01. Two Paradigms of the Future
London, UK
It just comes to my mind when I am thinking about my project, which, no matter what will always related to the future. We are not thinking about the present time, in fact, we are never. We were always thinking about the future.
We are so optimistic, yet we are so scared. But worry not, our lives will keep going. I am writing this blog article to understand myself, specifically which side I believe in.
In my vision, according to the observation* I have done so far, I found two big narratives in design and technology development that are going on quite strongly in Western countries. They are 1) Design for a Regenerative Future and 2) Design for Advancement of Technology.
This movement seems likely to be rooted in the Old Testament from Victor Papanek and Buckminster Fuller. And became promoted quite strongly recently by Daniel Christian Wahl. The dream of this future is mainly driven by the hope of a sustainable world without any carbon.
The movement such as Distributed Design, New European Bauhaus
Design for Advancement of Technology
Generally, what we are seeing now is mostly something for the advancement of technology, mainly to fulfil human needs. The key driver is existentialism, I would say, although not all of it is driven by that.
AI, Modem Works, I robots.
The conflict on my side happened when I was trying to understand which side I was leaning into. I come to design school because I want to be part of the coolness of doing design work for technology products. Who doesn’t want to design a supercar or a sleek mobile phone when I grew up with the rapid development of mobile phone design thanks to Nokia and Apple.
Now I am pursuing a master's, though I came with the vision to be a design for technology products, yet apparently my body and mind always drift me towards the first. But still, I am an optimist, I see there still a hope to involve technology as part of how we improve the quality of our lives, which led me to the discovery of Solarpunk.
For me now, the hope of Solarpunk is very tempting, it is selling the dream of where the advancement of technology can also be aligned towards a regenerative future if it is being used and regulated to support and respect the natural resource. Though there are no clear examples yet, many communities are trying to prototype this.
What I like about Solarpunk is the peaceful scenery those creatives made, giving me a zen feeling, seeing how harmonious life could be between nature and technology.