- Feb 24, 2020
- 4 min read
As creatives, we strive to become better at what we do and perfect our craft. Becoming part of a global design community is how creatives build connections that help them grow personally and professionally. That’s why we’re bringing you Design Agenda: a seasonal curated list of the design conferences, new publications, design events, and exhibitions creatives should take note of.
Few cultural initiatives have managed to gain and then maintain such an esteemed reputation as Design Indaba. Pushed by the belief that creativity can bring change, they go far and wide to bring in new voices, professionals and creative superstars that together consider how we can create a better world. To celebrate its 25th edition, the festival will be headlined by some of the most interesting thinkers out there, like pioneering bio-designer Natsai Audrey Chieza, cultural producer Sunny Dolat, and futurist Li Edelkoort who will also host a new workshop.
Design Indaba, Cape Town, South Africa, 26 - 28 February 2020
Cultural institutions worldwide continue to react to the climate crisis and consider possible outcomes. One such example is an exhibition that places a focus on wild territories, which make up 98 percent of the part of the earth’s surface that is not occupied by cities. Different research groups from Kenya, the Netherlands, the United States and China present their take on these territories. The show inevitably explores pressing environmental, social and political issues through the perspectives of Rem Koolhaas, Architect, curator and co-founder of Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and Samir Bantal, Director of the think tank of the OMA. 20 February – 14 August, Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York, US
Since April 2019, the Center for Humane Technology (CHT), an independent nonprofit organization, has been publishing a podcast led by hosts Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin that explores how technology, through design, has been taking complete control of our attention. Examining how these familiar manipulations undermine our world communities, CHT challenges the discussion about humane technology and offers a new, mature and responsible perspective on the role we have in creating and growing products.
As the connection between design and technology continues to grow, creatives who experiment with both have more stories to tell and more projects to show. This makes the intimate settings of FITC Amsterdam ideal for getting acquainted with an emerging, experimental field and up-and-coming creative voices. The location comes with a spectacular view, and the talks range from candid yet inspirational to technical and innovative. It’s also one of very few well-made gatherings of creative technologists (or creatives interested in technology), so it actually lives up to its goal of connecting like minded individuals.
FITC Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, February 24-25, 2020
Fatherhood, fragility, queerness, toxicity, and femininity are just a few of the notions that dominate the ongoing discussion on masculinity - a concept that has transformed tremendously over the past decades. These notions and more are at the center of a new, large-scale exhibition that explores the shifts and transitions that affected, shaped and structured masculinity from the 1960’s until now. Bringing together the influential works of Richard Avedon, Peter Hujar and Isaac Julien (to name a few) along with new visual voices of Elle Pérez, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, and Hank Willis Thomas, the show touches one of the most interesting topics today.
Barbican Art Gallery, London, UK, 20 February – 17 May, 2020
David Brintzenhofe Applying Makeup (II), 1982 © 1987 The Peter Hujar Archive LLC; Courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco
AIGA Design Conference
A signature institution, AIGA is known for the great communal and educational worth it brings to the design world. It’s annual conference brings those values to life - and in a big way. Many of the conference activities are focused on socializing and getting insights and context on work that many creatives do individually. This is an opportunity to connect with designers nationwide, and in the process empower creatives to build a community.
AIGA Design Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 30-April 1, 2020
Wix Playground Presents:
We’re launching a new event series for the creative technologist titled the Recently Possible. Curated by ITP alumni Regina Sofia Cantu de Alba and Michelle Hessel, this series will include artist talks and workshops. Next events include:
Artist Talk featuring Gabriel Barcia-Colombo, February 24th
AR in HTML Workshop featuring Anne Goodfriend, March 3rd
Spark AR Studio Workshop featuring Ziv Schneider, March 12th
Join us at It’s Nice That: Data, Narrative and Design on Feb 27th, 2020 to learn more about how designers are using data as a new raw material, using statistics and reams of information as their starting point to create beautiful projects and tell meaningful stories from there. How can data and design be combined to create powerful narratives? As data becomes a currency in its own right, who are the creatives helping us understand data and using data to help us understand the world around us?
Then, come for drawing, pizza and beer at Draft & Draw featuring Qieer Wang on Feb 28th.
