ... and the winner is!:Amsterdam, Platform21

    Hack-your-IKEA award ceremony

    Sunday 21 September at 14:30

    21 Sept 08

    Which hacked IKEA product will win design fame? Today on behalf of the jury (furthermore made ...