How is progress perceived today? In an era of growing inequality, pollution and controversial scientific developments (cloning…), the notion of progress as the sole source of well-being for society is increasingly challenged. This was the question posited by four design specialists - Laurence Salmon (journalist), Jeanne Quéheillard (teacher), Jean-François Dingjian (designer) and Nestor Perkal (designer) – in the form of a specific brief to a number of international designers: Sébastian Bergne, Big Game, Matali Crasset, Delo Lindo, Ana Mir and Emili Padros, Normal Studio, Étienne Mineur, Satyendra Pakhalé, and Wieki Somers.
How can we demonstrate a sense of responsibility and still be actors for change, caught as we are in the headlong rush for novelty imposed by our consumer society? In this context, how can we act for change in the many different spheres of everyday life - food, information, healthcare and wellbeing, reproduction, work?
The designers' responses – in the form of videos, installations, prototypes etc. – will feature in an exhibition, catalogue and accompanying series of lectures at the Musée des Arts décoratifs (Paris). A bold programme exploring the key ethical and philosophical issues underpinning creative design today – and a natural target for support from the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès.
