Dr Austin Houldsworth’s (2022) presentation during one of our Creative Studio sessions resonated with me on a very deep level. First and foremost, it was design-driven, not necessarily art driven, which is a very important element that is often missed or overlooked. That is not to say an overlap does not exist between the two, of course, there is. However, there has to be a distinction between the two, otherwise, why would there exist two separate words for them?
In my opinion, the main difference between design and art is the fact, that one is more often than not meant to be used while the other, in my experience, is meant to be spectated. Perhaps that is why I like to be a designer more than an artist, even though I have been the latter for far longer than the former. I enjoy a lot more creating something that can be used in the practical sense than just something to be looked at. My work is inspired by art, and there were times when the final visualisations were art pieces on their own. Still, my interest and passion for them resided in the idea that they can be used, if they come to life because they are a space that hosts people and allows them to make use of the area.
Houldsworth (2022) has shown his portfolio, and I received one overarching message from every single project. It was a philosophically engineered design. Every piece had a philosophical message behind it and I only realised that when one of the spectators asked, ‘Where did his crazy ideas come from?’. His response that his main inspiration was philosophy put the whole session into perspective for me, as I too, used to be inspired by philosophers. Although I have not read philosophy in quite a long time, anyone who has ever been invested in the topic once will clearly see the dilemmas and morals behind a design, that was inspired by it. And that’s what happened. I realised these works are not just engineered with a sci-fi twist, but philosophical questioning twists in mind too.
Houldsworth (2022) has stated that his works are a mixture of critical and speculative design methods. This was my first time hearing of speculative design, and I was still not sure what exactly it was after the lecture. Therefore I had to look up the definition and according to Tran (2019) “Speculative design is the process of addressing big societal issues with design processes and systems”. Reading this I realised I should do the same with critical design to make sure my understanding was as clear as it could get. According to Dunne & Raby (n.d.) “Critical Design uses speculative design proposals to challenge narrow assumptions, preconceptions and givens about the role products play in everyday life”.
And isn’t that just freaking amazing? I never actually thought that my discipline could be inspired by philosophy. But why could it not be? Isn’t inspiration essentially anything? I think, according to Houldsworth (2022) and a previous, but just as intriguing lecture by Holmes (n.d) inspiration is anything and everything. So, if I decide that my final major project will be inspired by poetry, peripheral vision and impressionism, I should not feel weird because no one can tell me it is wrong if I believe it is right.
One of the works that caught my attention was the “Intergalactic Estate Agency” (Houldsworth, n.d.B), which was fueled by the idea of selling Earth and figuring out its value other than monetary gain. The project was an attempt to raise awareness for climate change, and I think it does the job in a very unique way (Houldsworth, n.d.B). Unlike today’s controversial tomato soup-throwing contest on valued art pieces that we all read in the news (Gayle, 2022) with a very likely frown and possible disgust for the method, this design is humorously grabbing the viewer’s attention. Although the message is extremely serious, as most people know and admit, Houldsworth's process of raising awareness is very kind and almost childlike. Houldsworth (2022) asked children what Earth could be valued, and the answers he got were all other than money except for one. But this philosophical existential question grabbed people’s attention. The humour could almost be felt in the room during this part of the presentation and actually proved the point. People do pay attention when something is funny and do not leave with a negative taste in their mouths. So it is a very interesting idea, that through design we can drive home very important points in a kind and humorous approach rather than a shouting-in-your-face approach.
Another interesting project that I thought also raised awareness but very differently was called “Crime Pays” (Houldsworth, n.d.C). This project was testing the idea of having all transactions be public unless the person is paying an extra percentage for privacy. I think this concept touched on the very interesting social dilemma of how much people value their privacy. The question “Is privacy within our finances a matter of personal liberty or simply the harbourer of criminality?” (Houldsworth, n.d.C) is proposed in the project description, and I am not even sure if anyone knows the answer to it. The idea of redesigning a monetary system that makes all of my transactions public seems daunting, to say the least. This question brings in the previously mentioned philosophical element too. Is it ethical to expose people so much? Does this not in fact, eradicate privacy and even intimacy? I think it does. Criminality will happen either way. I don’t think there existed a time in history when crime did not exist. Privacy on the other hand always existed, just like intimacy. And although money, on its own, is not providing intimacy, what we spend it on is very intimate.
So I guess my stance is very obvious. It is very interesting, however, that a design discipline could create a conversation or a monologue like this. I do not think I could have imagined that an interior design concept could create such a conversation around a controversial topic, but if product design can, then why could it not be achievable?
Reference List
Dunne & Raby. (n.d.). Speculative design: 3 examples of design fiction. DunneAndRaby.co.uk. http://dunneandraby.co.uk/content/bydandr/13/0
Gayle, D. (2022). Just Stop Oil activists throw soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. TheGuardian.com. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/14/just-stop-oil-activists-throw-soup-at-van-goghs-sunflowers
Holmes, D. (n.d.). Dale Holmes. DaleHolmes.co.uk. https://www.daleholmes.co.uk
Houldsworth, A. (2022, November 25). AustinHouldsworthHud Research Presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Department of Product Design. https://brightspace.hud.ac.uk/d2l/le/content/220734/viewContent/1996433/View
Houldsworth, A. (n.d.A). Dr Austin Houldsworth. AustinHouldsworth.co.uk. https://www.austinhouldsworth.co.uk
Houldsworth, A. (n.d.B). Intergalactic Estate Agency. Dr Austin Houldsworth. https://www.austinhouldsworth.co.uk/#/intergalactic-estate-agency/
Houldsworth, A. (n.d.C). Crime Pays. AustinHouldsworth.co.uk. https://www.austinhouldsworth.co.uk/#/798817030644/
Tran, T.H. (2019). Speculative design: 3 examples of design fiction. InVisionApp.com. https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/speculative-design/
Image Reference List
Figure 1. - Houldsworth, A. (n.d.). Intergalactic Estate Agency [Photograph]. AustinHouldsworth.co.uk. https://www.austinhouldsworth.co.uk/#/intergalactic-estate-agency/
Figure 2. - Houldsworth, A. (n.d.). Intergalactic Estate Agency [Photograph]. AustinHouldsworth.co.uk.
Figure 3. - Houldsworth, A. (n.d.). Crime Pays [Photograph]. AustinHouldsworth.co.uk. https://www.austinhouldsworth.co.uk/#/798817030644/