'byson' infuses new value into the broom for jerusalem design week

neil nenner and avihai mizrahi pose a critique on consumerism

In the fast-paced world of consumption and technology, Byson by Neil Nenner and Avihai Mizrahi sets out to challenge our perception of everyday items by repurposing them into exclusive, sought-after artifacts. The project, which was unveiled at Jerusalem Design Week 2023, looks to the mundane yet timeless household tool — the broom — reimagining it with new qualities and elevating its aesthetic, economic, and emotional value. Further, by questioning conventional marketing tactics geared towards selling products that nobody needs, the project transforms these brooms from simple, cheap, and everyday objects into curious functional design objects — from a ceiling fan and ladder to a rug and face mask.

all images by Shachar Fleischmann

‘byson’ revalues the broom — a diminishing household item

Byson is an artistic critique of consumerism through the design that delves into the seemingly mundane broom, an essential tool for humanity since ancient times with a value that is steadily diminishing. In doing so, Neil Nenner and Avihai Mizrahi have reimagined the once functional objects through innovative design manipulations which seek to entice us to consider the significance of objects that we often overlook, and explore how our consumer-driven world imbues them with false importance.

Fusing aesthetics, economics, and emotions, and employing marketing tactics aimed at selling products that nobody needs to presents the broom as a coveted artifact, the design duo has breathed new life into the broom, once a simple and functional instrument, and now a coveted, exclusive article. Drawing inspiration from visual and material iconography, Byson infuses the broom with pseudo-spiritual meanings, questioning our perceptions of value and purpose.

Byson critiques the fast-paced world of consumption and technology

exhibited at jerusalem design week 2023

The manipulations employed in the exhibition feature visual and material iconographic elements that charge the broom with pseudo-spiritual meanings and propose alternative or speculative uses for it. Further, Nenner and Mizrahi expose marketing mechanisms that have long permeated our daily lives, with offers like ‘two for the price of one’ enticing us to buy. Similarly, Byson’s visuals challenge the norms and impart new functions to ordinary objects, altering their perceived worth.

The project was presented at Jerusalem Design Week 2023, as part of the exhibition Uncomfort, curated by Prof. Jonathan Ventura and Galit Shvo.

challenging our perception of everyday items by transforming them into exclusive, sought-after artifacts