INVITED EDITOR DESIGN Aldo Cibic
Moving from thoughts to actions, at the level of the first step, not having ready answers yet, we decided to start with questions.
As for me, design can still reflect and represent human, even human side of design processes. However, I must stipulate in this case that design needs to go beyond many already formed formal and semantic boundaries to redefine the situations in which it can be useful for the world. The world, which is changing radically in a variety of its phenomena and at incredible speeds.
Now let’s think about nature, society, new technologies and ask ourselves: how could design respond to critical aspects and emerging opportunities on these topics at once? And could it do it in general?
In order to try to find an answer to this question, let’s look at the distant spheres, which, however, are more than interconnected. For example, in many cases, migration processes are directly linked with climate change; on one hand, new technologies affect social dynamics, and, on the other, they can influence processes related to natural disasters and human activities. In turn, this kind of integration of capabilities of new technologies can help to confront key topics related to human survival such as monitoring sea level rise, its high and low tides more effectively.
In relation to the general uncertainty generated by the above-mentioned phenomena, only design can be a key aspect in the search for answers to all the disturbing questions. More precisely, an endless list of design-related projects that we have to create.
However, simple solutions are not expected, and it should not be understood like the solution of this kind of global problems needs only the expert opinion and deeply versed in these issues people. I am deeply convinced that exists a way by which we can create and launch irreversible life-giving processes together thanks to incredible ability to communicate easily and quickly with each other today. Processes in which are stored the power and opportunity of “many” not of «several» to make its contribution to the formation of collective intelligence. It will help us to gain what we all eventually need, and overcome the problems that far exceed us in their seriousness.
What I personally have to stand for, and how I feel it, is a contribution that can make design as a catalyst for complex world processes, making them more human-readable and giving them vitality and strength. The process of this advocacy, it is already started.
Moving from thoughts to actions, at the level of the first step, not having ready answers yet, we decided to start with questions. This kind of attitude to the problem is an attitude in which I feel the potential to fully realize myself , and which was also fully recognized and shared by Andrea Brantzi, who defined many years ago my work, or rather, my creative method with these words: “This is a design that does not try to give answers, but rather raises the right questions, thus revealing the latent potential for the realization of a new, different world (if not to say the best).”
Exactly so, after this kind of thinking and the presence of input data, it was invented an online platform that can be found in the public domain. It is constantly changing and called (In)completed. You can view it at the link och.unfinished.design.
(In)complete - this is a process of creating a design on its own, which borns from a constant review of design and life, a process of how design can help to start a dialogue, which then will be materialized in many projects and initiatives.
To understand the topics of nature, society and new technologies, we have compiled a number of questions that, in our opinion, can most fully help to feel and understand the time in which we live. In the center of attention we put such questions as: What are we missing? What is progress today? What are the possibilities of today? What does the design embody?
All the answers left by the visitors of the platform are generated together, acquire a specific three-dimensional form and become part of the collective mind, which stands in the process of constant addition and development. We believe that finally the data collected, which is accessible to everyone, will help us to understand better what actions we can take and how we can transform them into concrete projects.
As a further development, we aim to transform the platform into an open area for discussion of this sort of topics, in order to formulate and identify new ideas, strategies and processes that will serve as a starting point for the formation of conditions to come up with our common future together.
I am deeply convinced that we will be “saved” (if we will be «saved” at all) from the fact that we have never believed in that could be really done. In this connection, it seems to me that beauty will be the last element which will save the whole world ultimately.