The "Art" of Survival

“In one sense, all artists seek to change the world. To make things, even to propose ideas, is intrinsically a hopeful act. The most cynical artist, describing the least attractive alternative to the unmediated world, harbours at least a feeble hope that his dark view will prompt some transformation – whether of conciousness or of substance – that will save us all.”1.

It was Vilem Flusser who referred to 'art' as the “soft” side of culture, that it deals only with the “aesthetic” and “evaluative.” It was in design that he believed we would actually create something of substance that could begin to shape the world; “design increasingly becomes the centre of attention, with the question of design replacing that of the idea.”2. Could we then, through design, change the world?
There are exhibitions that press upon this idea, such as Design for the Other 90%, whose products are designed to aid those who lack what many would refer to as 'basic supplies.' Products like the Big Boda Load Carrying Bicycle or the Life Straw.
But there are also projects that, whilst covering topics of similar value, are not as successful in delivering their message. Projects like Krzysztof Wodiczko's “Homeless Vehicles” project. A project that was was “neither a temporary nor a permanent solution to the housing problem”3, but more to articulate the escalating amount of homeless; less of a solution for “the other 90%,” and more a highlight for “the original 10%.”

“The designer used to have the production of useful objects at the forefront of his mind,”4. Writes Flusser. And perhaps he is right. In order to change the world, maybe it is time to design things that deal with the problem at hand as opposed to merely highlighting the existence of one.



1. Charles Desmarais. “Director's Foreword,” Ecovention (Contemporary Arts Center, 2002). Vilém Flusser. “The Ethics of Industrial Design?” About the Word Design: 20 (Great Britain: Reaktion Books, 1999).
2. Vilém Flusser. “The Ethics of Industrial Design?” About the Word Design: 20 (Great Britain: Reaktion Books, 1999).
3. krzysztof wodiczko: the homeless vehicle project, http://www.designboom.com/eng/archi/wodiczko.html
4. Vilém Flusser. “The Ethics of Industrial Design?” The Shape of Things: 66 (Great Britain: Reaktion Books, 1999).