LAST POST OF THE YEAR: VIEWMASTERING THE FUTURE, FAREWELLING THE PAST DECADE.

In image above: Suda Kenji, (born 1954),Toho no Hinode (Eastern Sunrise), 2015. Chest of drawers with inlay decoration made by Sycamore wood, private collection. From the exhibition "Decorative arts in Meiji and Heisei: Crafting Beauty and Technique across 150 years", in Museum of Greek Modern Culture, Athens, Greece, until 12/1/2020. 

The myth tells that in Pandora’s box the last remaining thing after the release of all vices – was Hope.  In case where all the vices were set to escape Hope would stay at the side of humanity as a faithful companion intrusting that things could always change for the Best. Is there any hope for the Design of the future?  How this last one will shape the rising decade? 

The major transition from Liberalism to Freedom Values and from the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Technologies, re-defines the set of known Tools as Apps and those Apps as the new Tools that will serve us in the future, on an everyday basis. The Cashless transition from bank notes and coins (very expensive and climate-affective in production) to non-material Currencies is a certainty and a “problem” tantalizing the traditional banking establishment. Sustainability becoming an almost (vague) trend and an expression of concern regarding climate change, gives room to non-stop Recyclability (not just one stage process stage but a continuous non-stop and on-going cycle of the materials’ life). Old crafts and hand-made work will merge into New Crafts, where manual work will be done and finished differently through upcoming hybrids of technique and digitization. 
In communication design, "The Medium is the Message" of the 70’s is replaced already by "The message is the Message": the notion of Medium is collapsing under the existence of one common server with un-curated content, accessed by all possible devices (i.e the YouTube platform). Documentation in AI and intelligent digital environments pushes away Museology as instructed in the past, the same way corporate environments switch to online/cloud/blockchain services. 
The educational model is about to change in developed countries, where higher education is becoming a social exercise: schools are social clubs, universities are cultural foundations and public libraries work as lifelong learning and public administration poles. The interest in knowledge is nourished through a re-designed homeschooling experience.
  
The irresponsible and unorthodox exploitation of natural resources, together with the abuse of durable, multi-purpose materials such as plastic, resulted in the disastrous consequences of climate change and irreversible ecological distress. We need to leave the planet alone for at least 100 years, in order to recover and Fashion is one of the sectors about to change dramatically towards that principle. The way we design and produce clothes inside the supply chain cycle, is about to change focusing on pre-owned garments, thrifting, smart fabrics design, wearables and textiles' engineering both in couture and high street houses – so we can have a life guarantee for the future. New clothes will represent the 25% of global production the next decades, while the 75% in fashion will represent jobs in the industries above. 
The abolition of fossil fuels and livestock/plant industrialization  and the rise of renewable energy, hydroponics and short-term supply chain, are a staple in the design agenda. The pharmaceutical industry will invest on restorative, naturopathic solutions for cure and on the scientifically proven benefits of painkilling meditative devices/apps.
  
From Cities to Places, from Credit to Trust 

The physiognomy of the city of the Future, provided the multiple challenges of our times, will have to change: architecturally, socially, intellectually. Cities gradually lost their Soul, so did the Psyche of each nation and eventually they became unsuitable and unbearable to live in. The urban manipulation in the design of a town the last decades alienated it from every notion of becoming a good Place, but contributed to the image of a city just deteriorating, on finally becoming decadent.  The “Darius Syndrome” of architects and politicians just watching the “slaughter from up on a hill”, observing the big cities’ downfall outside the actual urban systemic infrastructure, from the rather comfortable distance of the “specialist” – failed to design a place for civilians to resist Time. Instead they designed a congregation of ambitious buildings and uncomfortable surroundings, with total luck of prediction nor compassion for the nature and the people. The next decade is about to convert the activity of “arrogant” metropolises and its many entanglements, so to advance to a more person-friendly, “therapeutic” model.  

The countdown has started. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020! 
A4D-D4A💙💚💓  

DECEMBER 2019: HIGHLIGHTS, IDEAS, PEOPLE, PLACES AND MORE...

The Design Ghost of Christmas Present sprinkled much of his blessing flavor before many doors, establishments and events – or not.  

After Moscow and Shanghai, the Salone del Mobile.Milano brand has touched down in the USA with the talk Italian Design Today, which will see Michele De Lucchi, Francesca Lanzavecchia, Angela Missoni and Piero Lissoni discuss the new expressions of national design.

Is Italian design still in a position to dictate trends? What influence does Milan have on the international creative furnishing and interior architecture scene? What are the prospects for young designers in a world in which cultural cross-pollination has rendered national borders fluid?

These are just some of the topics that were discussed on Wednesday 4th December, by Michele De Lucchi, Francesca Lanzavecchia, Angela Missoni and Piero Lissoni at the Wolfsonian-FIU Museum in Miami, as part of the event A Dreamscape of Italian Design, organised in partnership with the Consulate General of Italy, the Italian Trade Agency ICE and the Salone del Mobile.Milano as part of Art Basel Miami.

In pictures bellow some of the unique Wolfsonian publications to go through:

Following the success of the Master Classes held during the Salone del Mobile in Moscow and Shanghai (with over 3,000 attendees), it was now the turn of the United States, a country that has always kept a very close eye on the evolution of Italian design and the quality of Made in Italy furnishing.  Terence Riley, former curator of Architecture and Design at MoMA in New York, quized the speakers on subjects that will also be relevant at the next Salone del Mobile.Milano, from 21st to 26th April 2020.

Exciting news! Helsinki has been selected as Beijing Design Week’s Guest City in 2020. Helsinki will organise diverse events in Beijing over three weeks to present Helsinki as a design city and as a pioneer in the utilisation of design expertise.

Beijing Design Week 2020, held from 22 September–7 October 2020, is the largest and most notable design festival in Asia.The festival attracts more than five million visitors each year.The designation Guest City has been conferred to nine cities before, most recently to Mexico City as this year’s Guest City.

Helsinki Deputy Mayor Pia Pakarinen accepted Helsinki’s designation as Guest City 2020 at the closing event of Beijing Design Week 2019.

“Design is a significant factor that distinguishes Helsinki internationally, and we’re known for product and service design that supports good life in Helsinki,” Pakarinen says.

Parts of the programme and some of the discussions will be organised in digital environments. In addition, satellite events will be held in different parts of Beijing. The goal is to build an event concept that can be reproduced at other design weeks in China in the future.

Helsinki plans to tell its design story through three main themes at Beijing Design Week. Innovations in (1) wellbeing, (2) urban development and (3) education will be used to present how Helsinki uses design to create a better everyday life for citizens.

The City of Helsinki has utilised design for many years in the development of services and the built environment. Design has also been incorporated into strategy work and organisational development in recent years.

“Helsinki has been a pioneer in the use of design in the public sector, but information on the scope of the City’s design activities and on the contents and impact of those activities has not been gathered systematically,” says Helsinki’s City Design Manager Päivi Hietanen.

According to the analysis produced by Aalto University researchers, Helsinki has utilised design extensively and without hesitation for a variety of purposes. Design has been used to make customers’ voices heard, to increase the understanding of customer needs, and to improve services and internal operating models. The researchers also see it as a strength that design and customer orientation have been incorporated into the City Strategy.

The City of Helsinki and Aalto University collaboration produced a city design map (in photo bellow: Visualisation of city design map. By Bin Shamsul Amri Daud, Nader Sayún Michel, Zheng Zheng, Menegolli Alessia). The map divides Helsinki design activities into six categories. The city design map can be used to categorize various design projects and to evaluate their properties and impact. The map helps users to store information on projects and to communicate about the City’s design activities.

Speaking again about sustainability and design, Everlane launch of ReNew collection comes with a promise: eliminate virgin plastic from their supply chain by 2021. The engagement of the company for no more New Plastic in their production cycle holds tight, whereas big houses still struggle with the idea; a rather difficult task in the supply chain of luxury industry, (fashion being an important part of it). 

The sustainability issue does not fail to become a trend in international fairs like IMM in Cologne, Germany. In a rather belated attempt for a more ecological approach, partners Colornetwork propose a new shade of brown as the earthly and healthy interiors choice, surely trying to follow last spring’s tendency for anything clay-like in fashion and soft furnishings. Inside the “Future Interiors-Made in Germany” part of the exhibition, alongside with the “solution” of solid, local wood furniture and related products, lays also the question/challenge of chopped-up newly planted forestation in Europe, among other hot topics.  

The Bauhaus Centenary celebrations are about to exhale but still many manifestations are happening all around the continent i.e. the exhibition REFLEX BAUHAUS. 40 OBJECTS – 5 CONVERSATIONS in the Neue Sammlung Design Museum in Munich, Germany.

The lecture on Design and Politics by Professor Dr.Friedrich von Borries, author of the must-read manifesto Weltenwerfen:Eine Politische Designtheorie, (:in top and bottom pictures bellow) took place in Athens, Greece in view of the Bauhaus school as a political and social landmark, an activist movement seriously provoking the (educational) totalitarian establishment - not only re-constituting design as beneficial to humans, but expanding it to every other discipline as well, throughout the last century.

                             

Wit is something Karl Lagerfeld was well acquainted to. The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come would definitely disguise in the image of the last Maître, coming back to haunt us, so he could liaise the archives of Chanel famous house to a different theme: aviation. This is the image of the Aviatress we are longing for, the Spring-Summer 2020: a fun, elegant, ethereal, yet dynamic lady Pilot, but with her intellect heedfully connected to her active presence. Amen.   

NEXT AND LAST POST OF 2019: VIEWMASTERING THE FUTURE, FAREWELLING THE PAST YEAR/DECADE. 

Season greetings 💓💃

A4D-D4A💙💚

IN & OUT WEB SUMMIT 2019: Conclusions-The Ballot + Lisbon Architecture Triennale- ECONOMY OF MEANS Exhibition.

In image above: Caritas Jozef Karus,  ".. Somewhere between a closed building and open space, an old psychiatric hospital pavilion has been partially saved from demolition to offer a peaceful refuge for patients, their families, and people walking in the public park surrounding it. .."Melle, Belgium, 2016, De Vylder Vinck Taillieu Architects (model scale 1:50), Lisbon Architecture Triennale - ECONOMY OF MEANS Exhibition.

How Web Summit 2019 is changing our lives eventually? Those who think of the conference as a simple corporate game changer, had the opportunity to witness Web Summit performing in all different pitches, proving that it can actually be far more than just that. As the President of the Portuguese Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa fervently stated in his WS19 closing ceremony speech, Web Summit is consolidating itself as an institution in the Portuguese capital and is certainly not afraid of addressing every upcoming issue affecting (digital) societies without fear or passion. That is the real decisive moment regarding the event, very prominently accented this year especially. 

Web Summit is coming to be all-inclusive, creating the necessary synergies between those who used to be considered direct competitors or having confronted interests. This unexpected association, cooperation and collectivity between all possible stands, such as anti-systemic figures like E. Snowden for instance, digital establishments the likes of Google and the public sector with organisms like E.U. - consists of WS biggest achievement so far: the introduction of new environments where everybody can be potentially part of: commercially, ethically, socially and politically. 
After all, it’s not about a game of digital Thrones or Impressions/Clicks anymore but a bare necessity, a need for all parts to work collaboratively towards the same direction, also by making the necessary compromises where needed-even if the name is Amazon or Tipser, Estée Lauder group or Ere Perez, Kering or Coleção.Moda. The exploration of your own identity and of the other party standing opposite you, is a prerequisite of liaising and creating a new condition in the digital world.  

Architecture: the notion of constructing a molecule, a space, a home, a place, a town, a system – in order to live well. In view of unprecedented climate, economic and social change, Architecture is (also) being questioned, today. This is where the birth of the Economy of Means exhibition takes place inside the Maat, right at the core of Lisbon’s Architecture Triennale 2019: The Poetics of Reason, (duration of the specific exhibition until 13/1/2020).  

“Economy of Means is the DNA of good forms. Architecture consists in defining the good form of a building,  using few and carefully surveyed means that allow architects to provide meaning and intelligibility to their buildings”. 

Curator Éric Lapierre created a journey through notions, architectural models and testimonies brought to the exhibition by a vast, international group of renown architects and theoreticians of our times, revolving around the central theme of the event: the Economy of Means (see videos bellow), also by exploring the following five conceptual entities, 1. Economy of Repetition: From Typology to the City, 2. Economy of Void: The intention of Space, 3. Economy of Measures: Small is Meaningful, 4. Economy of  Material Bulilding: The Whole Earth, 5. the Economy of Procedures: Augmented Architecture. 

In pictures bellow, from top to bottom, see some of the projects models, among many other works: 

1. House 1219, Palau Solità i Plegamans, Barcelona, Harcquitectes architects (Model scale 1:20). 

2. Café de Printemps for Augures (curated by Djamel Klouche), BAP – Biennale d’architecture et de paysage d’île-de-France, Versailles, 2019. Piovenefabi architects (model scale 1:20). 

3. Frans Masereel centre, Kasterlee, Belgium, 2019, LIST (Ido Ávissar) and Hideyuki Nakayama architects (model scale 1:20). 

4. Railway sleeper house, Miyake island, Japan, 1970, Shin Takasuga architect (model scale 1:33). 

5. 05.2.38. Project VIM, 14 logements sociaux évolutifs et participatifs (council flats), Bordeaux, 2017, Atelier Provisoire architects (model scale 1:20). 

6. Thalia theater, Lisbon, Portugal, 2008, Barbas Lopes Arquitectos + Gonçalo Byrne  Arquitectos (model scale 1:100). 

7. Church in Alesund, Norway, 2009, Baukuh architects and YellowOffice landscape design (model scale 1:50).  

The Economy of Means exhibition is an insatiable, ongoing dialogue about the future of architecture, and the role of the discipline the following decades, based on presently completed architectural attempts but most importantly- aspiring a vision of what’s coming next on building and landscape design. The state of the planet and the state of human consciousness imposes the need for a different, clairvoyant approach, one which also leaves no space for (more of the same or other) mistakes. Hurry up and pay a visit to the glorious MAAT-Central Tejo annex until 13/1/2020, and all of your questions about our current state of habitat will be fascinatedly answered. 

The Best 4 All 
A4D-D4A 💙💚 

WEB SUMMIT 2019, the Cartography of a Global Network - Inventory of apps, startups, companies, people + more to Explore and Remember + A4D-D4A Awards!

In photo above: Bobby Healy, the founder of aviation company MANNA on his groundbreaking presentation about to stir customer services through contemporary  technologies: drones delivering your takeaway lunch order. (No it is not a scene out of a Luc Besson sci-fi movie but a fully operation-ready, air-transport system and a true revolution for many European capitals ravaged by traffic, car pollution and low-end employment on delivery services.) 

It was certainly a FinTech year in Web Summit 2019 with a number of apps, startups, companies and 3 almost entirely dedicated stages: MoneyConf, Venture and Corporate Innovation Summit – revealing the maths but also the issues on Money, currencies, finances, economies, growth (or not). No wonder since everyone is rather worried or curious about the financial remapping worldwide right now and the shift of traditional industry to new platforms for hopefully (more) sustainable wealth.  

All stages hosted cutting-edge presentations and motivated the general public to the max but we feel that the DeepTech pitch was continuously gathering the crowds NON-STOP, raised eyebrows, created spinoffs, received applauses and spread shivers to the audience, with discussions and presentations that exceeded the expectations of even the utmost tech-savvy homo-digitalis. Sigh.
We include our global list with most impressive countries, companies, startups, apps and of course people: professionals, entrepreneurs, scientists, designers, educators and public figures-for you to reach and follow in the future.  

The Countries that Stood Out  

The Spanish pavilion was a success this year (in photo bellow), with a very solid core of companies. A hub of political controversy in the past, Spain has been called the “Germany of the South “ and it’s been a while before the old Empire could strike back in the digital domain, following the example of Portugal’s emblematic position in the continent right now. A real winner-design for the Spanish stand, and a leaflet with a quick and easy presentation of startups and tools for every use and taste (fintech, analytics & AI Big Data, content, SaaS, telecommunications, travel, insurtech, edtech, drones, 3D modeling, VR-AR, cleantech, cloud, IoT, coding, cybersecurity, social media, marketing among several), the kiosk attracted many visitors and investors.  After a leading position with Italy in fashion and retail, it was about time for the country to unfold its digital portfolio as well and coordinate with the Iberian super-force, No1 Portugal in the field.

#SpainWS19 

The 2nd runner-up in the game of impressions AND inventiveness, Poland underlined its status as a very separate entity in central Europe, promoter of intelligent IT education and maker of new companies networks, selling high-end software solutions and more. The country exceeded the limits of dry computing and old-fashion IT support by far, creating compelling digital platforms, competing directly against traditional digital moguls. In the post-Brexit era, Poland could possibly substitute the to-be-greatly-missed UK ingenuity and flair in (digital) design and technology.  After their hard work and non-fanfare attitude, we are all grateful to the Poles for that.  

www.itmagination.com 
www.mysocialseller.com 

Tallinn? And WHY not? With the commemoration of its 800-year anniversary, the Estonian capital appeared in Web Summit with a mighty plan. An integral policy to market the city as an attraction for investors of every kind, offering complete services in every boosting sector: real estate, education, public health, technology, transport, business. Tallinn came with facts and figures to support the reputation of the country as a new, highly organized pole in the Baltic region for placing funds- and making something worthy out of it. 

business.tallinn.ee 

The Companies, StartUps and Apps you Would Love 

Can we hope as citizens, to witness in our lifetime the collection of our litter by a private company, that will eventually not burry them or burn them but recycle them in outer space? (After cleaning outer space of the existing remains of space waste?) In the video below a extract of the conversation between Astroscale founder Nobu Okada with journalist Jeremy Bell - one of the true WS19 highlights: 

Fülhaus is a turn-key interior design company that offers unique solutions for your short term rental interiors like Haus-in-a-Box, innovating the Haus here!  

Is there anything that Draper cannot achieve?(in photo bellow: one of the company's  lander in vivo). Probably NOT. 

AID apart from bringing together top software, robotics AI and automotive talent in order to deliver a flawless universal Autonomous Driving System -it  produced also the most catchy/fair trade canvas bag in the whole WS19 conference (in photo bellow): 

Share the way you see the world with wonderful Stroly app: 

Innovative School, European network of campuses that trains people to become daptable professionals for technology jobs - Wild Code School introduces a blended teaching approach we really cherish.  

AR has a new profiler: Artist. So does cryptobanking with borderless and smooth Fluency.

Piixpay empowers your crypto wallet with the ability to make payments in Euro world. 

Personalized gaming which turn reading, writing and learning about the world into so much fun, check the 2nd Winner of The WS19 PITCH, Banjo Robinson with your children or/and your students! 

Muse is an immersive meditation device that provides real-time feedback on your mental activity, heart rate, breathing and more. More than 100.000 users in the world experience the benefits of meditation by using Muse as their personal meditation assistant.

Finally an alternative solutions to meal vouchers. PerPranzo is an innovative lunch break management service for employees and professionals, completely dematerialized, fast and easy to use. 

Also feel free to check the following, ever-so-interesting: 

-BatteryPal, Poland (Hardware, IoT) 
-Avokaado, Estonia (Legal & Consultancy) 
-The Futures, UK (Advertising, Content & Marketing) 
-BaobabConnect, UK (Philanthropy & Social Good) 
-Ironhack, Portugal (Education) 
-20tree.ai, Portugal (Environmental, Cleantech) 
-Aest-Ethics, Denmark (E-commerce, Retail)

Our People’s TOP LIST + A4D-D4A Awards 

Best Journalist-Host: The ultra-talented and knowledgeable Alex Dean, FTI. 

Genius 4 All Award: A split this year between Andrew Hopkins, CEO of Exscientia and Philipp Gerbert, of Boston Consulting Group for their out-of-this-world presentations on drug design + AI and Quantum Computing challenges respectively.  

Inspiring Female Presence: Icon and scientist Dr. Constance Lehman, Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School & Massachusetts General Hospital.

Social figure –Public Speaker WS19: The amazing teacher and designer Rosanne Somerson (in photo bellow), President, Rhode Island School of Design. 

The E-Xpert Award: Dr. Rebecca Parsons (in photo bellow), on evolutionary architecture and governance, she re-invented the public speaker's game in WS19, regarding a subject we rarely hear about and even more rarely tend to (really) understand.  

The Fintech Unicorn Award: Deposit Solutions GmbH, because Banking can be Open indeed with ethics and moderation even in Germany.  

The Fin-Wizard Award: Simon Schmincke, partner in Creandum can explain monetary principles and current tendencies at large, without fear but with passion.  

EntrepreNovel Award WS 2019: Lightbox, the nexus between tech and traditional jewellery: diamonds made in the lab in 2 weeks for 800$ per carat. 

Entrepreneur Award WS 2019 - Generation Z: Another shared award between Bobby Healy (Manna, slide in photo bellow) and Nobu Okada (Astroscale). Obviously. 

Civil Society Award: António Campinos, President European Patent Office. When a project has being accomplished, it shows in the process and in the whole continent. Bravo EPO. 

WS 2019 Pitch Host Award: Margarida Ruela, Director of Product, AI, Feedzai at MoneyConf track for her extended knowledge of all related topics to the core throughout the different presentations.

Creative Guru + Design Hero Award: Legendary Mike McGee, co-founder & Chief Creative Officer, Framestore + the Creative Lady of UK design scene Charlie Smith, founder & Creative Director, Charlie Smith Design respectively.

Many thanks to the WS team, the Media Support, all the people working at the Venue and the City Of Lisbon for their patience, their kindness and their hospitality.  

Until next year, follow #WebSummit 

Best regards 

A4D-D4A💙💚 

NEXT: IN & OUT WEB SUMMIT 2019: Conclusions-The Ballot + Lisbon Architecture Triennale - ECONOMY OF MEANS Exhibition.   

INSIDE WEB SUMMIT 2019: WHAT’S BEEN ESSENTIALLY DISCUSSED – WHAT’S BEEN (IN)DEFINITELY DECIDED.

In picture above: featuring Astroscale, a global private space debris removal company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. 

Pivotal issues have been brought up and extensively discussed by scientists, creators, entrepreneurs, politicians, activists and attendees through live questioning and intervention through the Web Summit app in real time this year, via Slido. Here we go with the highlights but also the important sidekicks of this year’s most fascinating digital-and-beyond-that conference on the planet. 

Privacy and Security

Eric Snowden made his first public intervention after a longtime and with the opportunity of his freshly published memoir “Permanent record”, he explained in a truly cracking video the politics of corporate digital systems and their obligations regarding the privacy of the users, (extract in video bellow). His last quote on the matter coincided the closing of the conference 3 days after, with a promise by Margrethe Vestager throughout a brilliant conversation with Laurie Seagall. 

…“ The next generation of services and products that are about to outcompete everyone else are the ones that are designed in such a way that you don’t have to trust the services they intermediating your communications, you will only trust the people who are the ends of those communications: your friends, your community, the people you are actually about to connect with. That is the future of communication and that is the future of privacy”. 

As it was prominently affirmed in the new and rising star conference Collision running already in Toronto, Canada this year, “Silicon Valley brought to the scene a business model introduced by certain companies there and proved to be utterly destructive. We all ended sleepwalking into a world of technology authoritarianism where uncontrolled giants do what they want”… 

Commissioner Executive Vice President-Designate of the European Commission for a Europe fit for the Digital Age from 2019, Mrs Vestager accented in her full-on positive energy and constructive optimism statements, closing the event, “We have new technologies but not new values, to make them both serve us the best way possible. In the real world we decide what to accept and what not to accept. Why we cannot do that in the digital world?... Privatized  de-facto manipulation is not democracy. …How much data can be collected about us in the era of AI? …We have digital rights  but we are in great difficulty to enforce them, in real life….We need to create something to control the dark side”. 

Lots of food for thought there, should the old system is broken, it cannot be fixed anymore. In that case demolition is a one-way solution and not restoration or refurbishment.
  
AI and Robots 

“I feel if we make machines only look as objects, things- then we are alienating them: we alienate ourselves. There is a clear market demand for more generally intelligent machines. Emphasis on AI research is addressing these questions. One of the most common responses is we should not make them human-like. That is very common plus we should always make them under control, chained or in chains if you will.” 
David Hanson of Hanson Robotics on Robot design in during his Web Summit 2019 Press conference alongside Sophia the Robot. 

AI and Robots are about to take (almost) every major industry by storm: From creativity and animation, to pharmaceutical industry and drug research (: where AI strives for non-animal testing and cruelty-free concoctions whereas countries regulations will allow it so) to climate change fight, public health-insurance  and diagnostics especially in large markets like China and the U.S.A- generative AI especially will transform media, society but also HR, services, education and recreation. Can and should machines have rights since they do not have a conscience though? Is this a philosophical or a logical issue? We talk abut moral rights or civil rights? It seems that autonomy will bring up the rights issue plus the whole jurisdictional framework for robots in the future, since autonomous decisions can also conclude to mistakes. Intelligence and consciousness are two different things and they do not both exist in robots, nevertheless that is another topic to consider and its repercussions (also on the subject of merging AI and human intelligence: cyborgism). 

In photo bellow roboticist Fouzia Adjailia discusses with her co-speakers if Robots do have, should have and will have rights (?) 

Enjoy an in-depth analysis by recreational robot P.K.Dick inspired by the author’s Exegesis of P.K Dick essays, in a delightful conversation with Ben Goertzel, altogether a truly wonderful experience inside WS19 Press conference room- this is the level incredible scientists like B.Goertzel and David Hanson have reached right now, provided that Phil is connected to Cloud, and not carrying his system individually like Sophia, giving out a unique shared experience of his performance: 

Education and Work 

“The biggest competence is to know how to learn and not what to learn, cos this way you become adoptive and resilient, an extremely important aspect in our times- you need to decipher credible knowledge from nonsense …Therefore children should learn to monitor their own learning and become engaged learners.” 

So pleased to hear those positions by the charismatic Dr. Mmantsetsa Marope, director of UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education (IBE ) and her co-speakers again on the Future Societies pitch.

Coding is (like) a new syntax and it should be introduced in pre-primary education, very early that is. The coding is not the “devil” in the classroom at all, how to combine multiple literacies is the biggest challenge towards a sustainable educational model. The 
entrepreneurial  aspect is also a key factor but not without the talented teacher who will inspire and engage the learners. 

Education in design and work in the sector, applies mobility as an important factor nowadays. Global versus local might be a trap notion since a solid value system can have that aspect as a non-influential one and since new visual tools can unite us all and help us work together. People working in more dynamic ways than the 9 to 5 model (note: only 9% of global population identifies to a 9-to-5 scheme) and designers especially, being more and more important and in demand, are in search of global platforms. One of the principles of borderless design is that people actually are the Key and not a border definition- identity borders can be more evident in that case than just strict national borders.  

Money and Fintech 

What is every bank should have? What is every Currency should have? Is Cash forever Dead? 

The essential technologies to design a bank in the future already started (ex. Lloyds): Augmented Reality, VR, open APIs to 3rd parties, will create new ecosystems. Customers expectations are changing because finances are changing, should we say dramatically.  The brand experience is today holistic and banks do not compete against other banks anymore but with FCBK, Apple et al. In the West one bank is closing per day says Tim Kobe of Eight Inc. the wise man of design, therefore values should be created and traditional banks should start acting as compelling brands instead of being just till operators and fatally injured finally. It is not about working on the digital or the physical environment, it is all about concentrating on Purpose and Material at the same time, create partnerships and recognize that we serve people predominantly and we need to focus on the human outcome, being a bank or any other fintech.  

With China establishing Blockchain in its banks in the near future, not being afraid of any old banking status-quo like it happens in Europe and in the U.S.A and recording artists like Akon establishing Acoin in Africa primarily, one thing is certain: Value nowadays is not only Monetary and currency might not be translated to an arithmetic value a government instruct us. The accessibility to more choices is the step to go for the customer from Blockchain and Fintech merging but moving to an entirely cachless world is a bit further down the road. Printed, physical money is still a reality and a costly yet profitable one for countries like Germany for instance, but mobile transactions/payments are still impossible in many non-digitized parts of the world. 

“The future is already here. It is just unevenly distributed”, William Gibson. 

Fashion, Branding and Creativity 

Two macrochanges seem to happen right now: 1. The Product and its Storytelling are of equal importance. The implication of the audience becomes by its immediate interaction to this storytelling experience. 2. A brand today has to be attributed as a Person and not just as two flat pictures and a logo, hoping to get away with it. To stay relevant a brand in fashion or elsewhere, needs to have three things: a good product, a great storytelling to surround it and core digital technology. Furthermore, purpose and ethics are not to be considered as pure trends but as meaningful guidelines, otherwise people tend to reject even the most attractive product in fashion (Fashion Pact was voted in G7 Summit, in Biarritz this year – Zac Posen ceased activity of his couture house). The future design for a brand has to be inclusive, flexible/adoptive, human and moving. The idea of a hero designer is also an outdated thing , insight into the process is the key to success and amplified research of course, remains on top of the list in order to create an appealing project or product. 

Bellow: Legendary Rankin and his comrades in Modum stage in company of Natalie Salmon, expressing his doubts about Instagram, FaceTune and going through his photographic chronicles from the Dazed and Confused times in the late 90’s, until his recent works today. 

Exclamation mark + fact: The EU Investment Bank financed through the Horizon 2020 program the continent with 11 billion euro last year, 1.4 of which aimed at building a low-carbon future*- check more in the campaign.
  

TO BE CONTINUED

NEXT: Web Summit 2019, the Cartography of a Global Network - Inventory of apps, startups, companies, people + more to Explore and Remember + A4D-D4A Awards! 

All the Best 4 Now 

A4D-D4A<3   

The Bauhaus android & app + just a breath away from Web Summit 2019...

With the opportunity of the exhibition "From Building to Community: Ioannis Despotopoulos and the Bauhaus" by the Benaki Museum in Athens in collaboration with Goethe Institute for the 100 years of the school/ institution/ movement - lots of words were spoken (again) on the significance of the Bauhaus methodology in design education in current times. A Bauhaus android including an app and a separate browser are even mentionned to accelerate new home schooling programs and intensify dynamic foundation courses in applied arts, architecture and product design. Thus said, expanding the Bauhaus experience of teaching-learning and vice versa to the digital era using new tools and coding, could mean a U-turn in the educational crisis especially in public school and universities, whereas the unstable economy hits hard the state budget- among other sectors. 

(In photo bellow - VR your way inside a building designed by Greek Bauhausian pioneer architect I. Despotopoulos, one of the highlights of the exhibition, by SANE IND. & Cadu Architects:)

Speaking of the devil, and of all things digital, Web Summit is launching again this year a brilliant program of speakers, workshops, startups and parallel events and we are more than happy and excited to reveal some of those secrets the following days, inside the conference in Lisbon, Portugal. Please stay tuned for news, questions, discussions, solutions, devices, inventions plus more on the hot topics of fintech, data, sustainability, robotics, design, branding, education, fashion, supply chain, gastronomy, deep space, health and wellbeing. On top of that, our usual habit to follow some of the creative events around the town in our In & Out Web Summit posts, will carry some surprises, as always...😊

1st post on Web Summit 2019 towards the 12/11- in the meantime for updates, videos and live mini-reports come along with us in FCBK, where you can like and follow our page!

Best 4 All and Bloody More Than That 💙💚
A4D-D4A

Gatherings: Are 70's aesthetics stronger than us?

In picture above, the space contains (clockwise and from top to bottom): 

Air purifier PuriCare and video wall-commercial monitor by LG, Discovery Space lighting system by Artemide, Kartell wall hooks-coat hanger by Olaf Von Bohr, woolen coat by Esprit, Nokia 7.1 android mobile, VITAXFLY (neck) 

and MAJALOTTA cushions by IKEA, TATONKA isothermal blanket, retractable-anatomical bed by DiaMedical USA.

Bellow: Interior design and decoration for cosy country house attic, 1974-75, Encyclopedia of Interiors and Architecture- Do It Your Self (Kissos Publishers, Athens, GR).

Youth culture, accumulation and re-use, collectivity and collectability, environmental movement, women's rights, anti-war riots, pop-art, ethnic (and actual) patchwork. From the Earth Day Poster on 22/4/1970 by Robert Leydenfrost (in picture bellow) and the grid pattern of Quaderna Table by Superstudio Zanotta , from the Noce lamp by Achille Castiglioni in 1972- to the primary colours of Ernö Rubik Rubik's Cube in 1974, the New Ethnic bracelets by Charles Loloma (1975) to the Proust Chair pre-digital haiku by Alessandro Mendini in 1978: the 70's are more relevant than ever, marking the design stories of today and tomorrow. The system of values of the 70's era returns, (not that it was ever absent as it proves to be the case), raising the same questions, only this time, under the emergency status of the current situation of climate change and post-disaster scenarios. The fact of being also interconnected and almost entirely digitally implemented as a society, translates the 70's design in its most intense - and visually exciting - version, made-to-measure to the communities' multiple needs and the challenging times the planet is facing in terms of resources and socio-economical complications. The Seventies launched the process of (design) detox, liberating spirit, unexpected combinations and Futuralia not just Futurama: a statement about the home interiors especially that favoured comfort, color, re-thinking and re-directing the house utilities and objects 360 degrees - and finally, trully contemplating on nature, food, materials, social engineering and a good life expectancy - not just hope for survival. 

The exercise to translate our contemporary interiors and design in general, out of the 70's Manual appears to be a safe bet to become (more) argumentative and innovative on the solutions we provide on a human scale and beyond that. The attempt is promising to say the least and it does not just create a continuation legacy but an re-evaluation of our living standard through the perpective of 70's design; the result is more than interesting, it is life-changing. 

All the Best😊

A4D-D4A

NEXT: Web Summit 2019 is approaching and we are ready to rock with it! Stay tuned for our first post regarding our schedule at the event, towards the end of the month!!!!