Thomas Thwaites
Could you build a toaster? “Sure,” you say. “I’d just get a kit on amazon.” No, from scratch? “Well yes, I could get all the parts online, probably Ebay, and cobble one together.” No, from real scratch. Mining the ore and refining it. Forming each delicate piece. Creating a plastic cover and heat-resistant shielding? No, thought not.
However, speculative designer artist Thomas Thwaites (author of GoatMan) decided to take on this herculean task. Not only did he have no experience with any of the skills he needed to succeed, but he was also forced to do most of the work in the yard behind his mum’s house. With little more than a shoestring budget, some helpful friends and wild enthusiasm, Thwaites managed to hack and hew his way to a solution. Not a thing of beauty, his final toaster did indeed do what it was designed to – toast bread.
While the concept may sound a bit silly, Thwaites makes some very real points about humanity’s interdependence on one another, trade, mining, pollution and the average Joe’s lack of real skills to truly make anything. Hilarious and insightful.