Dear Ranjan and Katherine,
Thank you for your sensitive responses about how design might be involved in
politics.
I was wondering how you see the practicalities of designers influencing
politics. What are the practical processes?
At the front of my mind is the last 50 years of often unhelpful activity by
the World Bank and development agencies in designing new infrastructure as
part of development agendas.
What will be different about what you propose of how designers should be
involved in deciding the path of development?
Best wishes,
Terry
____________________
Dr. Terence Love FDRS, AMIMechE
Design-focused Research Group, Design Out Crime Research Unit,
Associate Researcher at Digital Ecosystems and Business Intelligence
Institute
Research Associate at Planning and Transport Research Centre
Curtin University, PO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845
Mob: 0434 975 848 Fax +61(0)8 9305 7629 (home office) [log in to unmask]
____________________
Visiting Research Fellow, Institute of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise
Development
Management School, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
____________________
Visiting Professor, Member of Scientific Council,
UNIDCOM/IADE, Lisbon, Portugal
____________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Ranjan MP [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, 22 April 2008 10:44 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc: Terence Love; [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PHD-DESIGN] Design as service
Dear Terry
For me, politics is the process by which groups take decisions. It is not
about power equations which it is often considered to be. Those in power
will take decisions but these need not be correct nor do they have to be
sustainable. However in a true democracy, people have a role to play in
moving their politcians to act on their behalf and in an accountable manner.
Designers must be equipped to be part of this process and offer their
sensibilities while being a part of this group process. When design is about
shaping the future by the creation of value it is most effective at the
leading edge where decisions are taken.
Perhaps you would be more comfortable if I stated that I would like to see
politicians adopt design and the design language in their decision making
processes and not just use rhetoric and economics as their base.
We need to put design into the hands of those who take decisions and in this
way the design sensibilities, which is not driven by knowledge and truth
alone, but by sense and conviction based on a variety of explorations
(samplings, prototypes and trends), would inform and support a sustainable
decision for all of us.
My use of the word politics is aligned to the HfG Ulm Foundation for Design,
see the competition announcement at this link here:
<http://www.hfg-ulm.de/443.html?&L=1>
Further, Tomas Maldonado in his book "Design, Nature and Revolution:
Toward a Critical Ecology" Harper & Row, New York 1972, does give us a very
perceptive view of the shaping of design at this level of action.
With warm regards
M P Ranjan
from my office at NID
22 April 2008 at 8.15 pm IST
--------------------------------------------------------------
Prof M P Ranjan
Faculty of Design
Head, Centre for Bamboo Initiatives at NID (CFBI-NID) Chairman,
GeoVisualisation Task Group (DST, Govt. of India) (2006-2008) National
Institute of Design Paldi Ahmedabad 380 007 India
Tel: (off) 91 79 26623692 ext 1090
Tel: (res) 91 79 26610054
Fax: 91 79 26605242
email: [log in to unmask]
web site: http://homepage.mac.com/ranjanmp web domain:
http://www.ranjanmp.in
blog: <http://www.design-for-india.blogspot.com>
education blog: <http://www.design-concepts-and-concerns.blogspot.com>
education blog: http://www.visible-information-india.blogspot.com
---------------------------------------------------------------
Terence Love wrote:
> Hi Ranjan,
>
> You wrote,
> <snip> I do believe we [designers] have a major role here and we must
> not abdicate this to politicians <endsnip>
>
> This sort of implies you see that the true role of designers as
> _above_ politicians (the democratically elected representatives of
society)?
>
> Sounds a little bit like playing god... or perhaps 'dictators' ...?
> or maybe 'your majesties'!?
>
> It feels a bit different from the idea of 'design as service'.
>
> Warm regards,
>
> Terry
>
>
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