People feel increasingly disconnected from one another. Social divisions are widening. And meanwhile, we continue to design using the same approach — focusing on the individual, the market, and the user as consumer — exactly as Silicon Valley has taught us. The current system is exhausting people and their environment.
Why this series exists
because we want change and designers can contribute to that. A fundamental shift is needed in how we think about design. From transactions to relationships. From the individual (the user) to the collective (society). From exhaustion to connection.
Thinkers such as Ivan Illich, Elinor Ostrom, and Victor Papanek wrote about this decades ago, and Don Norman more recently. Their work remains relevant, perhaps now more than ever. This series creates the space and time—to explore together how design can connect people rather than isolate them.
Who this is for—and who it isn’t for
This series is for teachers and students who feel that something needs to change and are willing to invest time and energy in it. Who are willing to read texts, question their own practices, and set out on a journey without ready-made answers.
This is not for those looking for quick tips. Not for those who want to keep doing what we’ve always done. Because then nothing will change.
What we will do together
Three sessions in which we delve into texts that show what designing for collectivity means. In which we explore forms of conversation that you can also use in your own lessons. In which we look for ways to design the veranda—a private place that is directly connected to the public space and where spontaneous encounters can take place and collective action can arise.
What you bring
Doubts, frustrations, curiosity, and a willingness to contribute from your own practice.
What you get
insights from research, working methods for your own teaching, a community of colleagues who ask the same questions. Coffee and croissants. And the opportunity to start thinking differently about what design education could be.
Why you matter
Because change does not happen in isolation. Because we cannot do this alone—and that is precisely the point. If you are reading this and recognize something, if you wonder whether things could be different, then this series is for you.
Dates
Three morning sessions on Monday or Tuesday in block 3. The exact dates will be announced depending on the number of registrations.
“I don’t have time” or “I’m not sure if I belong here”
Those might be exactly the reasons to come to the workshops. It is possible to claim 10 hours from your training budget to free up time for the workshops!
Are you in?
Let us know at M.van.zeijl@hva.nl.