Throughout history, humanity has continuously adapted to the evolving times and their consequences, necessitating reformation or decisive action to meet functional needs. From ancient cave dwellers to modern gadget enthusiasts, the complexities of human life demand equally intricate functional adjustments.
Every individual operates on two levels in life: the personal and the social. It's essential to recognize that people often navigate both simultaneously. Thus, whenever collective or individual issues are addressed for functional sustainability, the tension between the individual and the collective arises. Without addressing this tension, the breakdown of relationships due to communication failures will persist as a significant issue for humanity.
Mahatma Gandhi's statement, "You must be the change you want to see in the world," underscores this reality. The question of when an individual ceases to be just an individual and becomes a social factor isn't merely a matter of theory or practice. It's a clash between competing ideas and practices—communism vs. capitalism, religion vs. spirituality, science vs. faith, technology vs. aboriginal practices, automation vs. manual skills, production vs. sustainability, industrialization vs. ecology—the list goes on endlessly, like a multi-headed hydra with many facets.
When the subject of design cannot be isolated from its abstract-art holistic context, designers face multifaceted challenges in their work. On one hand, they grapple with the clash of ideas, and on the other, the collision of practices. Consequently, designers often find themselves taking ideological or practical stances in their work. Since every problem presents both vital ideological and practical contradictions, it becomes a significant challenge for designers to take a clear position in their design.
Furthermore, many of these ideological and practical issues undergo continuous shifts in meaning over time. As the meaning changes, some of the previously viable solutions themselves become problematic. History bears witness to numerous such developments. Setting aside the issue of changing meanings, let's focus on the challenge of taking a position in design.
Allow me to share an anecdote to illustrate this complexity: Once, a person was rushed to the hospital after a severe accident, leaving him with multiple wounds on his limbs and torso. In excruciating pain, he begged the doctor to save him. The doctor, assessing his condition, had to deliver a difficult message—the patient might need to have both his hands and legs amputated. Shocked, the patient asked if he would survive after such a procedure. After a lengthy pause, the doctor, with sympathy, replied that he didn't know, but it would certainly relieve his pain.
In today's world, every designer, whether in social or industrial fields, is compelled to adopt a position similar to that of the doctor—sympathetic and desiring to provide solutions. However, they can only offer pain relief based on their individual judgment, and regardless of their decision, there will be consequences.
Crucially, like the doctor, designers must earn their livelihood from these situations to sustain their practice. Hence, Mahatma Gandhi's words resonate: "You must be the change you want to see in the world."
No comments:
Post a Comment