DESIGN POESI

Doing 4 weeks of teaching at TongJi University in Shanghai, I had the great fortune of participating in at long weekend trip arranged by The Danish Cultural Institute; director Eric Messerschmidt. Accompanied by the dean and professors from Beijing School of Architecture, Danish architects and the Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard, we went to XingYi in the province of Guizhou in southern China. The purpose of the trip was to visit the Wonderful Vally project, explore the completely breathtaking mountain scenery, and then to participate in a workshop coming up with ideas and suggestions on how to achieve sustainable development of the area – and fulfill the already made plans for growth in this beautiful spot in China.

On our trip around the area we were presented with the ambitious plans to attract tourists, new inhabitants and prevent the area’s younger residents from leaving for education and only returning to visit their parents. We saw the planned Conference Center which was already under construction and understood, that these plans were very well on their way and soon to be.

When we visited a small mountain village, again I was struck by how big the gap is between the old and new, modern and ancient China. We where invited for ‘the and talk’ around the low table, and I was fortunate to be sitting beside a very entrepreneurial woman (with yellow collar) from the village, the mayor (to her left) and the translator Liza (to his left). We talked about the houses and lack of modernity in their living museum, and very important their daily life. Here I was explained that young people leave their village to go to school and then later for higher education, having their older relatives looking after their children, while they study or make a living in faraway places. Only returning to help their family to harvest. This makes the demographic composition becomes very scattered and is part of the challenge that need to be solved.

This Wonderful Vally really deserve to be visited by all who appreciate our planet marvelous hidden corners, and I hope fervently that when this happens, then it becomes like Eco Tourists, who leaves nothing but their footprint in the gravel, letting this beautiful place survive.

Again this year I am in Shanghai in October together with students from the Design School in Kolding teaching at Tongji University, Design & Innovation department.  For four weeks we are developing Movable Workspaces in cross national teams and each of the four teams are collaborating with a compay. 

We started the course with a Kick Off workshop made in co-operation with Innovation Centre Denmark in Shanghai. Here focus was on Innovation Incubators and the workshops outcome was four Design Briefs in relation to the four companies.

For the following 3,5 weeks the teams are working out detailed solutions, models and prototypes. On Friday the 7.th of November all teams present their work at Tongji D&I at 1PM – 3PM, and hereafter we open an exhibition – and you are very welcome to join us for both events. See you.

Kunststyrelsens Charlotte Malte styrede i august FairTrade Designers igennem en helt fantastisk godt planlagt uge i São Paulo, hvor vi mødte vidunderlige mennesker, holdt oplæg og workshops for og med lokale designere – og sugede til os af dejlige, kaotiske São Paulo.

Vi havde også den store fornøjelse af at møde Carlos Motta, en dygtig arkitekt, designer og en vedholdende aktivist med den ene fod på et surfeboard i vandkanten og den anden i en klipklap og igang med at udforme nye produkter og ideer.

Se mere om FairTrade Designers besøg på www.fairtradedesigners.com

LAUNCH is a global initiative to identify and support the innovative work poised to contribute to a sustainable future. LAUNCH was formed in the US in early 2010 in an effort to identify, showcase and support innovative approaches to global challenges through a series of forums. Now LAUNCH is focusing on creating such a forum the NORDIC area.

LAUNCH NORDIC is based in Copenhagen, where it is lead by LeaderLab. The forum is currently seeking innovations that will transform the system of textiles, fabrics and fibers – to one that has a minimal environmental impact and/or drives social equality. If you work within this area, please be aware of this possibility of applying and if chosen, to be part of this great forum and joining a two day workshop, where you will receive advice and guidance from senior advisers and entering an exciting network. DEADLINE is the 1. of June 2014.

LAUNCH Nordic 2014 is specifically focusing on innovations within the areas of:

1. Closed Loop Solutions & Design for Disassembly

2. Cleaner manufacturing & Green Chemistry

3. Sustainable Investments & Procurement

4. End-user Engagement

Be AWARE : Deadline for submission is 1 June 2014. Apply here.

Yesterday LeaderLab invited for a rooftop terrace party at the DDC with a spectacular view and drinks with ants!!! and ‘sea ​​plants’ with mayonnaise made ​​from roe … all wonderfully made by Thomas Laursen, and very NomaFoodTrendy. Velbekomme!

At the Fashion Summit we all talked about the need of making the necessary change in the fashion industry, but unfortunately it seems most are still ‘sitting on their hands’. Like when Livia Firth founder of Eco-Age presented the simple Fashion Revolution idea INSIDEOUT – where you turn your garment inside out – to honor the people, who made it and to tell the hole story of the supply chain. Her suggestion received the biggest applause, but all kept sitting with their jackets on. Except a few young Brits I meet in the hall after the event. They got the point and showed it off. I’am afraid this is not an isolated case, but sadly enough symptomatic of the industry, which is failing to change, when there is still time. For reasons I can not explain.

The Summit was held at the 24. of April and hereby marked the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, where more than 1,100 people where killed and hereby highlighted the grim conditions in Bangladesh’s garment industry, a major supplier to global fashion brands. The disaster of Rana Plaza was articulated again and again doing the Summit. One minute of silence was held, but what will it really take to make this mega industry change? At the Summit it still looked like business as usually and – the show most go on.

Vanessa Friedmann from the Financial Times explained sustainable fashion’s built-in contradiction perfectly fine, when she revealed, that she had to change the topic of her summit talk, because it does not make sense of talk about: Sustainable Fashion. Simply because the term is contradictory. Thanks Vanessa. Spot on. She started her talk by throwing no longer fashionable jeans around on the stage to show what fast-fashion is and does to us. Buy and then throw away and that is not sustainable, and by the way … where is away ?

From Denmark one crown princess and two ministers talked about fashion for change, but who is actually responsible? Who can make this change? In the end of the day, we blame it on the industry, but it also comes down to ME and YOU. So please take a good look in the mirror and don’t worry – if you see the same dress again tomorrow.

Please, lets make the change happen. We need this now and if YOU and I – and our friends stop buying fast-fashion the industry will start to die, and something new will arise. That is the law of change. Please, help make this happen, I have totally lost faith in the fashion industry, afraid maybe it is lack the courage or imagination. Please just do something. Insideout. Stop buying. Wash less. Swap clothes with your friends. Anything – realize we are all part of this mass-industry.

DAFI and all taking part in planing and executing this big event did a great job and the event was framed beautifully in the Wonderful Copenhagen Operaen. Fashion knows how to set the party bar high, now preform on the fashion stage too, please.

The Fabric Source is the first Nordic sustainable fabric platform. It is a physical small showroom located at the Design Society, starting up with about 800 samples of fabrics with a sustainable approach created to offer the fashion- and textile industry a way into the jungle of making chooses for a more sustainable future. The project is a joint initiative lead by DAFI, under Nordic Initiative, Clean and Ethical (NICE) in close collaboration with leading partners within the textile industry, such as CLASS, Source4Style, Better Cotton Initiative and Sustainable Apparel Coalition.

Og lidt mere på dansk. DAFI har taget initiativ til at lede vejen for en mere bæredygtig retning indenfor mode. Det er et godt træk og på tide, da modebranchen er en mega svine-industri, som samtidigt oftest promovere overforbrug på måder, der simpelthen ikke giver mening, som verden ser ud idag. Derfor stort velkommen til The Fabric Source – et udvalg af ca. 800 materialeprøver på tekstiler med forskellige bæredygtige vinkler. Det er endnu ikke helt afklaret hvilke bæredygtige kriterier og indgangsvinkler dette ‘Materiale Showroom’ udvælger deres tekstiler efter. Det kommer med tiden lover den ansvarshavende, som tager imod henvendelser fra virksomheder og uddannelses institutioner  med bæredygtige ambitioner.

In the beginning of February – the Green Competence Package – started up at the Green Entrepreneur House at RISØ. Here facilitators set up seminars and workshops for green entrepreneurs connected to the House. Svend Erik Nissen from  Innonet Lifestyle held a Material Workshop explaining about the Circular Economy and showing a variety of new materials all with a sustainable approach. All participants contributed with their background to the dialogue with pros and cons on the new materials. 

After lunch Mette Skovbjerg from Symbiose Centre in Kalundborg gave a lecture on the Symbiosis Centre history and current cooperations. As she pointed out is wasn’t planned to happen, but has develop step by step over the last 40 years, as all partners benefits from this.

Happy New Year to all DESIGN POESI visitors.

Photographer Alexey Kljatov has captured this unique and spectacular, naturally made designs. Please enjoy the diversity of nature, and for more beautiful macro photos of snowflakes press here.

Happy New Year to all DESIGN POESI visitors.

Det Grønne Iværksætterhus tilbyder fysiske faciliteter som adgang til prototypeværksted og test- og demonstrations faciliteter på bl.a. DTU Risø Campus, inkubation og mulighed for rådgivning og kompetenceudvikling, adgang til videnressourcer, mentorer og samarbejder med etablerede og succesfulde virksomheder. Det er et fantastisk tilbud til dig, der gerne vil udvikle din grønne ide eller produkt – eller ønsker at udvikle din virksomhed i en mere bæredygtig retning.

Huset er for grønne iværksættere i Danmark. Så de kan blive inspireret, udfordret og styrket i deres grønne forretningsmodeller, og vokse sig til bæredygtige og kommercielle virksomheder.  Selve Huset ligger på RISØ, adressen er Risø Huse 1, 4000 Roskilde. Hvis du vil ind i Huset kan du enten kontakt mit her eller gå direkte til Husets leder, som hedder Henrik Poulsen og kan træffes på mail: hp@sciondtu.dk eller 2270 5566 – og er vejen ind i Huset.