Human Crafted : A Vehicle as a Celebration of Humanity

Abstract: With smart machines taking over each time more tasks, there is a risk of a future without relevant field for human action. In the 19th Century, the Arts and Crafts movement proposed a reaction against the alienation generated by industrial machines. Today, following the spirit of Arts and Crafts, this project intends to pose a reaction against the aesthetics of Artificial Intelligence by embracing human-crafted methods. Furthermore, to tell a complete story of humanizing experiences, the production and use of the vehicle are focused on human interaction; in the first case as a bespoke process and in the second as a vehicle interior that fosters human interaction. With Rolls-Royce Bespoke Design as collaborator for this thesis, the project has been branded after them, taking advantage of the company's hand-crafted approach as a positive value with humanistic potential. The main inspiration consisted of a reinterpretation of traditional artisan methods in order to design a vehicle with novel attributes. In contrast to the common practice of vehicle design where the generation of geometry rules the latter selection of materials and production process, for this project the early inspiration from hand-crafted methods dictated material and form, which could result in limitations during the form finding process, but which could also trigger unexpected results. At the same time, the simulation of the bespoke process with a relevant individual playing the role of the product's user had a major influence on the final outcome. The final result is a vehicle in which the main design focus lies on the interior, although the exterior had to be developed to some extent to provide a frame for development of the inside. The main design contribution is the proposal of structural elements with an aesthetic intention which was dictated by material properties and authenticity. As a story, the project intends to question the increasing presence of Artificial Intelligence and what could be an appropriate scenario for its usage (i.e. autonomous drive algorithms enabling human interaction inside the vehicle). So with the goal of providing humanizing experiences for makers and users of the product, even overlapping the role of makers and users during the bespoke process, the project tells a story of humanization through craftsmanship and dialogue.