Design Indaba 2020 / Day 1 Highlights
Can creativity change the world?
The short answer is yes.
But, chances are, you’re like us. Curious. Creative. And here to be inspired.
So, here are the 5 things that stood out for us on day 1 of the 25th anniversary of the Design Indaba:
1) Sho Madjozi
Don’t museumify culture. Live it.
Musician (amongst other things) Sho is currently working on a documentary about the Tsonga skirt called xibelani. So, how can your culture inspire you creatively? Something to think about.
Bacteria are the architects of the future.
If bacteria were the building blocks of planet earth billions of years ago, how can it inspire human innovation today in the form of biomimicry? The answer? Bio-bricks made from urine…
3) Bas Timmer
I think, and I do.
When going through our notes of the day, we realised we didn’t write anything down about Bas. The reason is pretty simple. He had us enthralled. And in tears. His Sheltersuit innovation - designed to protect the homeless from extreme cold - is the epitome of using creativity for good. Waterproof. Windproof. Made from upcycled and recycled materials. Functions as a sleeping bag. It checks all the boxes.
4) Yosuke Ushigome from Takram
Diquise technology as entertainment to communicate important issues.
Show the average person a page filled with data, and they struggle to see the issue. Now take that data, give it context, design it beautifully, and you have the social design innovators from Takram.
5) Hanif Kara
Successful projects are often achieved through the collaboration of the people who do and the people who think.
If you Google the work of Hanif Kara, chances are you’ll say, “I know that building!” The structural engineer has created some of the most beautiful buildings and installations in the world. We loved how we lauded the importance of collaboration between the doers and the thinkers.
To see more from Design Indaba 2020, follow the hashtags #DI2020 and #DesignIndaba on Twitter and Instagram.
