Un-Compliant Mechanisms

09 April 2024

Atacan Tutulmazay's project, Un-Compliant Mechanisms, embeds personalities in household appliances. This project features three devices—Lucy the thermostat, Maurice the light switch, and Bob the power outlet—each designed to resist and respond to human actions in unique ways. By assigning 'personalities' to mundane objects, Atacan encourages users to reflect on their consumption habits and the ethics of appliance use. The project uses speculative design to propose a future where domestic objects communicate their dissatisfaction with user demands, prompting a reconsideration of object-human relationships. Through this, Un-Compliant Mechanisms aims to foster a more conscious interaction between users and their environment, highlighting the role of design in mediating sustainable practices and ethical engagements within domestic spaces.




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My name is Gabriele and I am Assistant Professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the department of Industrial Design. I work at the intersection of design, ethics, and community justice to co-design sustainable futures.

I analyze design's societal impact and I cooperate with diverse communities to challenge injustices. In class, I focus on ethical awareness and critical thinking, preparing students to navigate today's complex sociocultural landscape.

I'm inspired by Design Justice, and I draw on Ethnography, Interaction Criticism, Speculative Fabulation, Critical Design, and Humanistic HCI.

Have a look at my TUe institutional page and at my CV for all the other information about me.