Sydney Design Week, which ran from 15-24 September, proposed an exciting multi-disciplinary program, curated in response to an essay by the French philosopher Bruno Latour. Latour was an advocate for a stronger connection between nature and society, exploring this through an attempt to understand all the complex and intertwined factors that affect this relationship.
Amodern, the title of the 2023 Design Week, explored six different areas; Eco Systems, Material Cultures, Communal Cities, Micro Cycles, Connected Threads and Photofields. Individually, they dive deep into the details of how singular ideas can build a sustainable world and society. Together, these focus areas paint a holistic picture of the complexities and opportunities we face as we move forward.
Creative directed by Keinton Butler, the design week intended to include as many different voices as possible. Butler noted, “The idea is to open up the discussion around entrenched ideas and narratives about production and consumption and to involve greater Sydney and some of the practices we haven’t worked with before. I think with the sociological and ecological context in which design operates, where designers are tasked with responding to the changing climate, design practices are becoming more cross-disciplinary and complex as a result.”
The sentiment puts collaboration and knowledge exchange at the forefront of its exploration - together we can all work for a better future.
I’m interested to hear if you made it to any of the events? Let me know in the comment section below.