This article explores the concept of “ready-made futures” through the lens of the DIY chair to examine the consequences that arise when industrial design aligns with capitalism. Initially conceived as critiques of consumerism, iconic DIY chair designs have since been commodified. Examples include Enzo Mari’s Sedia Uno and Van Bo Le Mentzel’s 24-Euro Chair. These designs turned the act of “doing it yourself” into a marketable promise of empowerment. Today, they offer ready-made solutions in the form of toolkits that effectively exclude genuine alternatives. This transformation reflects the defuturing spirit of modernist design: DIY, once positioned as a counter practice to industrial mass production, now serves neoliberal logics of self-reliance, precarity, and consumption. Addressing this tension, the article introduces a participatory design workshop in which participants collectively made and unmade DIY chairs. Rather than producing new consumer goods, the workshop created material expressions of social critique addressing issues such as aging, precarious labor, migration, and environmental care. Drawing on the concepts of unmaking to critique the emphasis in design on production and progress, the article demonstrates how exploratory design practices can challenge dominant narratives and open alternative imaginaries. ● DIY chairs, once critique of consumerism, now embody commodification and market appeal. ● DIY kits promise quick fixes but limit innovation within capitalist frameworks. ● Participatory workshops deconstruct modernist narratives of futures shaped by DIY kits. ● Participatory workshops offer a space for collective inquiry, transforming uncertainty into sense-making. ● Unmaking DIY chairs challenges dominant narratives, shifting focus from production to critique.
Merle Kathleen Ibach (Thu,) studied this question.