online: 23 june 2016
modified: 26 june 2016

23 june 2016 past and future of design


(from my digital diary of spontaneouos or barely-directed thought)

on the 50th anniversary of the DRS i am asked to speak with James Powell and Peter Lloyd about the past, present, and future of designing... and i am regarding this as a good moment in which to rethink this expansive and connective activity we call design...

...a gentle wind blowing in through a nearby window... a chair squeaks as an unknown person moves a little in the apartment above... the chair squeaks again... and i hear someone outside (also unknown to me) who is hitting the building with a hammer... and i wonder how it is we can live at ease among so many people so close by... unafraid of being murdered in our sleep

...and now i recognise another sound... this time of someone sawing wood... or perhaps a plastic substance... made (i guess) from oil beneath the ground... or from gas beneath the sea...

later when i went outside i spoke to several people with hammers and saws and drills who were fitting lightning conductors to this block of flats

that evening there were warnings of thunder over London but nothing struck the conductors

and now i hear a faint beep-beep from a car in the distance...



no danger...




homepage

© 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 john chris jones



You may transmit this text to anyone for any non-commercial purpose if you include the copyright line and this notice and if you respect the copyright of quotations.

If you wish to reproduce any of this text commercially please send a copyright permission request to jcj at publicwriting.net