alice wang envisions design objects for the future of marriage
all images courtesy of alice wang

 

 

 

according to alice wang, an average of three months is being added to life expectancy every year at the moment and experts estimate there could be a million centenarians across the world by 2030. this prompted her to ask, ‘is our society ready for this? are we still doing four years of college? are we still going to retire at the same age? and are we still going to be married to one partner until death do us part?’ following these questions, wang decided to create ‘future marriage’, a project that has rendered multiple objects to challenge some of the common problems within relationships.

 


video courtesy of alice wang

alice wang future marriage ring table mouse
closeup of the ring

 

 

 

the designer has envisioned a world where rather than being married for life, a couple can decide the length of their relationship. the marriage certificate can be more like a love contract where terms are pre-agreed. thus, instead of using negative phrases such as ‘divorced’ or ‘separated,’ they may end more peacefully and happily. ‘if so, perhaps the number on the ring would be far more important than how big the diamond is!’ jokes wang.

alice wang future marriage ring table mouse
eating at the dinner table

 

 

 

as we’re more and more reliant on our mobile phones, we are no longer able to have a quiet and focused meal with our loved ones. will we need objects around us to help us provide a signal free environment? this dining table detects and jams all surrounding internet signals once it senses two people present on either sides, allowing the couple to have a proper face to face dining experience.

alice wang future marriage ring table mouse
graphic of the table radiating signals towards the phones

alice wang future marriage ring table mouse
detail of the mouse

 

 

 

flirting in cyber space has always been a gray area, whether it counts or not has been highly debatable. in response, wang has crafted a computer mouse with a ring which one ‘puts on’ automatically when it is in use. while one is browsing through social medias or chatting platforms, it heats up slightly as a gentle reminder that he or she is married.

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.