For Ronin Kadushin, happiness is sharing
the keys to his designs

The revolution of open source production has hit every industry from software (Linux, Mozilla, etc.) to pharma, hardware (Sun’s Open Sparc processor), journalism, and even beer and yoga. But design? How do you turn a discipline grounded in personal inspiration, materials process, and precision manufacturing into a source of shared intellectual property?

Ronen Kadushin is finding a way. After multiple rejections from Italian manufacturers who loved his work in Milan but seemed to forget him once he was back home in Tel Aviv, the 41-year-old designer, who now lives in Berlin, took matters into his own hands. Instead of creating complex designs that relied on producers, he simplified his pieces into digital instructions for cutting sheet metal capable of being understood by any manufacturer with a computerized CNC machine. Once the simply cut metal sheets are returned to him, Kadushin manually manipulates his materials into the final, precise shape. Then he licenses his original design under Creative Commons’ flexible copyright program to anyone who might want to use it. Voilà, open design!

The first open designs were Thinologies—chairs and fruit bowls cut and manipulated into mini-Gehry shapes—but Kadushin’s vocabulary and confidence in open design has slowly expanded to include foam chairs (Oneliners), lights, and clever accessories such as fireplaces for candles. “There’s so much energy and creativity in design, but when producers say ‘No, thank you,’ your creativity sits in your drawer and never gets realized,” he says. “The solution may be to find a way for designers to become producers and be independent as well. If you can imagine it, you should be able to get it made. No one can tell you what to do.” —Craig Bromberg

www.ronen-kadushin.com

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