THE HARD LIFE - JASPER MORRISON - 2017
The Hard Life presents a photographic exploration of around fifty handcrafted objects from traditional rural life in Portugal. Designer Jasper Morrison highlights the ingenuity, beauty, and formal perfection of these everyday tools, drawn from the collection of the National Museum of Ethnology in Lisbon.
The book raises the question of how such beauty and efficiency could emerge from items designed by anonymous artisans, seeking to sculpt the essential with the simplest of means. It presents these objects as examples of "pure design," where function and utility dictated form.
The exploration of these objects, designed with "the most modest means" and having survived generations of rugged use, conveys a profoundly ecological message. These tools are the very embodiment of sustainability: locally made, with a minimum of resources, they were designed to be repaired and to last. The book indirectly encourages more responsible consumption and an appreciation for objects whose low material footprint and longevity contrast with modern planned obsolescence.
The work documents the tools that made life "viable" in a pre-industrial rural society. It offers a reflection on the material culture of an era when objects were a reflection of local know-how, generational transmission, and resilience against the constraints of a "hard life" (hence the title).
Jasper Morrison wrote The Hard Life out of admiration for anonymous craftsmanship and functional perfection. In exploring the Lisbon museum's collection, he found confirmation of his own "Super Normal" philosophy (see bio). The book is therefore a way of documenting and elevating these objects to the status of works of art and design education. It is a means of sharing a fundamental source of inspiration that guides his own work: the idea that utility, durability, and economy of means lead naturally to beauty.
The Hard Life is a design lesson. It teaches that excellence often resides in simplicity. It educates the reader to appreciate ingenious solutions born from real-world constraints, inviting designers (and the public) to prioritize efficiency over ornament or gratuitous innovation. It shows how the balance between utility and formal perfection is the hallmark of successful design.
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Dimensions: 22 x 30 cm
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Number of pages: 208 pages
Biography of Jasper Morrison 👇🏼👇🏼
Jasper Morrison is an internationally renowned English industrial designer, born in London on November 11, 1959.
- Education and career: A graduate of the Kingston Polytechnic Design School (1982) and the Royal College of Art (1985), he completed his education at the Berlin University of the Arts. He founded his studio in London in 1986 and now works between London, Paris, and Tokyo.
- Design philosophy: Morrison is a major figure in contemporary design, famous for his minimalist, understated, and functionalist approach. Together with Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa, he popularized the term "Super Normal" to describe what good design should be: products so effective and discreet that they integrate perfectly into daily life without shouting about innovation. He aims to create useful and responsible objects, often inspired by archetypal forms.
- Collaborations and distinctions: He has collaborated with the biggest brands in furniture, lighting, and electronics, including Vitra, Cappellini, Alessi, Flos, Alias, and even Free (for the Freebox Delta). He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and received the title of Royal Designer for Industry (RDI).