In 1972, the report commissioned by the Club of Rome from MIT professor Dennis Meadows sounded the alarm: “Stop growth!”. Since the late 1960s, researchers around the world have been highlighting the overconsumption caused by a frantic race for growth. Yet the protests and warnings of the 1960s and 1970s were not followed by the necessary action. But today, society is becoming aware of the dead end of the growth dogma. Numerous citizen-led initiatives demonstrate an interest in more sustainable lifestyles.
This exhibition explores the role that design can play in this social movement. Can we rethink design? Can we use design methods to reduce waste? Which projects encourage a reduction in the consumption of raw materials and fossil fuels? Does non-profit design exist? Coming from a generation whose values are shifting, young designers no longer feel galvanised by the mass production of consumer goods. They are passionate about finding processes, methods and tools that are more respectful of the environment and resources, and which promote a fairer distribution of profits.
The limits to growth! begins by presenting a selection of critical works by artists who highlight, often with humour, the flaws in the dominant system of which they are nevertheless a part. Next, six avenues for reflection propose alternatives for a more sustainable design: voluntary simplicity, recycling, local production, low-tech, the fight against planned obsolescence, and the emergence of new economic models. And whilst no single approach is perfect or sufficient, each has the merit of raising awareness and demonstrating that it is possible to think about design differently.
Liste designers
François Azambourg, Audrey Bigot, Thomas Billas, CTRLZAK, Cléa Di Fabio, ECAL / Damien Ludi, Colin Peillex, Floris Hovers, L'Increvable, Hugo Meert, Christien Meinderstma, Antoine Monnet, Jennifer Morone, Henrique Nascimento, Norm Architects, OpenStructures in collaboration with Diane Steverlynck &, Maud Vande Veire, Jian Da Huang and Jasmijn Muskens, Rikkert Paauw, Mathilde Pellé, Olivier Peyricot, Julien Phedyaeff, Amaury Poudray, OpenStructures, Studio GGSV, Studio Gorm, Studio Swine, Studio Simple, Gabriel Tan, Thomas Thwaites, Laurent Tixador, Lenka Vackova, Weilun Tseng
