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By Louise Witt
What is a good life? And how can we create products that contribute to a good life? Not only on an individual level, but for everybody, for the entire world.
These are the kinds of questions that the business philosopher Kasper Warming asks. For several years, he has been associated with VOLA in Horsens and participated in management meetings. In these meetings he initiates philosophical reflection with various questions. He works in the same way in other companies, foundations and public institutions.
"I initiate a dialogue that is different from what people are used to. A dialogue that is reflective. How do we get a different perspective on our daily work?" asks Kasper Warming.
"Philosophy can give us some ‘aha moments’ and provide a language for what we take for granted. Philosophy offers the possibility to focus on the essential aspects of what we do. Think in a human-centered way. Because this can easily be forgotten in the pursuit of, for example, expansion, seeing new economic and market opportunities. For instance, the point of origin in the elder care industry should be caretaking and not economics. If we forget our point of origin, our work loses its meaning," states the philosopher.
To resonate. This is one of the words that has become part of the everyday vocabulary at VOLA due to Kasper Warming. The word originates from the German thinker Hartmut Rosa - at least when the subject is philosophy.
Hartmut Rosa has written several texts about modern people urging to control everything – from birth to death. But the urge to control the world, to create growth and prosperity, causes, according to him, anxiety, frustration and anger. Because we humans cannot control everything anyway, and the world reacts uncontrollably, for example with environmental problems.
To avoid alienation, Hartmut Rosa advocates for what he calls “to resonate with” the world. This means, among other things, being open and emotionally responsive to the world and feeling connected to the surroundings. Roughly said, choosing presence instead of checklists.relse.
How do you reckon the concept of resonance is useful when it comes to products and consumption?
“Are we able to resonate with what surrounds us, including a VOLA tap? Can we as human beings make products that resonate with something meaningful in our lives?” asks Kasper Warming.
“When products develop a patina, do we throw them away, or do we think they are extra beautiful because they represent a life lived? Then there is a concept like repairability: If you can fix a product yourself, then you resonate with your product,” he says.
“My wife’s father used to have an old tractor that he had named Jakob. Many times, he has repaired it and constantly made sure that Jakob was in good shape. Now he has sold Jakob, but to someone else who also calls the tractor Jakob. What happens when we can get to the point where we name things – when things become a being?” asks the philosopher.
As Kasper Warming sees it, the concept of resonance is a good catalyst for the dialogue about VOLA's values, which have their roots in Arne Jacobsen's design dating back to 1968. Since then, development and production of VOLA’s products have been maintained in Denmark.
"It can take several years for VOLA to launch new products. The goal is long-lasting design. The possibility of getting spare parts and repairing the products. A belief that products should not have to be constantly replaced. Living with simple design also provides some kind of peace, it offers people a sanctuary. A 20-year-old VOLA tap in our home can perhaps also remind us that products do not have to be new, to be bigger or better to be fantastic. The VOLA philosophy is to support durable solutions. To build an enduring relationship – like a friendship that is strengthened over time," says Kasper Warming.
