Rights through Making

By creative Agent Ambra Trotto (IT)

Rights through Making is an international research project, which started in 2007 and whose founders are the Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Industrial Design (the Netherlands) and the University of Florence, Department of Technologies of Architecture and Design “P. Spadolini” (Italy). The scope is to promote a new way of thinking elicited by products that empower people towards the realization of the values expressed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. By bringing together designers from different cultures, the communication about the declaration through doing, i.e. designing together, is enhanced: we believe in communication through working together. Words often divide, work unites. Improving communication is also about culture, in this case the culture of doing. We are rapidly losing essential design craftsmanship, saper fare. By using these skills in the context of the newest technology they acquire a new dimension that will safeguard their survival, and indeed, guarantee their expansion. This experiment aims to explore and validate the Rights through Making approach in a virtual collaboration. Instead of inviting designers to work together in a same place, we propose that the design process happens online and everybody contributes to it, by submitting his point of view to a common design space. This minimizes discussions and maximize constructiveness.

27 participants from 10 different nationalities, with completely different professional backgrounds, bravely accepted to participate to this experimental Rights through Making workshop. The online workshop is an experiment that started Monday May 3rd and finished Saturday May 8th 2010. The theme was “Design a wearable means dedicated to elderly people, which empowers people towards the values expressed in the article 26 of the UDHR (rights to education)”. This workshop was the start-up of the project Longer Participation, part of Transplant, Ideal Lab’.

“Rights Through Making” online platform

The Story bracelet, a concept of Rights through Making

By creative Agents Ralston & Bau (NO)

The bracelet is a wearable that can be used by seniors and young, men and women.

It could be used as:
– A longterm “ticket” for public transport on which is included a GPS probe so that the person wearing it can be tracked if “lost”
– It could have a LCD screen and be a receiver and transmit short texts with the latest cultural events in the city: event at the library, expos, theatre, when squeezed. This would inspire for more cultural consumption and ultimately more open-mindedness.
– A game between old and young: On each bracelet there is printed the start of a story: “I was scared….”, “It was a sunny day….” on gives the bracelet to the other and the receiver should continue the story using its memories or fantasy. This way the two generations get to know each other better and knowledge and experience is shared in a fun, equal and natural manner. The story chosen direct the story told making for a genuine collaborative process.

The bracelets can be worn and cherished as one remember the stories told and moment shared.

Game= Transport of knowledge
Bracelet= Transport of emotions