ozimek

I'm always very thankful when someone comes along and forces me to reconsider what I had previously understood to be the best solution to a problem or the best way to understand a situation. Most of the time its so obvious, but i'm so caught up in dwelling on my present solution (which is often unrealized) that I forget to question myself and the way i'm thinking. I feel that that is what Edward Ozimek did with his lecture.

Design forces me to have a positive attitude about its own possibilities- you have to believe in it in order to devote so much time and thought to it. For that reason, I love that he used the word 'bleak' several times with regard to architecture and design. It takes alot of wisdom and honesty to say that we can't always 'design ourselves out of a situation.' I actually feel a little relieved, that's quite a burden.

I have enjoyed the hope and positivity that Massive Change puts forth with its interdiscipline approach to design. I like that it doesn't say to revert to old ways but invites us to create new ways of solving important problems. I think that this attitude is useful in envisioning ways to create solutions to problems that we face right now. But the points that Edward Ozimek brought up seems to be a recurring tension between the role of the individual vs the grand design, or daily decisions vs. orchestrated/designed infrastructure. I was glad to hear a designer challenge the power of design and place some emphasis on the human element and daily life.