Design Sojourn

This does sound like a joke, but I don’t think so.

It often happens that first world ideology is used in an “I know what’s good for you, and you should listen to me” manner and end up causing problems with third world people perhaps more interested in other self-preservation activities. That OLPC was one such project that suffered such a fate.

Perhaps it is about time to flip this approach on its head and look at this from another viewpoint, a viewpoint that really is all about going back to the basics. Maybe:

First World problems demand Simple Third World solutions.

Can third world countries help first world countries save themselves from their problems such as low birth rates, obesity, unsustainable living and food production etc.? Or will this end up to be another OLPC project, but in reverse?

Fortunately, this somehow makes sense. Modern living complicates our lives to the extreme with a number of side effects such as a sedentary living leading to obesity. We were so much healthier and sustainable in the past. Perhaps we do need to look back at our simpler times to better understand how we got to where we are now and how we can fix our first world problems.

Our fellows in the first world often come to visit and give us their well intentioned but often very problematic “solutions”. We thought, why don’t we pay back? Dx1W is a competition for designers, artists, scientists, makers and thinkers in developing countries to provide solutions for First World problems.

Dx1W has pro­claimed 2010 Inter­na­tional Year of the First World in Need, and has defined four main areas to address: Food Pro­duc­tion and Eat­ing Dis­or­ders, Aging Pop­u­la­tion and Low Birth rate, Immi­gra­tion and Inte­gra­tion to Soci­ety, Sus­tain­abil­ity and Over consumption.

The Dx1W com­pe­ti­tion is addressed to the devel­op­ing coun­tries of the world: All cre­ative solu­tions depend on hav­ing a pow­er­ful idea. Whether it’s great resources, mil­i­tary, pol­i­tics or gov­ern­ment, power and size are not enough with­out hav­ing a pow­er­ful vision. The First World needs our ideas to solve their prob­lems. First World prob­lems demand Sim­ple Third World solutions. From today on The Third World will bring ideas to redesign the future of the First World.

The dead­line for submissions is May 30st, 2010 11:59 p.m. EST. Visit the official site for more information and to sign up. I’m looking forward to the results of this competition.

Via: Gems Sty

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