Dick van Hoff's Tyranny of the Plug series of kitchen machines chop, churn and blend, but don’t require electricity. They are powered by human energy-- by pulling on them, turning them or moving them to and fro... and they function beautifully.

Van Hoff is calling into question the fact that members of contemporary society readily accept new objects that are powered by electricity, yet rarely contemplate where the power is coming from. Instead, his products make people invest their human energy into powering them.

Van Hoff's projects challenge us to consider, and hopefully alter, our energy consumption habits. If these machines can run so smoothly and efficiently using only... transferring the body's store of energy directly into the task at hand... returning the body to the task of chopping, churning, blending... they function as tools that keep us connected to the task through our bodies...

Sleekly yet simply designed of cast iron, chrome, glass, and wood, these machines run smoothly and with efficiency, while fostering awareness and contemplation.

Dick van Hoff>

http://www.vanhoffontwerpen.nl>