Pop-up exhibition in Växjö highlights the role of design in society
A staircase, a ramp or a bench at a railway station. All are examples of things in our everyday lives that we often do not notice. However, the design of public spaces in our society is created with a high level of awareness – not least from a design perspective. This is something students Louise and Liv have explored in depth during the past few months while taking part in the development of the exhibition “You Design”.
Through the exhibition, they want to spark visitors’ curiosity about the urban environment and how its design affects us in different ways – depending on our needs and circumstances. Louise explains that what makes life easier for one person can be an obstacle for another. One example is benches in public spaces, which are often designed in a way that prevents people from sleeping on them.
“Choosing to place armrests in the middle of a bench and to angle the seating surface is part of a design strategy to discourage an unwanted behaviour – namely, preventing homeless people from using them as beds,” Liv explains.
The students are in their second year of the Design+Change programme, an education characterised by sustainability from multiple perspectives.
“With our exhibition, we want to promote discussion around the societal challenges we face today. We want to influence society in a positive direction and show that design has an important role to play in the transition towards a more sustainable future,” says Louise.
Visitors to “You Design” are invited to reflect and interact with the forms and messages presented in the exhibition. Liv explains that they want visitors to become curious and broaden their perspectives on how our shared spaces are designed and what consequences this has.
“Our hope is to raise awareness of how design influences human behaviour, and that all design is created with many parameters in mind. No design is neutral – everything is developed with a particular type of use and a desired behaviour in focus,” says Louise.
Louise and Liv are two of the students involved in the project, but the exhibition is a collaboration between all second-year students on the Design+Change programme.
“It’s been great fun to collaborate in a larger group and to practise working like professional designers on a real project. We’ve learned a lot along the way, and creating our own exhibition hasn’t been nearly as scary as you might think,” Liv says, laughing.
The pop-up exhibition will be open from 3.00–6.00 pm at the following locations and dates:
- Monday 9 February: junction of Storgatan and Willans Park, Växjö
- Tuesday 10 February: Växjö railway station building
- Wednesday 11 February: junction of Storgatan and Willans Park, Växjö
- Thursday 12 February: Växjö railway station building