We had our first training meeting for the Massive Change exhibit. Zoinks! Definately mind stretching ideas. We reviewed five of the eleven economies: Urban, Energy, Image, Market and Material. Underlying the whole exhibit is the idea of design as a capacity for change, for the betterment of society, as opposed to design as aesthetics. This exhibit was developed by the Institute Without Boundaries, a department at George Brown College in Toronto. When the VAG asked Bruce Mau to design this exhibit on the future of design, he decided that he would put together his team with post-graduate students, from all over the world. The result is massive, really big ideas about a really big thing, the world.

I will be exploring the information for each economy as the week progresses. But first, some ideas from the intro:

The welfare of the human race can be acheived through design.

I love this, I love that this show exists, and that thousands of people will have access to this idea, and that the meme will trickle into society, and change the choices we are making for living. This is not new ground, but certainly not a mainstream idea. And there is a marketing slant to the language used, an authority, which is usually the voice of the news, the mainstream, and I like that they have co-opted this language, and are pushing into this area. It's funny how people want to reject this authority, but I think it is a necessary choice to get attention.

Style is a decision of how we will live.

Can we go back to the boots here? If all things created were created with such beauty, attention to detail, functionality (yes, you can walk in them, they are quite comfortable), and care, what kind of world would we be living in?