From Drop City to the African hackerspace

The modernity of the ‘ad-hoc’ approach enhanced by the American counter-culture of the Sixties is proved by the numerous events recently dedicated to the topic. If the adhocracy is the opposite of the strict hierarchical and bureaucratic organizations, adhocism represents the art of improvisation, of being able to find rapid solutions in critic situations, according to the typical  lifestyle attitude of the Southern parts of the world, where the Do It Yourself practises represent a necessary daily exercise, that nowadays is acquiring an important variable, represented by the democratisation of information technologies and of relation nets. Therefore, the long wave of community of makers has reached Africa as well, thus giving life to something extremely original.L’attualità dell’approccio “ad-hoc”, esaltato dalla controcultura americana degli anni sessanta, è testimoniano dai numerosi eventi dedicati recentemente al tema. Se l’adhocrazia è l’opposto delle rigide organizzazioni gerarchiche e burocratiche, l’adhocismo è l’arte dell’improvvisazione, del saper trovare soluzioni rapide in situazioni critiche, atteggiamento tipico degli stili di vita dei Sud del mondo, dove le pratiche del Do It Yourself sono un necessario esercizio quotidiano, che oggi si arricchisce di una variabile decisiva, costituita dalla democratizzazione delle tecnologie informatiche e dalle reti di relazione. Così l’onda lunga delle community of makers è arrivata anche in Africa, dando vita a qualcosa di radicalmente nuovo.

Ziad Zitoun from Tunisia

Ziad Zitoun is a contemporary Tunisian artist. He does a interdisciplinary work with videoart, installations and mixed-medias. He starts his creations in 2004 with Videoart. He follow with videodance works, photography and mixed-medias documents. Ziad Zitoun composes about recurrent socials thematics of immigrants & human rights. His semantic turn around topics of migrants rights, trans-borders… Continua a leggere Ziad Zitoun from Tunisia

Design & Production in Italy from 'Miracolo Economico’ to Present

The history of Italian design is characterised by a variety of changes gradually occurring within the relationship design-production. These changes are inherently connected to the structural conditions of the Italian industrial fabric, to the technological development, to the economical changes and to the changing conditions of the design demand and offer both in Italy and all over the world. The present chronicle considers Milan and its surroundings as the centre of a series of events that made the Italian design reach the point that it is still maintaining at a worldly level. Moreover, it takes into account the productive sector of furniture and furnishing accessories, which mainly identify Italian design. As any facts revision, also this one has privileged some aspects and excluded some others, in order to reach its own significance. La storia del design italiano è caratterizzata da una serie di cambiamenti del rapporto design-produzione. Questi cambiamenti sono intrinsecamente legati alle condizioni strutturali del tessuto industriale italiano, agli avanzamenti tecnologici, all’andamento dell’economia e alle mutate condizioni di domanda e offerta di design in Italia e nel mondo. L’articolo prende in considerazione il settore produttivo del mobile e dei complementi d’arredo, con cui il design italiano è a tutt’oggi maggiormente identificato. Assume Milano e i suoi dintorni come il centro di una serie di vicende che hanno condotto il design italiano a essere quello che ancora oggi rappresenta a livello mondiale. Come ogni rilettura dei fatti, per giungere ad avere una sua evidenza, anche questa ha privilegiato alcuni aspetti e ne ha scartati tanti altri.

Interview with Denis Santachiara

Paola Proverbio: The 1985 exhibit “La Neomerce. Il design dell’invenzione e dell’estasi artificiale”, created by you and supported by Montedison’s “Progetto Cultura”, was definitely paradigmatic, as you clearly showed the way towards a new design based on ‘soft’ electronic and computer technologies, of which you saw sensorial and poetical elements. After may years, what direction… Continua a leggere Interview with Denis Santachiara

Interview with Odoardo Fioravanti

Marinella Ferrara: What changes have taken place in the profession of the 3rd millennium young designer, in comparison with the past, with the 1960s? Do you think that the present production delocalization and market globalization can affect the traditional relationship between design and industry? In what way? Odoardo Fioravanti: The designer’s job has radically changed,… Continua a leggere Interview with Odoardo Fioravanti

Interview with Francisco Gomez Paz

Marinella Ferrara: What changes have taken place in the profession of the 3rd millennium young designer, in comparison with the past, with the 1960s? Do you think that the present production delocalization and market globalization can affect the traditional relationship between design and industry? In what way? Francisco Gomez Paz: I reckon I am lucky… Continua a leggere Interview with Francisco Gomez Paz

Design & Production Today

[:en]Within the specific outlook of Italian design, how has the relationship design-production evolved? What are the differences between the past and today? These are some of the questions asked, that the section Close up of number 9 attempts to answer. For this purpose, we will present a brief chronicle of Italian design, focusing on the relationship… Continua a leggere Design & Production Today

Papairlines Inaugural Flight from Greece

Vasso, Costas and Loukas created papairlines, a creative platform that focuses on exposing the methodologies and process behind all things designed. This article describes their initial steps through ‘Once Upon A Sponge’ project in order to showcase how creativity and teamwork can be used as assets to overcome budget constrains and lack of recourses. Based on the public’s response the project also illustrates the outreach of design in everyday life.Vasso, Costas e Loukas hanno creato Papairlines, una piattaforma creativa focalizzata sulle metodologie e i processi che stanno alla base di tutto ciò che è progettato. Questo articolo descrive i loro primi step nel progetto “Once Upon A Sponge”, promosso al fine di mostrare come la creatività e il lavoro di squadra possono essere attività che aiutano a superare il problema dei budget limitati e della mancanza di risorse che spesso vincolano i designer. In base alla risposta del pubblico, il progetto mette in evidenza l’ampio raggio d’azione che il design ha nella vita quotidiana.

Start-up Design. A new way to enter the market according to the Israeli experience

This article begins with Ely Rozenberg’s personal experience, that led him to move to Italy early in his design career. The thought on his experience leads to some considerations on the difficult integration of young designers in the work market and a look at what is currently characterizing design in Israel: the foundation of numerous design start-ups. Case histories presented can bring valuable advice to young designers.L’articolo inizia con il racconto dell’esperienza personale di Ely Rozenberg, designer israeliano, all’inizio della carriera che lo ha portato a trasferirsi in Italia. La riflessione sulla personale esperienza conduce ad alcune considerazioni sul difficile inserimento dei giovani designer nel mondo del lavoro e a uno sguardo a ciò che attualmente sta caratterizzando il design in Israele: la fondazione di numerose start up di design. Dalle case histories presentate i giovani designer possono ricavare preziosi consigli.

The pr-objects from the age of Adhocracy

‘Adhocracy’ is the exhibition curated by Joseph Grima at the first Istanbul Design Biennial, but more that it is a concept, a tool, a tentative answer to the question of the evolving role of the practical design, the designer and the user-producer in our contemporary society.

In this article the ‘pr-ojects’ described provide some provocative answers to the following questions:
Why are we talking about design in Istanbul? How does the open-source system and 3D printing change the production and authorship of objects? How does open-design empower the user? And thus, what are the social and political implications of networking and sharing knowledge of new technologies? “Adhocracy” è la mostra curata Joseph Grima alla prima Istanbul Design Biennial, ma prima di questo è un concetto, uno strumento, il tentativo di dare una risposta alle questioni relative all’evoluzione che stanno avendo il ruolo delle pratiche del progetto, del designer e dell’user-producer nella nostra società contemporanea. In questo articolo i ‘pr-oggetti’ descritti forniscono alcune provocanti risposte alle seguenti questioni: perchè parliamo di design a Istanbul? Come i sistemi open-source e le stampanti 3D cambiano la produzione e l’autorialità degli oggetti? Come l’open-design emancipa l’utente? Quindi, quali sono le implicazioni sociali e politiche nella condivisione partecipata della conoscenza attraverso le nuove tecnologie?