Community project with ThinkPublic

What an amazing opportunity this was for me and other MA Design for Development students.

We volunteered with the public service design company ThinkPublic to work on a live project at Cambridge Estate,  YouCanKingston . ThinkPublic  and YoungFoundation were to perform a “scoping exercise [ for NHS Kingston ] into uncovering the health needs of the estate”. The solutions then to be co-produced with citizens to improve their health and to make the estate “a flourishing place to live”.

The photos are of the final stage in which ThinkPublic and we, KU volunteers will be involved in. In the first stage the awareness was brought to the public through bright logos painted on the walls of the buildings. In the second, community members were interviewed to what their general concerns are, what is their perspective on the health of the community, and what do they think can and should be improved. In the last stage, categories have been created and community members were then asked to specifically describe solutions to the issues identified in the previous stages, and what role they are to play if something is to change.

As you can see the tables were set out, and we were to speak to individuals who came there with the knowledge that they can talk and discuss their concerns. It was our job however, to not only listen, but try to steer them to think how these concerns can be resolved into solutions. I have spoken with two community members, and it is preventitive solutions that seem to be needed the most. An “Art class for elderly”, and “an internet cafe in the now abandoned gym” for everybody are the two ideas that I hope get to be discussed and become a reality.

Liani and a community member

Rao loved working with kids

John the internet champion, the only one with the "right mind" for the job

John making me laugh:)

Paul after an attempt of the community members teaching him to breakdance:)

Leaders of today: sustainability and design

For MA Design Show at Bargehouse our class is presented with a slot of four hours for a possible debate or discussion. The slot is in the morning from 9am to 12pm on thursday October 8th a day before the show’s private view.  We all agree that an inspirational speaker or discussion between couple of speakers would be a positive addition to the show and exploration of the course. We have a clean slate, who would we want to invite and who is available to come along? Its in the OXO Tower, so central London should be a destination accessible to many speakers. “If you don’t ask you don’t get” Anne reminds us from the recent Greengaged experience, and our minds open to all possibilities.

My mind moved from Papanek to Buckminster Fuller and Illich, and then began to think in terms of contemporary speakers.

Current list is ambitious but so is the goal of the designers’ on the course to create positive change, if we could bring in the few from the list, we will be looking forward to a lively and fulfilling debate :

Ezio Manzini – Professor of Industrial Design, Politecnico de Milano
Nicola Morelli – an associate professor at the School of Architecture and Design, at Aalborg University
Richard Buchanan – former Dean of the Design School at Carnegie Mellon
Victor Margolin – Dept. of Art History University of Illinois
Jane Bickerstaffe – director of Incpen, the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment, UK
Helen Hughes – national adviser, voluntary and community sector, Improvement and Development Agency

Lucienne Roberts – author on design and co-founder of sans+baum
Michael Eavis – festival event business organizer, Glastonbury
Cameron Sinclair – co-founder of Architecture for Humanity
Ken Livingstone – British politician, environmentalist
Albert Tucker – from Twin Trading
Chris Sherwin – Forum for the Future
Valerie Casey – from Design Accord
Adam Werbach – CEO of Saatchi&Saatchi S.
Tim Smit – Eden Project
Ann Thorpe – Design Activism
Alice Rawsthorn – design critic of the international Herald Tribune
Bruce Mau – Bruce Mau Design
John Thackara - director of Doors of Perception

David Kester – chief executive of the Design Council
McDonough/ Dr. Braungaurt – Cradle to Cradle
Lynda Relph-Knight – Editor, Design Week
Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry – founders of Method, environmentally cleaning products
John Grant – Author of The Green Marketing Manifesto
Debra Szebeko – ThinkPublic
Rob Holdway – Giraffe Innovation
John Elkington – Founder of SustainAbility (pick)
Jonathan Chapman and Neil Gant – Authors of Designers, Visionaries and Other Stories: A Collection of Sustainable Design Essays
Stephen Bailey – cultural commentator
Jonathon Porritt – Founder Director of Forum for the Future
Alastair Fuad-Luke – itinerant sustainable design lecturer and writer
Slow Design
Bill Dunster – ZED Factory
Nabeel Hamdi – architect and author
Trevor Baylis – English inventor
“As they say, art is pleasure, invention is treasure, and this nation has got to recognise that. If they can spend a fortune on dead sheep and formaldehyde, then it can spend a bit more of that money on inventors.” Trevor Baylis, Wiki

Toy of the day:

James Galt and Company (galt toys)

Taking things lightly

Yes we talk about climate change, but how can it be presented as a pressing matter without being too daunting? Here is one of the creative approaches to the problem visualization from Chris Madden at Grinning Planet…

And the quote of the day : “I think God’s going to come down and pull civilization over for speeding”  – Steven Wright

Wellcome Collection and RCA show

With Bargehouse show three months away I am looking for ideas, and understanding of what makes a piece to stand out in a show where there are thousands of great works and ideas. ‘Simplicity’ and ‘truthfulness’ two characteristics that stood out for me as I visited Wellcome Collection and RCA Show. In Wellcome artists responded to problems such as obesity, malaria, as well as new medical technology . The structure of RCA is closer to what we will have in bargehouse, individual works of students. These are just few examples that really touched me.

Wellcome Collection:

A story of malaria

A rationing plate

Sense, Annie Cattrell

Participants were asked to choose a word on the card and illustrate it

A body map, work looks at how the ideas of faith, dependence and hope are made physical in medicine. A number of tablets, vitamis, are carved into images of those parts of the body that they are designed to treat.

RCA Show:

RCA MA Show: Wind socks

carpet tiled in a way that different images may be created

RCA Show: Video illustration and text

We walked into a dark cool theater space and sat in the back with people in front of us leisurely lounging. As we watched elderly woman on the screen silently hanging and folding cloths, we heard the voice of a woman speaking the words of wisdom. She spoke about the relationships, and the need to be yourself, not letting the other insert habits and routines into you, but develop them yourself. Be true to yourself, and you will be happy in a relationship, submit to the other and you will struggle.  How was voice connected to the image Rao asked afterward? Was it the thoughts of the same elderly woman that was in front of us? was she talking to us? was it someone else? I felt connected to the image and the voice, for me it was the voice of all the beautiful wise women in my life  talking to me.

“The design approach is characterised by a thoughtful exploration combining imagination with anticipation.” Platform 10, RCA