As
suggested, the brief aims to focus your attention on alleviating and
preventing “crisis”, as well as design’s ability to both draw attention
to the implications and consequences of our individual actions within
those network/s in which we exist. For example we have previously
outlined how consumers are completely unaware of what we could call the
“network” implications and consequences of their financial choices, like
when they buy milk products below their real market price or cost in
supermarkets and thus jeopardize the entire viability of the UK Milk
industry – as well as all of those other industries that are affiliated
with it. If they were capable of being made aware of this - in
“realtime” - through some sort of disclosure of the “network”
consequences of their actions - through say something like Microsoft’s
already existent “SixthSense” project - would they still behave in the
same way? Or in other instances we have also talked about how various
network’s waste might be capable of being “re-sourced” as another
networks raw material, and how this potential may be communicated in
more immediate, “realtime”, or effective ways. This is what you really
need to focus on! What types of technology and systems of communication
might be capable revealing these opportunities for “re-directed”
practice in “realtime.” What types of devices or systems of
communication might be capable of finally revealing the true impact and
consequence of our collective actions on, or “interaction” with, our
world, and all of those diverse ethical, socio-cultural, political,
environmental, economic, and material concerns that go with it, in
“realtime”. And what effects would these possibly have, both for the way
in which we relate to each other and our world?
Through this brief
we would like you to design coherent ‘things’, services, objects,
technologies that facilitate networks, draw attention to, alleviate or
help prevent crisis.
[KEYWORDS]
Exchange,
Alternative economics, Sharing, Exchange currencies (Links systems or
alternative barter type exchange), Skill swapping, Over-Consuming,
Resources, Cost, Scarcity, Air travel, Famine, Bankruptcy, Death,
Unemployment, Starvation, Loss, Fraud, Sickness, Financial, Weather,
Love, Friends, Business, Cultural Identity, Family, Income, Land,
Ownership, Commons, Weather, Travel, Farming, Wellbeing, Health, Origin,
Authorship, Ego, Displacement, Relocation, Immigration, Imagination,
Scale, Future, Theory and Practice, Skill and Knowledge, Teaching,
Effects, Control, Security, Business Supersectors and Sectors (Oil and
Gas, Basic Materials, Industrials, General Industrial, Consumer Goods,
Health care, Consumer services, Telecoms, Utilities, Financials,
Technology), Networked Activities (Online working projects, Wellbeing,
Healthcare, Alternative therapies, Spiritual and Religious networks,
Education and Learning, Communal book sharing, Community action, Fixing
and repairing, Instructing, Libraries, Romance, Dating, Producing,
Crafting), Contexts of Crisis (Work, Home, School, Park, Street,
Shopping centre, Car park, Bridge, Camp, Party, City, Countryside,
Classroom, Boardroom, Bench, Government, Station, Airport, Border,
Museum, Shop, Market, Retail Store, Eating)

Workshop 1- Defining Crisis
The
first workshop will explore ‘crisis’ in particular scenarios of crisis
and the context of crisis. This includes ‘everyday minor crisis’ to
‘major crisis’.
Workshop 2- Mapping Networks of Crisis
When a
range of crisis scenarios have been built the second workshop will build
on them by creating maps of the networks/ agency of the interconnecting
networks, it’s ‘interplexus’.
Workshop 3 - Ways to Act on Crisis
Ideation
processes will then take place in groups and individually to explore
how to act to alleviate, re-purpose the network of crisis.
text © D. Fairfax, M. Waller, M.Magas 2010. Pi-Studio, Design, Goldsmiths