[lit-ideas] Massive Change (1)
- From: John McCreery <mccreery@xxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 17:45:41 +0900
Dear Friends,
I have just published the following post on http://bestoftheblogs.com/,=20=
where related links can be found.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
[It's] not about the world of design; it's about the design of the=20
world.
This title and description refer to an exhibition now underway at the=20
Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto and the book, by Bruce Mau and the =20=
Institute without Boundaries, which also embodies its message. I=20
happened to see and be blown away by the exhibition (the first in over=20=
a decade for which I have felt compelled to buy the T-shirt) while Ruth=20=
and I were in Toronto last week to attend a semiannual global meeting=20
of the Democratic Party Committee Abroad ("Democrats Abroad" for=20
short).
What blew me away was a series of spectacular exhibits devoted to the=20
work of designers, architects, city planners, scientists and inventors=20=
who aren't just thinking about the world's problems=81\but instead are=20=
taking active steps to find solutions to them. Too long immersed in=20
politics, where discourse is, these days, almost entirely negative in=20
tone, I felt like a swimmer near drowning who breaking the surface=20
inhales a great breath of fresh air.
In the introduction to the book, Mau and his associates say boldly,
* We will explore design economies
* We will tap into the global commons
* We will distribute capacity
* We will embrace paradox
* We will reshape our future
Over the next few days I will, time permitting, spell out what they are=20=
talking about and why, in my view, this is a program that Democrats=20
should embrace wholeheartedly.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Reflecting on book and exhibition from an anthropological perspective,=20=
I note how the meaning of "design" transforms the meaning of culture.=20
If stage one was culture as self-cultivation and a mark of social=20
distinction (the "high culture" view) and stage two was culture as=20
given and a mark of ethnic difference (the "anthropological" view),=20
stage three may be culture as design, a universal solvent and=20
transformer of distinctions in a risk-society world in which problems=20
are global in scope and solution. Here is a quote from the section of=20
the introduction titled "We will explore design economies" that may=20
illustrate the relevance of this style of thinking to traditional=20
anthropological concerns: holistic perspective, integration,=20
connectivity.
"Design is evolving from its position of relative insignificance within=20=
business (and the larger envelope of nature), to become the biggest=20
project of all. Even life itself has fallen (or is falling) to the=20
power and possibility of design. Empowered as such, we have a=20
responsibility to address the new set of questions that go along with=20
that power. At the same time, we acknowledge the hubris and inherent=20
paradox of the new position we find ourselves in: We are designing=20
nature and we are subject to her laws and powers. This new condition=20
demands that design discourse not be limited to boardrooms or kept=20
inside tidy disciplines. As a first step to achieving this, we=20
abandoned the classical design disciplines in our research and,=20
instead, began to explore systems of exchange, or design 'economies.'=20
Instead of looking at product design, we looked at the economies of=20
movement. Instead of isolating graphic design, we considered the=20
economies of information, and so on. The patterns that emerged reveal=20
complexity, integrated thinking across disciplines, and unprecedented=20
interconnectivity." (p. 16)
I find this stuff inspiring. Could be you will, too.
John L. McCreery
International Vice Chair, Democrats Abroad
Tel 81-45-314-9324
Email mccreery@xxxxxxx
>>Life isn't fair. Democracy should be. <<
To learn more about Democrats Abroad, see these websites
In Japan: http://www.demsjapan.jp
Worldwide: http://www.democratsabroad.org
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