Material Innovations

Contestational Designers are cutting-edge, politically motivated, technologically driven, passionate activists. They have developed an infrastructure of technical devices including websites, blogs, cell phones, low-power FM stations and SMS broadcast systems to address deeply felt contemporary needs such as human rights and social injustices.

The pros include innovative solutions as a result of using and embracing technology in new and experimental ways; immediate, short-lived time frames with political, legal, and environmental impact; resourceful creativity due to design constraints; immediate feedback leading to more refined or discarded ideas; taking risks against opposition and accepting failure; strong and lasting collaborative relationships; empowered individuals; evolution of new technologies such as Twitter and micro-blogging; new models of interacting, inspiring those in the technical community and traditional designers; all engaged in the process collaborate fully, equally, and without constraints of legal contracts and formal structures; and widely sharing intellectual property. The cons of this movement include lack of funding; often “rough and tumble” because of limited resources; an absence of accounting for productive human labor involved; a volunteer activity most often; can be engaged with extra-legal activities.

Designing freedom is a concept of offering stimulating, invigorating, and challenging learning experiences in design schools to stimulate innovation among craftsmen of India through collaboration with engineers, designers, government officials, and NGOʼs. Presently, a large number of people and policy makers have the perception that craft in India is old fashioned; no longer important in the culture; technology is more significant than craft in solving problems; craftsmen no longer take pride in their work; it should only be a tourist attraction; and most of the craft today is kitsch and non-functional. Designers and design firms have been enlisted to update crafts to more contemporary products without involving the craftsmen. This is causing problems. The pros of providing design schools include innovation through collaboration with many stakeholders; can devote time to long-term projects as well as research and involvement; availability of young, energetic designers to nurture, developing and train craftsmen; empowering them to creatively solve future problems such as globalization; encourage children of craftsmen to carry on traditional crafts; linking thinking and making once again; renewal of craft within the context of the culture; restores equality to the process of making crafts and sense of identity; allows for flexible economies, such as combining craft and law; integrating craft into lifestyles and community practices; helping shape social and economic issues; realization of roles can begin at design schools; and brings awareness to protecting the earth.
The cons are the availability of design schools; the perception of a large number of people and the role of crafts in the Indian culture as sited above; the power of the policy makers wanting crafts to be produced for export; lack of respect for the craftsmen in todayʼs society.

Yes is More is about the Big architectural firm saying “Yes” to resolving almost any request or problem and finding a solution suitable to all of the diverse parties involved. They do not compromise. They incorporate conflicts and concerns into design resolutions and turn them into architectural assets. The architectural practice has grown bigger and the projects are bigger, with many more ideas, models, and materials creating a design evolution leading to architectural selection. They are combining urbanization, architecture and research development.
Pros for Yes is More include keeping standards high; using architecture to answer lots of problems in society; taking full responsibility for how cities have been created and how they will be re-created into places where you want to live; humor and joking are part of the creative process; unexpected, unconventional results; open to all kinds of ideas for inspiration; and have a good time.

As a designer, I like the Yes is More approach of working with different interested parties; being part of a collective that challenges ideas and materials and tests them with models; has a great can do attitude; successfully resolves problems with architecture and urbanization; and has fun creating purposeful design. I would love to
be part of this firm.