It doesn't matter if it "sounds unrealistic." It can still be done. Look
through history - how many times did people say something was unrealistic,
only to have it become reality?
This isn't to say that a little disruption can't be beneficial. Disruption
isn't by definition bad. But it is a slippery slope that must be treated with
great care.
In the end, though, I agree with Lubomir: let's be humane and fair and
honourable. It'll work out best if we do.
Cheers.
Fil
Lubomir S. Popov wrote:
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> I am a bit disturbed that our world is going towards chaos, anarchy,
> subversion, and violence. The art of disruption has been practiced for
> decades by both left- and right-wing elements, and in particular, all
> kinds of warlords and organized crime barons. Anarchy does not benefit
> ordinary people. It benefits warlords who are free to act as they want.
> The periods of anarchy and disruption have been the most painful in
> human history. They did not bring to a change in the status quo. They
> did not benefit poor people. They are created and used by particular
> interest groups that wanted to operate with impunity. Talk to the
> Russians. They had experienced this at least two times in the last 100
> years. The first time -- in the period 1917-1923. The subversion went so
> far that dozens of millions of people suffered atrocities, murder, rape,
> and famine. Just do not tell me that this was the price for human
> equality. No one become equal. Then in the period 1990-present, Russian
> people suffer a second time, a similar fate, this time without physical
> pain, but in a debilitating and stagnating economic deadlock of special
> interests and organized crime.
>
> The solution is not to generate subversion at random. The solution is to
> propose a viable alternative. Subversion is easy to do. A handful of
> people can create a lot of damage in the contemporary, highly
> technological world. It is difficult to DESIGN a new social organization
> that can be implemented in a democratic society without undue hardship
> for the general population. The leftist project completely collapsed.
> Russia and Eastern Europe illustrate this well. China is also pulling
> out of the leftist project, but in a more strategically savvy way. Where
> do you find a successful implementation of the leftist project?
>
> Think about this and think how you can contribute to humane and
> enhancing design that will be fair to all and would not create undue
> suffering. Sounds unrealistic? Well, I would say just difficult to achieve.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Lubomir
>
> At 11:36 AM 1/8/2008, Carl DiSalvo wrote:
>> Hello Cigdem and others sharing this interest,
>>
>> You might also want to take a look at the literature and exhibits of
>> tactical media. There is an interesting and under-discussed
>> relationship between tactical media in design. As starting points I
>> would suggest the catalog for the exhibition The Interventionists.
>>
>> The Interventionists
>> Users' Manual for the Creative Disruption of Everyday Life
>> Edited by Nato Thompson and Gregory Sholette
>> MIT Press 2004.
>>
>> You might want to specifically look at the work of Nathan Martin
>> (Carbon Defense League / DeepLocal). Martin wrote a master's thesis
>> on Parasitic Media as art practice and now practices design. You can
>> access the essay here: www.carbondefense.org/pdf/writing_7.pdf
>>
>> Carl
>>
>>
>> On Jan 7, 2008, at 3:14 PM, Elizabeth Goodman wrote:
>>
>>> I'd suggest getting in touch with Anne Galloway -- www.plsj.org --
>>> or at least checking out her writing. While not focused on
>>> sustainability per se, Anne has done a lot of thinking about
>>> hacking, subversions, etc. She organized a panel in 2004 on
>>> "Designing for Hackability," which seems relevant.
>>>
>>> Liz
>>>
>>> ******************************************************
>>> Elizabeth Goodman
>>> PhD student
>>> UC Berkeley School of Information
>>> www.confectious.net
>>>
>>> ******************************************************
>>>
>>>
>>>> Cigdem Kaya wrote:
>>>> *
>>>> I have been collecting data about various industrial design projects
>>>> that involve social responsibility in some way, most of which is
>>>> imbued
>>>> with an amateur spirit, around the concepts of participation,
>>>> hacking,
>>>> subversions, teaching a skill, interventions, parasitism, democratic
>>>> design, lending authorship, activism, guerrilla design, DIY,
>>>> interrogative design with reference to Wodiczko.
>>>> *
>>
>> Carl DiSalvo, Ph.D.
>> Assistant Professor
>> School of Literature, Communication, and Culture
>> The Georgia Institute of Technology
--
Prof. Filippo A. Salustri, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Ryerson University Tel: 416/979-5000 x7749
350 Victoria St. Fax: 416/979-5265
Toronto, ON email: [log in to unmask]
M5B 2K3 Canada http://deseng.ryerson.ca/~fil/
|