[ A Series of Lectures in Design Theory ]

[ Schedule ] [ Concept of the Lecture Series ] [ slovensko ]

VICTOR MARGOLIN | 3. 10. 2008 at 7 p. m.

Place:
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia,
Hall A, Dimiceva 13, Ljubljana
Organisers:
The Architecture Museum of Ljubljana in collaboration with Pekinpah Association

THE CULTURE OF SUSTAINABILITY

As Ulrich Beck, Anthony Giddens, and other sociologists have pointed out, we live in a society of risk, much of it brought about by circumstances beyond our control. Of course, one kind of risk is caused by danger. Another kind of risk is the risk of changing the way we currently live to create a more positive world in which some of the problems that currently plague us, such as climate change, poverty, and military threats, no longer exert the same power over our lives. I am speaking about the risk of creating a new culture of sustainability in which we can live more closely in accord with ecological principles and the tenets of social justice.

This is a great challenge for designers, who are faced with the problem of determining how to think about the future. What tools, models, and scenarios are available for producing the image of a sustainable future world? What can we learn from the past in order to project something positive into the future? The lecture will address these questions and present some aspects of a sustainable future scenario.

—
Victor Margolin is one of the pioneers of design theory. He is the first American to receive a doctoral degree in the field of the history of design. During his many years as a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he became one of the world's most vocal advocates for the importance of design theory and history. He has written or edited eight books; one recent publication is The Politics of the Artificial: Essays on Design and Design Studies (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002).

[ Victor Margolin's web page ]
[ Victor Margolin: The Politics of the Artificial ]

[ Schedule ]