Domus Academy Design Talks Kick Off at BASE Milano with Utopia Theme

The first of four Design Talks by Domus Academy took place on September 4, 2017, at BASE Milano, titled 'Prototyping Ideas: Utopia'. Moderated by design critic Alice Rawsthorn, the panel included artist Alexander Groves (co-founder of Studio Swine), design radical expert Peter T. Lang, and writer/theorist Bruce Sterling. Rawsthorn argued that design historically helps navigate utopian possibilities and dystopian dangers, especially in turbulent times. Lang discussed Thomas More's 'Utopia' as an open project encompassing antithetical, peripheral, nomadic, and virtual elements. Sterling spoke about his adopted city Turin, focusing on planners who used ballet and opera for public relations. Groves analyzed Fordlandia, Henry Ford's 1928 prefabricated city in the Amazon, now a dystopian reality where rubber-collecting communities remain. The event also featured designers Matteo Cibic, Licia Florio, Francio Ferrari, Francesco Franchi, Francesca Lanzavecchia, Daniele Bortotto, and illustrators from the Illustratore Italiano network. Upcoming talks: Local on October 30, Nurture on January 15, 2018, and Waste on March 12, 2018.