How arts and crafts benefit from the modern technologies and AI without losing their authenticity? Defining authenticity and preparing for the changes in design field.
“With AI’s integration into the fields of art and craft, I believe it will be more important than ever to tap into our intuitive senses — calling on the deep knowledge of what it means to be human and drive from there. AI can offer us time and space to explore new levels of thinking and expression. But this potential is only meaningful if we stay in the driving seat — steering with imagination and embodied guidance, rather than submitting to the seductive shortcuts of superficial ‘ok-ness’. Authenticity in my opinion, then, becomes a commitment to inner listening and integrity in a world of accelerating tools.”
Cities are expanding rapidly, and the impact of dense human-oriented urban systems on eco-systems is directly and indirectly huge. How can designed urban systems co-exist with local biodiversity without disturbing the ecosystem?
“As we face ecological collapse, I believe the design field must urgently expand its perspective to include the more-than-human world. We need to reimagine what a good and meaningful everyday life looks like — one that stays within planetary boundaries and enables all forms of life to thrive. Design has shaped our habits and desires in the past — mostly in service of economic growth. The question now is: can we apply those same powerful methods to cultivate new desires and practices that serve life, and inspiring the most powerful actor — humans — to choose to live in harmony and respect with other beings.”
Possible Design Futures? Exploring global trends and challengies locally. Shaping the future of design industry and environment.
As design evolved into a strategic tool aligned with business, it often emphasized its servant role — solving problems and meeting client needs — but in the process, lost much of its visionary and leadership capacity. I believe the next evolution of design requires us to reclaim that visionary power. Just as Alvar Aalto imagined a more human-centric modern life from the 1920s to the 1970s, we must now imagine the transition from the 2020s to the 2070s. What do we want to preserve from the past, and what must we hospice? This evolution moves beyond human-centricity toward ecosystem well-being, and from material-based craft toward making sense of the intangible complexities of our time.
But one big question remains: how do we fund this work? Who are the industrial patrons of the 2020s who will help shape this future vision — just as the Ahlström-Gullichsen family supported Aalto’s bold ideas in his time?
