‘Brazilians have a very big capacity to resolve problems. It’s for sure that the Europeans are impressed with our flexibility,’ said Bebel Abreu, co-producer of WDCD São Paulo at the beginning of Day 2 of the conference in São Paulo’s FAAP Theatre. ‘There are many things foreigners can learn from Brazilians,’ she added, ‘and WDCD São Paulo is to understand how we do it.’
Exchange is what WDCD is all about and for that we need words, as the esteemed design critic from the UK Rick Poynor pointed out. ‘Writing is thinking in its purest form,’ he said, while acknowledging that visual communication in its best forms can be thought provoking too. Hence his statement that ‘writers and designers should be natural allies.’
As to underline this statement, designer Pepijn Zurburg, co-founder of both Dutch design agency De Designpolitie (the Design Police) and WDCD, showed the audience the power of images as a tool for provocation and making people think about global issues. The visual column Gorilla Zurburg makes with several colleagues is bold in its imagery and powerful in its messages.
Visualizing the future
Design can be thought provoking in other ways too, both Daisy Ginsberg and Koert van Mensvoort demonstrated. Both visualize their imaginations of a future world, in order to discuss the implications of where we might be heading. Ginsberg is questioning the possibilities of synthetic biology, asking where we will put the limits in designing life itself.
Designer and philosopher Koert van Mensvoort created Next Nature to speculate on a future world we’re developing using nano and other technologies. His design fiction includes synthetic meat, algae powered lamps, Google nose and bio-customized Rayfish sneakers. ‘The products may be speculative,’ he said. ‘But the discussions we have are fact.’
Happy singing
After another round of interesting breakout sessions Day 2 concluded with presentations by the amazing Brazilian graphic designer Fabio Lopez – indeed, Bebel Abreu, we in Europe can learn a lot from the Brazilians –, the inspiring Indian architect Rohan Shivkumar and last but not least Austrian-American designer Stefan Sagmeister, who once again managed to get a WDCD-audience out of their chairs, singing and leaving them as happy as can be after two incredibly inspiring days on the potential of design in all its manifestations.
Judging the reactions, the encounter between What Design Can Do and São Paulo has been a match made in heaven. Will it be the beginning of a long lasting love story?