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Out of focus - The limits of a borderline profession

Hopf, Andreas LU ; Motte, Damien LU orcid and Nordin, Axel LU (2010) 25th Cumulus Conference 25/10 p.9-9
Abstract
The elusive chimaera “design” has been, in turn, an idea, a plan, a purpose, a sketch, a process, the result of a process, the core of a profession and the core of emerging professions… As such, the concept of what design is, will remain contradictory and resist to being ever determined in the absolute: the limitations of design are those that are imposed by those who define them. On an abstract level, there is no fear and there are no boundaries; but then, stretching the term to verge on the all-encompassing for a political agenda, the design profession and its research community is already instrumental for disentitling it of relevance: positioning design as the panacea for all problems afflicting the world. If design and design research... (More)
The elusive chimaera “design” has been, in turn, an idea, a plan, a purpose, a sketch, a process, the result of a process, the core of a profession and the core of emerging professions… As such, the concept of what design is, will remain contradictory and resist to being ever determined in the absolute: the limitations of design are those that are imposed by those who define them. On an abstract level, there is no fear and there are no boundaries; but then, stretching the term to verge on the all-encompassing for a political agenda, the design profession and its research community is already instrumental for disentitling it of relevance: positioning design as the panacea for all problems afflicting the world. If design and design research will ever mature, the reflections on it will have to be put into a context: if there can ever be a design science – as long as it remains a science of the artificial, linked to human activity – it will be irredeemably linked to a field of application. Otherwise, it will lead to cursory outcomes of shallow depth, promoting a process of mere scientification and aggrandisation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to conference
publication status
published
subject
keywords
industrial design, industridesign, machine design, maskinkonstruktion
pages
1 pages
conference name
25th Cumulus Conference 25/10
conference location
Genk, Belgium
conference dates
2010-06-26 - 2010-06-29
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
44fc0eb6-b8eb-4399-9c5a-22c5d3cf6f03 (old id 3052127)
alternative location
https://cumulusassociation.org/resources/conference-proceedings/
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:41:42
date last changed
2023-03-14 02:15:15
@misc{44fc0eb6-b8eb-4399-9c5a-22c5d3cf6f03,
  abstract     = {{The elusive chimaera “design” has been, in turn, an idea, a plan, a purpose, a sketch, a process, the result of a process, the core of a profession and the core of emerging professions… As such, the concept of what design is, will remain contradictory and resist to being ever determined in the absolute: the limitations of design are those that are imposed by those who define them. On an abstract level, there is no fear and there are no boundaries; but then, stretching the term to verge on the all-encompassing for a political agenda, the design profession and its research community is already instrumental for disentitling it of relevance: positioning design as the panacea for all problems afflicting the world. If design and design research will ever mature, the reflections on it will have to be put into a context: if there can ever be a design science – as long as it remains a science of the artificial, linked to human activity – it will be irredeemably linked to a field of application. Otherwise, it will lead to cursory outcomes of shallow depth, promoting a process of mere scientification and aggrandisation.}},
  author       = {{Hopf, Andreas and Motte, Damien and Nordin, Axel}},
  keywords     = {{industrial design; industridesign; machine design; maskinkonstruktion}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{9--9}},
  title        = {{Out of focus - The limits of a borderline profession}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/9129372/3052147.pdf}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}