Like many 20 something’s, Dina Amin is still in the age of discovery. She may hold a BA (Hons.) in Industrial Design but she’s a creative who’s a jack of all trades. She’s been a graphic designer, worked in social media, loves CrossFit and even takes pole dancing classes; hijab and all. Her pursuit of self-discovery has furthermore reaffirmed her decision to avoid labelling herself as just an Industrial Designer. Instead she chooses to delve into her interests and passions, which has seen her move from one design field to another. Be it urban, service or even food design.
The thing about Amin is that she has always been curious. Details, cultures and behaviours have always intrigued this designer; figuring out how things work. Perhaps having grown up in a family of doctors in Egypt gave her a more critical eye to look at things as more than just the sum whole. So, her latest endeavour – Tinker Friday – doesn’t comes as a surprise.
By taking apart trash and everyday items, Amin allows her imagination to run wild, as she decides what new life it can possess. And not in the re-use and recycle way of product rebirth, but through quirky and fun stop-motion videos she shares on social media every Friday. It’s a platform that not only showcases her ingenuity and detail orientation, but her sense of humour and wit too!
She may love art and functionality, but she doesn’t see herself as an artist. Opting to stick to the label ‘designer’ due to its practicality connotations. She even goes a step further and researchers on each object she sets out to feature each Friday to learn more about them. When was the last time you thought about what exactly made the objects in your life, like your mobile phone, work?
Amin supports her natural curiosity and entertaining videos through sourcing objects from family and friends. Did someone say free decluttering service? But behind all the whimsical nature of her videos is a serious lesson. ‘Fast fashion’ seems to have sunk its roots into every industry; making products that aren’t built to stand the test of time. Several modern products are being created with the intention of not being fixable, meaning even she couldn’t open it up and pick it apart. Cheap electronics mean people are throwing out products much faster with very little thought to it.
Pairing her love for art and function with a dash of natural curiosity and a whole lot of design talent, Amin started a personal challenge that in turn challenged others to look at everyday products a little better. To look at the details and appreciate the hard work that went into creating them from items we take for granted today. It also challenges us not to get stuck in a definitive box, if she had, she’d never embrace the world of stop motion, with hopes of creating a feature length film in future. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that her idiosyncratic videos bring a smile to her social media followers every Friday.
