Design & People identify how design can intervene to make a contribution to the ongoing efforts to improve the lives of people disadvantaged by war, disability, and political and environmental conditions. We unite and encourage graphic, industrial and architectural designers to use their experience and skills towards social and humanitarian projects. Mission: Design For People In Need. Philosophy . Team . Patrons . Open Design . Creative Resistance . Posters . Campaigns . Blog . Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Design & People on "I'm Anna" I'm Anna because he brought thousands of people out of the serenity of their houses into scorching heat of public places, which were noisy and full of mud and rain water, to fight for their rights — their right to tell the government that they want a strong system to prevent and fight corruption, to castigate those who are guilty of stealing our money. I'm Anna because he didn't use any means of violence as his weapon. Indeed, he used the mahatma's non-violence — a weapon that doesn't destroy life but changes society. I'm Anna because he did not denigrate democracy. He never asked the Prime Minister to step down; neither did he ask the ruling party to quit power. He only reminded the government that the people are the masters of the land. I'm Anna because he does not belong to any political party; his acts are not in favour of any party. He did not discriminate people on the basis of religion, caste, creed or sex. I don't remember any name or religion of the person around me while shouting "mai bhi anna tu bhi anna ab to sara desh hai anna" in Ramlila Maidan. I knew only one thing — they were my friends, Indians and countrymen. I'm Anna because he is one of those people who gave up food so that the poor can have food, without caring about his health or age or even his life. I'm Anna because once again he made us realise that we are a nation, we are united. John Lawrence rightly remarked on the first War of Independence "Had a single leader of ability arisen among them (the rebels) we (British) must have been lost beyond redemption." We had an able leader with us this time and that is why we won the battle. But the war remains to be tackled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Nine Ways to Understand Design & People" — Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sept 22, 2011, Basis Frankfurt, Germany
Report by 'Slanted' Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Prof Kirti Trivedi on
Prof Kirti Trivedi of IIT Mumbai speaks on "Sustainable Rich Life For All" in a face-to-face organised by Design & People on June 19, 2011 at Kochi. (Photo: Shibu Prabhakaran) "Objects Rooted in Soil: Objects of Value" — It is a simple sounding but profound statement. We are surrounded by objects of desire which necessarily may not be rooted in soil and we are bombarded by advertisements driving us to chase and own them. According to Prof Trivedi, this is sharply in contradiction to the sustainability in its real meaning. The way of life as we have now is not sustainable, even for the rich. The simple statistics that against a population increase by 50% over the past 50 years, the corresponding resource utilisation has increased by 1000% means that we are eating up all that is there at such speed that there won't be much left for the coming generations. There is a notion that the material goods consumption is a driver of economy. So it is necessary to encourage the consumption. The growth and development of a country is gauged by its goods consumption. The terms GDP, PPP (Purchase Power Parity), etc used to assess how developed a nation is, are not realistic ones. A major portion of the consumption of goods is by a miniscule section of society because wealth is concentrated in this small section and thus arriving at a per capita figure with this kind of data would be totally misleading, especially in a country like India where the per capita earning is said to be hardly Rs 20 per day. As Gandhiji taught and as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam commented, so long as the benefits of the so-called development do not reach the ordinary citizen living in the remotest villages, such development has no real worth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Württembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart, Germany
Design & People Co-founder Sethu Das presents the Indian section of the 'Re-Designing the East: Political Design in Asia and Europe' symposium/exhibition at the Württembergischer Kunstverein at Stuttgart, Germany on September 25, 2010. The section titled 'Swaraj in Design: Opportunities for Conscious Learning and Sharing' focuses on the work and philosophy of Design & People, an organisation he co-founded in 2003. (Photo: Sung Hyun Sohn / Activism of Graphic Imagination, South Korea) Conceptualised by Keiko Sei, the symposium will have Maks Bochenek (Poland), Hans D Christ and Iris Dressler (Germany), Sethu Das (India), Nikolett Eross (Hungary), Tomas Pospiszyl (Czechoslovakia), Keiko Sei (Japan/Thailand) and Nathalie Boseul Shin (South Korea) as curators. Württembergischer Kunstverein is highlighting critical and resistive design practices in Europe and Asia from the 80s to the present with particular focus on the role of both design and designers in the context of sweeping social, political, economic, and cultural upheaval. The event is organised by WKS in co-operation with Trafó Gallery, Budapest; Wyspa Institute of Art, Gdansk and Total Museum, Seoul with financial support from European Commission. 'Re-Designing the East' Introduction / Photos
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Design & People Today, all oppressed people in the world has the total right for the free information provided in this professional space to empower themselves in resolving their issues and ensuring sustainability in their solutions. 'Open Design & Information' is the process of free gathering of information from all corners of the world to bring people together and endorse solidarity for conscious eradication of all types of repression and guarantee the responsibility in making the future better for everyone. The 'Open Design & Information' policy of Design & People grants users the freedom to copy, share, study, distribute, display, transform or even make derivative works based on Design & People artworks — both visual and written — for any non-commercial or academic purpose. We advise the user who creates a subsequent work based on the original artwork make no attempt to remove it from the Public Domain. By choosing to contribute to the evolution of the work of art, the user agrees to give others the very same rights.
. 'Swaraj in Design' Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Know Us Better
. 'Design for the Other 90%' (Contruction Week Online | May 2010)
Items on Design & People (May 2006)
Outlook on Design & People (Jan 2005)
Architect & Interiors on Design & People (Sept 2009) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to 'Swaraj' for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melting away."
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