… ironing shirts, wasting energy, shortening the lifespan of your shirt’s cloth. The Swedish brand Eton shirts has developed a coatingless cotton-fibre which returns to its original shape after washing. In fact bodyheat is enough to iron your shirt as you wear it. The fibre responds to heat – not unlike shape memory alloys) – to maintain its form.

Let’s extrapolate such a development for a second: imagine a world in which no shirts need to be ironed any longer. Consequences: significant decrease of energy usage since irons no longer need to be heated, presses are no longer necessary, thereby also increasing the lifespan of the shirt since the cloth is spared from several aggressive interactions. Combine that with a waterless washing machine such as Electrolux’ Airwash system. In terms of saving the environment. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how energy- & eco-efficient the production of the special cotton fibre (and the rest of its lifecycle) is before we can truly assess its impact. From a socio-economic perspective however – like any technological development which renders human (inter)action obsolete – the no-iron cotton fibre – if used on a large scale – might put extra stress on or obliterate ironing shops.

On a higher level of abstraction: think of all the kind of products which nowadays, because of their systemic or material makeup, require labour (implying usage of all kinds of other resources) in order to remain functional, usable etc. Windows need to be washed, houses need to be heated or cooled, etc.

What if … changes at the material/systemic level of these products, which nearly all of us use, could make these ‘wasteful cycles’ of energy. If employed at a large scale, effects (both positive and negative) of these changes can often be exponential in nature as they work their way through the chain of reactions linked to the lifecycle of the product. They alter the system of their ‘ecology’, their context (whether bio-, techno- or homosphere). Glass can be self-cleaning, houses can go without or using a minimum of heating/cooling energy, etc.

Do you dream about flying hydrogen cars – even though they are so yesterday?! – sustainable cities, social cohesion services, gracefully degrading packaging etc. at least once a day? Are you fascinated by the many opportunities and challenges that tomorrow’s world(s) might bring? Do you have strong design(er) DNA which makes you think with both head and hands: analytically, conceptually, visually and tangibly?

Then you might be the futures designer we at Pantopicon are looking for to join us in our mission to help public and private organizations explore and envision successful futures, to inspire, guide and transform them, propel them forward towards greater strategies, products, services etc. …

Help us shape the future, join our team. Check out our careers page.

PS. Looking for a traineeship? Click through as well.

At the inspiring Venice Architecture Biennale - this year’s edition curated by Aaron Betsky, former director of the NaI – the famous Dutch design studio Droog Design & KesselsKramer showcase S1NGLETOWN. 

S1NGLETOWN focuses on the world of contemporary singles. Its relevance is broad, as all of us are likely to belong to this group at some stage in our lives — and likely more than once. In fact, some sources predict that a third of people in developed countries will be living alone by 2026.

S1NGLETOWN is an exhibition that’s also a town, an abstract interpretation of a new kind of urban space. Visitors will be able to walk its streets and interact with its products and citizens, and view their homes.

The concept is a beautiful illustration of a persona-like approach, typecasting different types of singles and imaginatively describe their world, ways of living using their point of experience as a point of departure. Although designed in a beautiful, powerful yet fairly abstract way, one is fully immersed in this ‘view on the world’ being able to walk around in S1NGLETOWN through an exhibition.

Within the ‘Foresight tackling obesities’ project, which we blogged about earlier, our friends over at Shiftn created an amazing map depicting the forcefield surrounding obesity. Congrats Philippe & Co.! 

The causal loop map provides systemic insight into the wide variety of factors influencing the obesity epidemic. A thorough analysis of about 40 science reviews led to the identification of 108 drivers of obesity, interrelated through positive and negative effects.

Reflecting on the potential of maps like these: a next step of increasing the interactivity of the map could further enhance its value as an information insight or what-if tool. For example, select a relationship arrow and see what the relationship stands for. Or furthermore … select a few drivers, confirm or alter the parameters of their cause-effect relationship, push the action button and see what happens. Or … describe an effect (wishful or to avoid) and see which buttons need to be triggered in order to change the outcome as mentioned. In other words: the map, as an information visualization tool, can be a first step toward a full-fledged knowledge tool.

For those among you who still believe that little innovation can be expected to come out of Africa, check out AfriGadget every once and a while or catch up on Ethan‘s musings. It is a humbling experience, which forces one to see, realize and admit one’s ignorance with respect to the diversity of innovation throughout the world, especially in the less known – but often most stereotyped – corners of our planet.

The examples show once again how scarcity and constraints can be powerful drivers of change and stimuli for high-impact innovation. Now that modern communication technologies are taking over even the poorest and most remote corners of our planet, leapfrogging legacy systems of the West, their effect can be multiplied, scaled up more easily. Such endeavours show the immense potential of human creativity, no matter who you are or where you are born. We often block our own creative pathways, by looking for excuses: ‘it can’t be done unless we find a way to raise 30 billion euros’, ‘if only we were a multinational-sized company’, ‘it is impossible with the government organizing and/or orchestrating it’.

Of course, there are challenges which cannot be tackled using a cartwheel and a piece of rope (if you did get nuclear fusion to work in your basement using just that, drop us a line), challenges which do require large budgets, advanced organizational structures, etc. Yet all too often we use these arguments as but excuses in order not to ‘be truly creative’ & ‘try something’, ‘do something’, … In our spoiled context, it is easy to sense fear setting in as we realize that there is perhaps more to lose than to gain from trying. Risk management can be a killer as much as risk itself.

Massive change in terms of an increase in quality of life at personal & community levels can be but one mind and one pair of hands away. The driven individual is a powerful catalyst for change. Therefore, think again when installing elaborate innovation strategies before liberating the minds of individuals and breaking the shackles of their creative initiative.

Futures, experiences, design … three core ingredients of what Pantopicon is all about. Three topics, each situated on a crossroads of disciplines. It is in this context that we are pleased to share with you our latest interview: an inspiring chat with Nathan Shedroff, chair of the Design Strategy MBA programme at CCA, information designer, experience strategist, author of “Experience Design“ and “Making meaning“, and many more things. What do futures studies & design have in common? How does he look at the power of experiences as catalysts for communication and learning? What are his views on the role of design in our current and possible future societies? 

(more…)

Our friend and Berlin-Based-Belgian-Blogger Regine over at wemakemoneynotart recently hosted a panel on Cartography of Protest and Social Changes at Conflux 2008. “The panel was an attempt to demonstrate that maps have the potential to bring about social changes.” Check out her blogpost for some fascinating examples of “mapping for social change”.

Although maps are often portrayed as an objective spatial basis on which to ‘map’ data, they are always about perspective and the change of it: which country is in the center, where does most projection-distortion occur, which colours are used, … As tools of communication, they can easily become tools of manipulation, allowing one to lie with maps as easily as with statistics. Yet, put in a positive sense they can convey and enhance complex messages in a powerful visual way and shift people’s perspective on even abstract developments through spatial contextualization.

As such, Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion Map is a famous example of a map, specifically devised to minimize distortion caused by projection. In its modular form it is a powerful tool to shift perspectives on the world and assess developments from a variety of angles.

Related to maps as tools for thought or insight, there are of course also the cartograms. We blogged about them before as a powerful means to visualize information otherwise obscured by statistics or illegible, unattractive text. Some of you might have played around with Show/World as well, an online tool which allows you to create your own cartogram-like maps (within a limited range of dataparameters).

For about two years already we have been a core partner in setting up “Plan C”, a transition management experiment in Flanders, aimed at catalyzing the societal shift to a world in which materials are managed in a sustainable way.

In a long term oriented participatory process seeded by OVAM (the Flemish Public Waste Agency) and guided by Pantopicon, Resource Analysis & the Center for Organizational and Personnel Psychology a possible future for sustainable materials management in Flanders was envisioned. Smart, creative, entrepreneurial minds from knowledge institutions, business and industry, ngo’s, government agencies etc. formed new alliances and have been smashing heads and hands together to come up with opportunities for radical innovation and structural change. 5 transition teams self-organized into 5 themes:

• closing the loop: cradle2cradle & beyond
• waking up society: towards a behavioral change
• at your service: from products to services
• tailored materials: making ‘making’ different
• sustainable plastics: towards a new basis

Each of these teams has defined a series of experiments they wish to set up and conduct in view of catalyzing structural change in the way deal with materials.

On October 15th, the current Plan C network members (60-80 heads strong) launches its vision, presents its experiments and invites fellow smart, creative and daring heads and hands to join in at a network-mindsstorm event in Mechelen (Belgium) (note: meeting will be in Dutch).

Spread the word and do join in!

Forget microfilm, here is the nanobook. Together with the Nano Imaging Facility of Simon Fraser University , artist Robert Chaplin created the world’s first nanobook “Teeny Ted from Turnip Town”, measuring a mere 69 x 97 microns. And yes, the book has an ISBN number.

Nanotechnology is not only inspiring many artists and designers, also the scientists and technologists are starting to see the potential of art and design to catalyze dialogue between the labworld and society at large. In similar fashion, the belgian nanotech player IMEC teamed up with our friends over at AddictLab a while ago. The project, named “in.tangible/scape.s” aims to bring the fascinating yet often obscure world of nanotechnology to life through art and design, a wonderful way to breathe life into yet nonexisting futures. An inspiration book on the results of the joint research project is under publication.

Together, both partners also set up NanoDesignAwards, of which the first edition will take place in 2009.

A few years ago the World Bank noted that “If the wars of the twentieth century were fought over oil, the wars of this century will be fought over water.” After all, a little less than 1% of the earth’s water is suitable for drinking. But water is also more than a physical need, an environmental context, it is part of humanity’s identity through rituals, culture etc.

In the belgian town of Hasselt, the culture and arts centre Z33 - building a strong reputation internationally (see also the International Herald Tribune article) with a series of thought provoking exhibitions – currently showcases a fascinating exhibition “1% water“ on the theme of water and our challenges for the future. Curated by Ilse Crawford (heading the “man & wellbeing” department at Eindhoven’s Design Academy) and  Jane Withers (design consultant, curator, writer), “The exhibition aims to be a catalyst for change, reconnecting us physically and psychologically to water and helping us to shape a sustainable future.”

The exhibition is split up into 4 main thematic areas. There is the water archive, an aquatic laboratory displaying a huge collection of bottles filled with water collected locally in different contexts, by different people. AbUse attempts to raise awareness about the precarious situation of global water supply. Art and design give form to and shape experience of issues such as pollution, scarcity, water footprint etc. Sacred waters shows the visitor the central role water has played and continues to play throughout human history, mythology and culture. On an experimental note, Reconnect shows initiatives aimed at turning the tide, from purifying water to revive our intimate relationship with water, utilizing the boundless, passionate powers of art and design.

Check out this pdf for some visual impressions. Yet if you can, go and check out the exhibition for yourself (until 28/09/2008), you will not be disappointed!

Our interview with Tom Klinkowstein & Irene Pereyra on their project “a day in the life of a networked designer’s smart things or a day in a designer’s networked smart things, 2030″, led to an exhibition “It’s about time!” at Designcenter De Winkelhaak in Antwerp. Tom & Irene opened the exhibition on June 6th. Thanks again for being here, you were great!

Young belgian designers at a turning point in their career were asked by De Winkelhaak to reflect upon Tom & Irene’s scheme and their own career, expressing their sentiments through a personal installation. Work on display by Ephameron, Lisa Allegretta, Codemagazine, import.export Architecten, GriN, Unfold, Acielouvert, Monsieur Moiré.

Pantopicon participated in the exhibition with a triple video interview by Nik with 3 of Belgium’s top design talents: Bram Boo, Casimir & Nedda El-Asmar on their reflections about design today, technologies, design in the future, their futures.

Come and check us out! (exhibition on show until August 31st).

Also check out Keefe’s video on the event.

Microsoft moves to patent technological means to enhance or enforce good manners on people with respect to their ways of using technological devices. Think of it as the digital ‘service’ equivalent of the no-smoking sign. 

First it was the family, the home where children received their basic education in terms of norms, values, good and bad manners. Then it became the school’s job. Now technology steps into the equation as well …

Let us hope that people find more poetic ways and means of getting the message of good manners across than showing a dialog box message on the screen of your electronic gadget. Will your cell phone whisper to you “don’t shout”? or increase the volume on the other end so you don’t start screaming in the first place? Context awareness of technology is one of the – if not the – primary prerequisite for smart behaviour. Linking social values to the concept of smart is one way to enhance user experience not merely for the user but also his/her surroundings (human/natural/physical. It is important to note however that these values are often culturally defined or biased.

For those interested in more experimental/poetic ways to influence people’s behaviour when using for example mobile phones, check out IDEO’s Social Mobile Phones ’shock-therapy’ project by Crispin Jones & Graham Pullin.

Via ArsTechnica

Honda already came up with its Puyo, begging to be touched, featuring soft curves & soft materials. BMW’s design guru Chris Bangle takes it a step further and developed Gina (Light Visionary Model), a smooth concept car covered in stretchable fabric (on top of a metal wireframe) able to shapeshift on demand. Headlights appear in a smooth motion when needed, doors open like curtains being pulled back/draped, …

“the Gina consists of a flexible ‘skin’ stretched over a metal wire structure enforced with carbon fibre. It allows the driver to change the shape of the car ‘on the fly’ – the rear spoiler can be raised, for example, while the rocker panels can effectively be bodykitted out.

It’s a similar story on the inside, where the steering wheel and instrumentation sit within the centre console and slide into position when the driver pushes the start button.”

The blob meets the car. Seamlessness, smooth morphing/shapeshifting … imagine being able to decide not only the shape of your car and change it yourself, but also its shapeshifting behavior or the characteristics (e.g. stiffness, colour, ) of the material itself. Could smart cars – as body and skin become ever more flexible in design – anticipate upon impact when a collision becomes unavoidable and shapeshift into a form optimized to minimize damage? Fascinating.

Via TopGear & Dezeen

On the basis of co-creation and open innovation ideas the Dutch Favelafabric launched the “Future of entertainment” initiative. Aimed primarily at young digital natives, they decided to set up a three-stage system to involve the core user group of their yet to be designed online music service in the conceptualization of it.

Stage 1: How do you experience (finding & getting, playing & experiencing, organizing & sharing,  creating & promoting music)?

Stage 2: What are your ideas on … ?

Stage 3: Best ideas

An incentive system dubbed Sharepoints, allows the top 100 most (pro)active contributors to take part in the profit of the new service (total of 5% of profit generated in first 12months after launch or 1m € max. to be distributed proportionally among top 100). New ideas/experiences, voting other ideas, giving feedback each allow contributors to earn Sharepoints.

Doom is so passé … and essentially does not get you anywhere. User experience evangelist Richard Anderson gave ACM’s Interactions an overhaul. The latest issue offers a fascinating read, including an article by UK designer Richard Seymour bearing the title “Optimistic futures”. In it he points to the potential, the role, the necessity and the responsibility of designers to dream and design bright, positive futures.

“Designers cannot be, by definition, pessimists. It just doesn’t go with the job. We’re supposed to be defining the future, aren’t we? [...] If we can’t see the world as a better place to live in, than what chance does anyone else have?”

“History tells us that before great business can happen, it first has to be a mission. And a mission starts with a dream. As designers, we potentially hold enormous power. And with it comes responsibility. Wield it imaginatively and wisely. And optimistically. Or f@#k off and do something less dangerous.”

Richard is not alone in his crying out for positivism in imagining and designing the future. We already wrote about Peter Lunenfeld’s notes on ‘the vision deficit’ (see here). Also, most of you are familiar with Alan Kay‘s well known “The best way to predict the future is to invent it”. Yet the much needed optimism to design our way out of dystopia goes far beyond the designer. We seem indeed increasingly unable to draw up optimistic stories of bright futures in which it will be better to live and engage people en masse. Have Hollywoodian apocalyptic disaster movies numbed us that much?

The past years have shown many examples of how fear, doom-scenarios, dystopia, bad news, are powerful tools to move the crowds (see also Michael Crichton’s “State of fear”). The negative has a strong impact on the way we act and react. It must be that through times the growl of the bear left a deeper engraving in our brain to make us run, than that of the beautifully colored flower.

Also Alex over at Worldchanging notes the necessity and the difficulties of creating positive narratives of the future with the same impact as their dystopian brothers. He asked Bladerunner futurist Syd Mead what it would take?

“He paused for a second and said he thought it’d be very difficult, that catharsis is so important to people, and people are so terrified of the future, that you’d need some completely new vision of what the future will look like to even set the scene for a new narrative… and that is obviously no mean feat.”

Alex Steffen calls optimism a political act. Sir Karl Popper called it a moral duty. Yes, it is a must, because it gives that much more in return.