The ‘Why’ In Three Provocations
FA {function + art + activism } is a research that tries to define a new contemporary paradigm in which art and design are inexorably merging into one body. This new organism embraces and touches different fields working as a catalyser that creates sense, inspires insights and tracks patterns for a better world. Three provocations contextualised in an imminent and emergent trend: The change toward a new social and economical model.
Design | is an important driver for this step-change. It acts as a sponge above different disciplines creating insight and visions for the future society. Therefore, not any more just mere shape-maker but rather a visionary pilot with strong pragmatism. From another perspective, it allows the knowledge transfer to occur, it creates and develops dynamic systems for transit-oriented communities and last but not least, it conceives all this without leaving aside the beauty. From macro to micro designing a chair, for instance, still make sense because it’s the ultimate attempt to fill the gap between people’s backs and the ground in new contexts, with the same gravity trough different materials. From gears to pixels, design enriches the content experiences facilitating access to the just born and undefined digital world.
Art | is not a canvas, but the constant research of a definition of what our world is and how it should be, through aesthetics and technology.
In this context, art is meant as an attempt to squeeze a message in pure meaning or a concept in a defined form. It provokes discussions and thoughts through the stimulation of senses and intellect. Art is the debate about art, all the actions that are not contextualised into this discussion are just a speculation of the art itself, nothing more. Therefore, art is avan-gard. It is the capacity to make the right questions and to create divergent approaches which are able to influence and inspire all the other disciplines.
Art, here, is conceived more like science, the never-ending experimentation around a question, not just the expression of the self; It is the debate in which the artefact or the performance is a contribution among the others for a better understanding of what we are and where we are going to.
Design Activism | means to become an active agents in the transition towards a different way of living and thinking. Designers and artists must make a profound change in their culture and praxis. This Includes actions and processes that can innovate forms of creative practice by creating successful models by which designers and people might work with. Along the past centuries, civil, industrial and intellectual revolutions changed our human condition. Despite, this is not a revolution, is not a violet action that tries to disconnect existing systems. It is rather a re-alignment and a re-orientation of how we think, live and behave on this planet. An effective action and remark to understand what will really matter and how we should evolve across the next two decades.
