05 novembre 2008
Designboost 2008 and retrospective
Designboost 2008
'Long Live the City', the second version of Designboost, took place in Malmö October 15 - 17. As the name suggests, this year's event focused the city: how to promote its wellbeing and ensure a development which regards as many sustainable criteria as possible. The subheading wrote: 'A city has to first hand make use of its inherent capacity to be sustainable'. Any development mainly founded on resources claimed from elsewhere could be a showcase of 'sustaining the unsustainable'. However, there is one important exception: knowledge resources could be claimed from anywhere and contribute to 'wasted' places within a city becoming part of a positive development. 'Wasted' place are not necessarily rundown areas or deserted industrial estates (to mention a few preconceptions) but also places whose potential; mix of dwellers, location, cultural diversity, quality of buildings etc. is simply unused.
I acted as 'Sustainable Editor' for Designboost 2008. This very special title means that I had the responsibility for the factual content of all communication including the Designboost magazine, excluding signed articles, and the Boost show, the exhibition which is on another 2 weeks.
The event gathered a very professional, international crowd, with about 100 participants in the workshops and another 200 joining for the talks the following day. The media coverage was extensive and predominantly positive. Comments from participants during and after the event were with no exceptions praising. The event is already after two years regarded as very important even if with room for organisational improvements.
A first short conclusion of Designboost 2008 is attached below but one single word describes well what was emphasised in the Boostchats and talks: connectivity promotes the longevity of a city. Connectivity is not merely about physical means of connecting the different parts of a city and its surroundings but also, and probably more importantly, about connceting its future to its history, to ensure that new developments regard and connect to the existing cultural and social environment and that a city facilitates human interaction. Hard values become non-values if they are not combined with soft values.
Retrospective: The first version of Designboost took place on October 17 and 18, 2007.
It focused on many of the key aspects of sustainability and design through workshops (boost-meetings), lectures and panel debates (boost-duels) and an exhibition (boost-happening).
The event got excellent media coverage and was professionally regarded as a success: a step forward with regard to improved ways to 'do conferences': allowing the delegates to be active and the participants to listen to a wider variety of approaches than a conference normally permits. I took part as 'spin-doctor' and was even praised in media for critically analysing and clarifying the existing plethora of denominations. I was further quoted when saying that it is time to learn more about the influence from inside us than to focus merely on the context. Designboost is planned to become a yearly event.
Designboost takes place in Malmo, southern Sweden. Malmo has become a vibrant university town recovering from the setbacks of closing industries and profiting from being adjacent to Copenhagen, only a bridge away!
Go to http://www.designboost.se and learn more! Also check out www.designboom.com
01 août 2008
The seminar July 8 is now behind us ...
'Introducing the affective in sustainable design.'
The seminar at Central Saint Martins on July 8 is now behind us.
A full room is always inspiring for speakers as well as participants and the conference room had now empty chairs to offer. Unfortunately Mathilda Tham fell ill the day before the seminar and could not be there to inspire! However, her talk is in full part of the enclosed summary.
The seminar day developed into something of a workshop where participants felt free to ask questions and make comments: exactly the dialogue we had aimed at. The Poster exhibition was located to the actual conference room, which made references as well as dialogues around these projects an integral part of the discussions.
Kristina Borjesson
See enclosed for a detailed summary of the seminar.
The poster exhibition of the seminar July 8
The poster exhibition at the seminar presented four projects:
- 'Fit for a kid' by Paul Blease (unfortunaely wrongly spelt - Bleg - in the programme due to an e-mail address)
- 'Celia. Tap and water consumption' by Alessandra de Simone
- 'The Other Side' by Yu Zhao
- 'Inane Systems' by Ryan Dunn
The projects are described in the 'impressions' part of the summary. For individual abstract of these projects, please contact me!
Kristina Börjesson
08 mars 2008
Conclusion of Designboost 2007
Conclusions of Designboost 2007.
Applying a general view …
- In discussions concerning sustainability there is always we and them. But all of us have dual roles: privately we and professionally them and of course also the reverse. To refer a question to them is actually to refer it back to ourselves Conclusion: there is no such thing as …. “we cannot do anything until they have done …..”
- No company, organisation or institution – and individual for that matter – can escape their contribution to sustainable development. Conclusion: a conceptual strategy for sustainable development ought to be compulsory for every business, non-profit organisation and institution - as also every individual. This strategy must be part of everyday thinking and not reserved for special occasions.
- All efforts/actions aimed at enhancing sustainable development is linked to a number of consequences. Some of these are in accordance with the core aim and others are not – or even counteracting it. Conclusion: every effort/action has to be analysed as part of a whole before being put into practice. The whole should embrace the entire organisation and its immediate sphere top-down as well as down-up, but also go as far beyond as possible.
Applying a designer view …
- Designers are dependent on their clients to realise their aims but there is a lot of effort to put in before surrendering or refraining. Effort is most effective when based on awareness and knowledge. Conclusion: designers must be well informed in as many matters as possible in relation to design: human, cultural, social and economical.
- A designer has to understand not only how humans live, but also how they function: this would include understanding that our decisions are only partly rational and that this may well be for the better as our thoughtless acts often are very ‘efficient’. Conclusion: important designer awareness is that human ways of living are changing fast while human ways of being are lasting even if constantly adjusting.
- Many tensions between a sustainable and a capitalistic society can be overcome. Producing more does not necessarily mean overusing the earth’s resources. Producing less is not the same as forcing companies out of business. Conclusion: designers should actively contribute to producing less waste by trying to improve the balance between producing objects and designing services and by not confusing new with better, desire with need and emotions with feelings.
- Designing for sustainability is a way of thinking more than a way of doing. This differentiation is important as it allows for focus to combine physical and mental aspects of sustainability. Conclusion: holistic thinking on sustainability must be integrated to the point of being intuitive. This can probably not be learnt but only achieved by lived experience.
- Useful design for humans is often authentic and easily understood, devoid of clutter. Conclusion: it is important for designers to study how people act in their everyday real life.
- Design that last often appeals to our imagination and invites to further exploration, signals ‘who it is’ and has a narrative, something to tell. Conclusion: the very simple object might not be the most sustainable solution.
And finally …
Legislators as well as designers should not expect humans to generally act eco-centric: to always put regard to sustainability and the environment first. Yes, we will admit to do it but No, we will subconsciously act with our own immediate well-being in mind. Experience will most likely make egocentric and eco-centric more in tune but until then lots of resources can be spared if legislators and designers make use of our egocentric characteristics for their eco-centric purposes.