From potty revolution to design awards
It was on a hiking trip that design duo Ditte Marie Fog and Julia Sand had their brilliant idea: to redesign the toilet to allow your body the best position for pooping. Since the invention of the toilet 244 years ago we have apparently been pooping in the wrong way.
- Around 1990, the puborectalis muscle, which runs from the pubic bone to the tailbone, was discovered. It acts as a kind of rubber band that keeps the lower part of the intestines in place. If you stick your butt into the air, you stretch the muscle and then the poop has a clear passage out. But the toilet we use today does the exact opposite, they explain.
The duo won the ’Young Talent’ category and the ’Visionary Concept’ category at the Danish Design Award 2020 online edition for their ergonomic toilet concept Poo-sition. A 360-degree design consisting of an anatomically improved toilet and a fun children's book with the title ‘Leo og Lorten’ (Leo and the Poop) that will make it easier to talk about good toilet habits. The jury said:
- This is a market in desperate need of innovation and detaboo. 13,000 children in Denmark alone have constipation issues. This solution can create a real transformation in terms of hygiene and health.
Design School Kolding’s rector Lene Tanggaard emphasises three aspects regarding the 'Young Talent' wins from Design School Kolding these past three years:
- The wins show a level-headed approach and courage to design for people’s needs and lives. They show an edge and a willingness to break taboos. And they show that our students are extremely talented and thriving in a world-class educational environment, she says.
More nominations
Also nominated in the 'Young Talent' category was design student Mona El-Qut from Design School Kolding. She has created a sympathetic and functional solution that provides warmth for Lebanese refugee children in very harsh conditions, combining jacket, jumpsuit and sleeping bag in one. The jury said:
- With ResQKid, this designer demonstrates how a humanitarian design solution can have real social impact in an urgent crisis. With ResQKid, this designer demonstrates how a humanitarian design solution can have real social impact in an urgent crisis. Mona also demonstrates a business sense, as she has created an entire business plan to make sure this solution becomes reality.
Among the nominees in the ’Better Learning’ category was Design School Kolding’s MA programme, which launched in 2017. The jury said:
- How do we train people to be more creative? This Master degree programme is doing exactly that. Design School Kolding focuses on collaborative skills and works with their students to enhance their potential. The Design for Play MA has the potential to be truly ground-breaking in the field of education.
About the Danish Design Award?
Danish Design Award is the major annual Danish design event. It celebrates the best design solutions and highlights the many ways in which design can make a difference for our society. The partnership behind the Danish Design Award brings together the design industry and the entire country around an annual design event celebrating the difference design can make. The event is organised by Design denmark and the Danish Design Centre.