Lorenzo Imbesi Tans. by Zheng Hui

When exploring and outlining the most recent generational developments in design research, the main problem compared to past movements is establishing a general pattern for the characteristics of form, the ideas, the areas of research, the debates, the favoured locations, the key gatherings, and even the anthropological features that would help us to present this D-Generation. The subject of our study is multifaceted. It is made up of mobile and disjointed groups that have numerous, unstable forms and above all it does not describe itself with rigid classif i cations but instead refers to boundaries,crossovers and dif f erences. In other words, it is diffi cult to provide a general overview of the young generation’s output. This means that only a partial outline can be mapped out, one that encompasses the overlapping and the conf i nes crossed, the networks and connections,the paths and strategies.

Rather than establishing a structural order with classes and concise typological categories that permanently designate a single and irreversible temporal identity, perhaps it is more useful, as is occurring more and more frequently, to sketch out a sort of operational atlas of the area in which the new generation moves,with instability and plurality as a constituent part. This is the methodological and critical approach most in tune with young design, which is often inherently ‘undisciplined’ and actually considers true innovation to mean breaking the rules, so much so that it often becomes standard procedure and a research method.First and foremost, it is important to point out that in sociological terms, the category of youth as an independent consumer group came into being in the 1950s. This situation was brought about by a combination of schooling for all, the spread of the mass media(cinema, radio and music) and new urban scenarios. However, while initially it marked the passage from education to employment, it is now continually expanding, thus breaking down the traditional age limits.immediately before it, a glance at the contemporary design scenario reveals the greater pluralism of languages. These forms of expression favour eclecticism, mixing, shared presences, contradiction, diversity,crossovers and hybrids. The younger generations take a very similar ethical and methodological approach to hackers and DJs, preferring to span various styles and genres through repetition and sampling, as often happens in f i lm or literary cut-ups, thus going beyond the traditional categories. What emerges is a sort of supermarket of styles, or even of indif f erence, the result of rearranging and remixing. Similarly, fashion studies theorist Ted Polhemus states ‘a(chǎn)s in pop music, the predominant tendency in appearance style today relies upon sampling and mixing diverse, eclectic, often contradictory elements into a unique, personal statement. Celebrating the confusion and diversity of our age, we surf through both history and geography to f i nd our own reality - in the mix.’

Can we still speak of the avant-garde? What aesthetics can embody contemporary complexity and diversity?

While formalism has now taken on a negative meaning due to its dogmatic self-referencing, the aesthetic issue is not resolved in style,but rather in the complex relationship between language, behaviour,technology, creativity, research and social environment. A dynamic and lively scenario emerges, showing provocative and radical aspects in places. It is dedicated to more emotional and visionary forms,including play, chance, uselessness, complexity and ugliness. It often takes a leading role in conceptual activities which at times border on the absurd and on gratuitous Dadaism, genuine political declarations to spotlight its unyielding refusal of recognized canons.

The ‘inevitable ornaments‘ shown at Droog such as interactive wallpaper (Simon Heijdens), decorative radiators (Joris Laarman),switches with f l oral motifs (Mina Wu), sticky tape to create unique frames (Martí Guixé), and even furniture and walls decorated by insects or rats (Front), contrast with the minimal and functional modernist tradition of Northern design, and even with the manifesto of the Dutch brand itself, which promotes clean-cut design with no frills. The new decorativism that we are witnessing has left behind superf i cially-applied false imitation and moved on to create new hybrid forms of expression.To go back to the def i nitions of De Saussure, the D_Generation would favour, rather than the establishment of a new language,the development of numerous dif f erent idioms, obtained through dynamically processing materials that already exist and are freed from their initial context in order to be transformed through contact with new environments or unprecedented combinations. This can be taken to the point of hybridization and corruption of genres and languages,similar to the new dialects that develop among emigrant populations in big cities (such as Spanglish, the variant of English used by Hispanics,or Englog, which is spoken in the Philippines).

Rather than creating new forms, they are reworking those that already exist. It is therefore a dynamic movement closely related to the times and those who modify the contents. It asserts itself by changing and transforming everyday reality.

The Practice of Everyday Life

Halfway through the 1970s, a French sociologist named Michel De Certau, whilst observing everyday life ‘from street level’, noted a reaction to the dynamics of production. Consumption was inf i ltrated by actions that were dispersed but intelligent, invisible yet creative.They were able to adapt the forms and structures imposed ‘from above’.

The scholar highlighted the value of active experience in consumer behaviour together with the extremely creative hidden capacity shown in ordinary use: everyday gestures can lead to potential adaption of goods which is not covered by the instructions, using new ideas that can give them new meaning.

‘The Practice of Everyday Life’ by De Certau ref l ects on a recurring theme in contemporary production by young people, identifying a tendency to experiment with behaviour and discover extraordinary aspects in ordinary things, playing with the elements of our everyday environments. This pattern is widely displayed across Italy in the generation of designers who have been involved with OPOS (to name just a few: Paolo Ulian, Enrico Azzimonti, Joe Velluto and Donata Paruccini). Over the years this project has continually promoted forms of design which are not constrained by market logic.

Design is becoming a diagram of relationships which sketches out behaviours, rather than ref l ecting practical functions in structural authenticity. Genuine behavioural items are produced through careful observation of consumption, allowing the new forms that are hidden there to be identif i ed. Fingerbiscuit imitates the act of dipping a f i nger in a jar of Nutella; Pagina encourages people to graffi ti the walls in public toilets; Mat Walk is perfect for moving across the bathroom f l oor (Paolo Ulian). As is shown by the Design alla Coop experience in Italy, the interest of the young design generation in the habits and the smallest gestures in the world around us is brought to life through focusing on a few small objects which we do not see because they are concealed by their ordinary simplicity, but which make up our physical environment and our collective abstract imagery. Intelligibility of everyday life is a form of knowledge that often lacks rules. It must be carefully studied for a full grasp of all the hidden and complex meanings.

Ethnographic observation, behaviour, consumption, design and production are almost blended together, displaying playful attitudes,chance, unpredictableness, research and avant-garde gestures which are however purged of the ideology of the historical movements and instead incorporate eclectic pluralism and the complexity of contemporary languages. Somewhere between situationist provocation and crossover confrontation, critical ref l ections are made on the historicized tradition of industrial design.

Items do not just do things; they make sure things get done. They provoke actions on the part of consumers, who go from being passive receivers to active participants in the creative modif i cation of forms,mapping out new stories for objects.

Playful tricks

A means of introducing play into design is through allegory in the form of objects, as well as the magical enchantment of symbols which can recreate the attraction and af f ection of an emotional relationship in the home. Using a form of animism of objects, which in turn are turned into simulacra, leads to the creation of the symbolic power which is part of the magical landscape of the imagination that allows things to be seen with new eyes and the construction of cultural connections. This kind of work revolves around observation.

Another method is to interpret games as playful activities which bring the lives of adults closer to the growth and experimentation experienced by children. Johan Huizinga (1938) distinguishes between the structured and competitive game, with its standardized patterns, and play, which involves experimenting with behaviour and the discipline, along with the f i elds of intervention, the tools, the preparation process and even the f i nal results.

More than twenty years ago, computers were essentially seen as professional equipment, except when they became games machines in the hands of teenage IT geeks. They have now spread into every aspect of our everyday lives – as well as at work, we also use them at home, at school and in our free time. This has brought about a re-evaluation of their usability by a broader range of people, who are closer to the role of consumers than that of experts in the f i eld.Initially Human-Centred Design, Human-Computer Interaction,interface design, and then experience design, ubiquitous computing and social networking have placed humans at the heart of projects in order to seek out the most natural forms of interaction and accept the challenge posed by the dematerialization processes af f ecting contemporary products. Design research focuses on immaterial models, in other words establishing which forms are able to concretely express behaviour and experiences. They do this by studying the aesthetics of the new information technologies, which have transformed behaviour and living habits. We have gone from usability to sociality (Bill Moggridge).

From a hard reading of technology, with an appearance which highlights the cultural break and its dif f erences with the objects to which we were accustomed, a soft form of research has developed.Technology is no longer displayed as a carefully positioned item of value, but hidden inside the objects with which we interact in everyday life, in order to make it familiar. In 2004’s ‘This is today’exhibition at Milan’s Trienniale, the young students from the Interaction Design Institute in Ivrea presented extremely ‘friendly’digital technology which was combined with products from the mechanical era. There was an Olivetti ‘Lettera 22’ typewriter that could send emails, a classic Fiat 500 able to download MP3s when it was being f i lled up with petrol, and interactive wallpaper that displayed incoming text messages. The experience of the school from Ivrea was only a brief one, but it created a group of young people who would combine creativity and technological innovation in new products and would be scattered across the globe, working in advanced environments such as the MIT or IDEO, or going into business on their own.

Similarly, the research carried out in the Design Interactions department at London’s Royal College of Art aims to focus on the new roles, contexts and approaches to design taking into account the social, cultural and ethical impact of emerging and existing technology, in order to investigate options for their presentation and appearance in normal life and everyday environments. In addition to experimenting with the communication and expressive potential of digital means, the school is also keen to broaden its horizons by looking into biotechnology and nanotechnology, which are now moving out of the research laboratory and into everyday life. As is shown by the Eden ADN exhibition in St. Etienne in 2006 and the more recent Design and the Elastic Mind at MoMA in New York, the interests of design research are moving into the living world, reworking nature’s forms by modifying their appearance and function.

Bees are used to diagnose illnesses (BEE’S, New Organs of Perception, Susana Soares), bodies are modif i ed to respond to new genetic challenges (The Race, Michael Burton; Body Modif i cation for Love project, Michiko Nitta; Genetic Trace, Susana Soares) and biojewels made from bone tissue produced with donated cells help to unite couples (Biojewellery, Kerridge/Stott/Thompson). Humans as a biological entity are seen as subjects for design projects and bodies are viewed as materials to work on. By incorporating foreign tissues such as genetically modif i ed organisms, designers broaden the biological catalogue and present possible future scenarios with great visionary fantasy, thus raising inevitable questions about ethics and the limits of the creative process.

Critical actions

In the late 1990s, twenty-year-old Ora Ito faked commissions from famous international brands and published virtual designs for products on his website, breaking every possible rule on counterfeiting and international copyright law. Paradoxically, though,his irreverent actions as a design hacker brought him a number of genuine commissions from the same brands, rather than lawsuits for forgery.

This freelancer now enjoys great fame. The thinking behind his work gained it a place in the ‘Société du spectacle’, whose rules he has learnt, and through it he is able to transform this society’s shared meanings. With goods now dif f used throughout all forms of social expression, in which the spectacular nature is a measure of their appeal, young designers have become fully aware of their fundamental role and move in the same areas as the market,building up critical know-how through crossovers, deformation and alteration, which can uncover the interlaying independent factors and break down their organization in an unprecedented manner. Just as tricksters play with stealth and subterfuge that can develop on the spot, the D_Generation knows and works to its own advantage all of the opportunities and tools provided by the mass media, marketing and communication, often challenging their meaning and f i nding new ways to reappropriate, or even expropriate, their connotations and ideas.

The subvertising produced by Adbusters takes on an even more political meaning by exercising the right to free speech and by fi ghting the manipulation and excessive nature of consumerism.

Their acts of cultural sabotage directly attack the semiotic systems of information providers and television broadcasters, ironically modifying advertising from big international corporations through a situationist rereading of the original message which highlights its social, cultural and ecological values. Through alienation and détournement, this culture jamming aims to deconstruct texts,images and meanings dif f used by the media industry in order to distort their ideological and advertising functions and bring about new critical awareness in consumers.

With a focus on promoting the value of public spaces and design culture in the city, the young Milanese collective Esterni puts together initiatives and events, which can be shared horizontally outside the spaces offi cially designated for design culture, such as during the Salone del Mobile in Milan. Taking an open source approach, the socializing potential of urban living is rediscovered through temporary collective reappropriation of public places and the creation of an artistic environment with a social dimension.Over the last ten years, a movement of young people has been challenging the idea that the sole aim of design and its products should be the manufacture of goods for the market and the consumer society. Critical design (A. Dunne) revolves around the role that

譯文：

和過去相比，如果要探索和概述設(shè)計研究最新的發(fā)展，主要的問題是為形式、思想、研究領(lǐng)域、最受青睞的位置，甚至人類學特征的特點建立一個通用模式，這個通用模式將有助于我們呈現(xiàn)“D世代”。我們研究的主題是多方面，研究由移動的，不連貫的各個部分組成。換句話說，為年輕一代給出大體的概述是一件非常困難的事情，這意味著只能繪制部分的輪廓。與其建立一個明確的秩序結(jié)構(gòu)，羅列出簡明的類別，用來永久標出單一不可逆的暫時特性，還不如簡要地出描繪新一代設(shè)計發(fā)展的戰(zhàn)略地圖。這種做法也許更有用，也會越來越頻繁地出現(xiàn)。不穩(wěn)定和多元化是其一組成部分。這種方法學和批判性的方式最適合年輕設(shè)計師，通常不按常理出牌，認為真正的創(chuàng)新在于打破常規(guī)，如此一來往往成為標準的程序和研究方法。

在設(shè)計領(lǐng)域里出現(xiàn)的新類別，一定會受到評估，通過看標志著其發(fā)展和后續(xù)演變的共同元素。

和新媒體的擴散，無處不在的互動溝通和文化形象，科技提供的無限可能，以及被看作是一種自然資源的人造工具一起，新類別不斷發(fā)展壯大，新的心理結(jié)構(gòu)和模式形成。國際金融和服務(wù)業(yè)的蓬勃發(fā)展和工業(yè)資本主義的衰落都決定了工業(yè)不再是生產(chǎn)和設(shè)計的核心。新一代的設(shè)計師已經(jīng)目睹了去工業(yè)化過程和服務(wù)行業(yè)的興起，然而他們的前輩們在生產(chǎn)流水線上發(fā)揮了重要的作用。前輩們可以和制造過程近距離接觸，相應地生產(chǎn)制造可以為設(shè)計師們提供目標和動力?，F(xiàn)在的設(shè)計師們意識到他們在創(chuàng)新上處在服務(wù)和戰(zhàn)略性的地位。然而,新的藝術(shù)形式的出現(xiàn)與電子媒體領(lǐng)域里的創(chuàng)新息息相關(guān)，如平面造型設(shè)計、視頻、通訊、產(chǎn)品設(shè)計的新材料、造型軟件、電子音樂等等。這些創(chuàng)造出的新的表達形式很難追溯到設(shè)計的傳統(tǒng)界限。生產(chǎn)的產(chǎn)品是與大眾傳媒和消費社會密切相關(guān)的設(shè)施、配件和瞬態(tài)圖像。這一直接的結(jié)果是在世界范圍內(nèi)學校的數(shù)量成指數(shù)型增加。這些學校使新的一群人了解技術(shù)、科學、方法和過程，最終將這群數(shù)量已經(jīng)達到飽和的學生培養(yǎng)成為國際設(shè)計研究團體的一部分。一方面，這種現(xiàn)象進一步鞏固了設(shè)計作為獨立學科的地位，但是又打破了設(shè)計的范疇，完全分散了設(shè)計所需要的技能。大量的年輕人從事設(shè)計這項職業(yè)，使得作為設(shè)計專業(yè)人士和創(chuàng)造本身的光環(huán)消失了，也帶走了設(shè)計師們作為精英的社會地位。過去，偉大的舉世聞名的設(shè)計大師的人數(shù)少，他們的杰作在設(shè)計年鑒里永久地占有一席之位，他們也能不斷地創(chuàng)作出新的作品，以至于他們被視為某個設(shè)計流派的創(chuàng)始人。然而，D世代似乎以具有大量的小人物為特色。這些小設(shè)計師們往往只有很短的但生產(chǎn)力很強的創(chuàng)作時間，短暫的個人職業(yè)生涯讓人們想到了轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝的視頻剪輯。這些明亮但是曇花一現(xiàn)的設(shè)計之星伴隨著高速的電子通訊和地域分配，被推向國際市場。

“D世代”這一代的設(shè)計師很樂意與他們的創(chuàng)作作品一起出現(xiàn)，這肯定了信息交流的重要性。福特主義工業(yè)的產(chǎn)品的設(shè)計者通常是匿名的,好像是由制造產(chǎn)品的生產(chǎn)商和購買產(chǎn)品的社會設(shè)計的。但是，新一代的設(shè)計師在產(chǎn)品生產(chǎn)過程中有很高的參與度，他們好像是產(chǎn)品的制造者，而不是設(shè)計者。有時候，設(shè)計師的名字可以成為市場營銷手段，因為產(chǎn)品的設(shè)計師比產(chǎn)品本身更重要。

語言的變異

在研究語言結(jié)構(gòu)學時，語言學家弗迪南?德?索緒爾把語言（langue）和言語（parole）區(qū)別開來。語言系統(tǒng)由語法規(guī)則和符號體系組成，而言語行為出于個人,創(chuàng)造性的說話方式可以產(chǎn)生習語。沿著這條思路,能否從語法的角度定義新一代的設(shè)計語言？設(shè)計語言能否算是一種有獨立特征的新語言，或者說它只是創(chuàng)造出的習語？當代設(shè)計方案展示了設(shè)計語言更加多元化的一面。表達方式偏愛折衷主義，混合交叉，矛盾多樣。年輕的一代喜歡通過重復和采樣的途徑交叉多種風格和流派，從而走出傳統(tǒng)類別的界限。同樣的，時尚研究理論家特德?波爾希默斯指出流行音樂主要趨勢在于采樣，混合多樣的、折衷的、甚至往往對立的元素，來最后形成個人獨特的風格。再回到德?索緒爾的定義，相對于創(chuàng)造出一種新的語言，D世代會更傾向于通過動態(tài)地處理加工現(xiàn)有的材料，創(chuàng)造出許多不同的習語。通過接觸新的環(huán)境和前所未有的組合，這些習語將會擺脫原來的語境。這和在移民人口眾多的大城里會產(chǎn)生新的方言的情況是類似的，比如西班牙語是西班牙裔使用的英語變種而來的。D世代設(shè)計師重新加工現(xiàn)有的材料，不斷改變和轉(zhuǎn)化，而不是憑空創(chuàng)造出新的形式。

日常生活實踐

在當代生產(chǎn)中反復出現(xiàn)的一個主題反映了米歇爾?德塞都(Michel de Certeau ）的日常生活實踐理論：發(fā)現(xiàn)普通事物的特殊方面。米歇爾?德塞都強調(diào)了消費者行為的積極經(jīng)驗的價值以及隱藏在普通用途背后極大的創(chuàng)造力：日常動作可以改造出潛在的具有說明書以外功能的產(chǎn)品。換一種思路，可以賦予產(chǎn)品新的意義。新一代設(shè)計師的興趣在于重點探究在我們周圍，但又被我們視而不見的一些小件物品，因為他們的價值被簡單普通的外表所掩蓋了，但是這些小物品組成了我們生活的物理環(huán)境。對日常生活的理解是一門學問，但通常缺乏規(guī)則。如果想全面地掌握隱藏在背后復雜的含義，就必須進行認真仔細的研究。消費者可以對消費形式進行創(chuàng)造性地改造，從被動的接受者轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)榉e極的參與者，為產(chǎn)品編寫新的故事。

玩耍的游戲

將游戲引入設(shè)計的方法是將游戲看成能使成年人的生活更貼近兒童的成長和實驗的好玩的活動。游戲是孩子們自己設(shè)計的，不需要以團隊的形式參賽，也不需要遵守預先定下的規(guī)則，即使違反規(guī)則也不會受到懲罰。這個意義上玩耍的概念很好地表達了當代設(shè)計研究中的一個常見的主題。它試圖使生活發(fā)生天翻地覆的變化，就像孩子那般，通過實踐得出經(jīng)驗。當孩子們試圖去了解大人的世界時，他們就會把一件物品分解，看看這個東西到底是什么做的，然后根據(jù)新的參數(shù)重組物品，往往能獲得不同于原先形式的新事物。設(shè)計也是如此，差異和難以預測性能帶來無限的可能性：設(shè)計的過程除了包括對材料的運用，還有運氣和自發(fā)性的成分，提倡即興創(chuàng)作。在D世代的世界里，設(shè)計過程就像孩子的行為——通過探究物體的物理本質(zhì)來獲取經(jīng)驗，發(fā)現(xiàn)事物新的含義。比如一個氣球能成為一盞燈。另外,通過模仿,產(chǎn)品的其他功能隱藏在官方使用功能背后。比如兩個沐浴露的瓶子可以用作健身用的啞鈴。設(shè)計師的工作可以在設(shè)計過程的倒數(shù)第二階段結(jié)束,停在設(shè)計還不確定的時期。這其實為創(chuàng)造力加入生產(chǎn)的價值鏈里提供了一個額外的機會。未完成的產(chǎn)品，給消費者留下自己創(chuàng)造的空間。消費者的參與，具有玩的成分，完成了整個生產(chǎn)周期。宜家家居（瑞典公司）的產(chǎn)品也恰好體現(xiàn)了這一點。設(shè)計不僅僅要專注于產(chǎn)品本身，還要滿足消費者的需求?，F(xiàn)在，設(shè)計也鼓勵玩耍和全程參與，允許消費者在設(shè)計過程中扮演一個積極的角色。

倫理沖突

我們的世界只有有限的資源，但是需要滿足人類無限的需求。設(shè)計師們意識到這日益嚴重的情況，也意識到他們在實際和概念轉(zhuǎn)化過程中有責任發(fā)揮自己的作用。隨著時間的推移，設(shè)計師們提出了幾個聚焦環(huán)境可持續(xù)發(fā)展的戰(zhàn)略。因此，在很長的一段時間里，生態(tài)設(shè)計代表了設(shè)計過程的道德一方，環(huán)境遠比經(jīng)濟效益重要。通過利用手頭現(xiàn)有的材料制成產(chǎn)品以及傳播“廢料美學”，創(chuàng)造性地重新利用消費和工業(yè)廢料。接著使用可回收的材料以及探索新的工業(yè)流程。多年來，有關(guān)可持續(xù)性設(shè)計的爭論都是圍繞著環(huán)境這個主題。而近年來越來越多的社會突發(fā)情況，讓設(shè)計師們不得不正面應對。

水資源、保健、能源、教育、住房和基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施對于世界上大部分人來說都是至關(guān)重要的問題。這些都是實實在在的需要，為了改變和提高人們的生活，必須要把他們放在優(yōu)先于利潤的位置上。在這個框架內(nèi)采取的一些措施之中，在美國紐約庫伯-休伊特國立設(shè)計博物館舉行的題為”Design for the other 90%”(為另外90%的人設(shè)計)的展覽，是一個非常典型的例子。展覽包括了30個人道主義設(shè)計項目，這些項目無一例外的是關(guān)于住所，健康、水、教育、能源和交通的。這些項目都是為每天掙扎求生的大批貧困人群設(shè)計的。一個題為“安全”的展覽在紐約現(xiàn)代藝術(shù)博物館展出，探究“倫理”這個詞在設(shè)計領(lǐng)域的另一種含義：著眼于安全和保護生命。年輕的設(shè)計師們，忽略了家具設(shè)計中如椅子、燈這樣的傳統(tǒng)類型家具，創(chuàng)造出如地雷探測器、地震防護家具、防手袋被搶配件等新品種。

技術(shù)的夢想

不同時代的設(shè)計和技術(shù)的關(guān)系似乎都存在問題，要么完全抵制技術(shù)，要么熱情地贊頌技術(shù)。特別是上世紀八九十年代是由新技術(shù)驅(qū)動的設(shè)計的黃金時代。與信息有關(guān)的技術(shù)為交互型物件、數(shù)字接口、混合架構(gòu)的創(chuàng)造提供了技術(shù)支持。這一波的創(chuàng)新浪潮見證了一出生就有電腦的前衛(wèi)的一代人，他們接受了信息技術(shù)對設(shè)計提出的挑戰(zhàn)。這也開辟了研究的新天地，它改變了設(shè)計對象及設(shè)計這個學科的邊界。技術(shù)不再是為了增加產(chǎn)品價值而被精心安排的項目，為了變得更加令人熟悉，它躲藏在日常生活中我們接觸到的物品里。2004年，在米蘭展出的題為“This is today”的展覽會上，艾芙瑞亞交互設(shè)計學院年輕的學生們展示了與機械時代的產(chǎn)品非常友好地結(jié)合在一起的數(shù)字技術(shù)。展覽會展出了可以發(fā)送電子郵件的好利獲得牌Lettera 22打字機，加滿汽油后可以下載mp3的經(jīng)典小車菲亞特500。艾芙瑞亞學校培養(yǎng)出了一批將創(chuàng)意和科技創(chuàng)新結(jié)合在一起的年輕設(shè)計師，他們將會創(chuàng)造出新產(chǎn)品。他們的身影將會在世界各地出現(xiàn)。同樣的，考慮到新興的和已存在的技術(shù)對社會，文化和倫理觀念產(chǎn)生的影響，倫敦皇家藝術(shù)學院的互動設(shè)計部門開展了新的研究，旨在探究設(shè)計所扮演的新角色，所處的新環(huán)境以及所需采取的新方法。除了對數(shù)字技術(shù)的交流和表達潛力進行試驗，這所學校還熱衷于將研究拓展到生物技術(shù)和納米技術(shù)的領(lǐng)域?，F(xiàn)在生物技術(shù)和納米技術(shù)已經(jīng)走出實驗室，在日常生活中得到了應用。從近來的一些展覽我們可以看出設(shè)計研究的領(lǐng)域正在向生命世界拓展，通過修改事物的外形和功能改變事物的自然形態(tài)。比如可以用蜜蜂來診斷疾病，修改身體基因來應對新的遺傳挑戰(zhàn)。人，作為一個生物實體，已經(jīng)被看作設(shè)計項目的對象，身體也可以作為一種材料來使用。通過使用像轉(zhuǎn)基因生物體的組織，設(shè)計師們拓寬了生物材料目錄，呈現(xiàn)出未來無限可能的設(shè)計前景，從而不可避免地引發(fā)了關(guān)于創(chuàng)新過程中出現(xiàn)的倫理道德問題以及可容許的范圍的爭論。

批判式行為

上世紀90年代末，20歲的歐若?依圖假裝收取了國際著名品牌的傭金，在他的個人網(wǎng)頁上發(fā)表了設(shè)計作品，這違反了當時的偽造品規(guī)則和國際版權(quán)法。反常的是，他那作為設(shè)計黑客玩世不恭的行為竟然真的給他帶來了相同品牌的傭金，而不是偽造訴訟。

就像魔術(shù)師在現(xiàn)場玩花樣一樣，D世代知道如何利用大眾媒體，市場和通信所提供的機會和工具。在過去的十年里,一場青少年運動對設(shè)計的唯一目標是對為市場和消費者社會制造商品的理念發(fā)出挑戰(zhàn)。安東尼?鄧恩提出的批判式設(shè)計圍繞著產(chǎn)品在日常生活中扮演的角色，引發(fā)了關(guān)于社會、文化和倫理問題的爭論。設(shè)計師Yomango設(shè)計的配飾是用來破除大商店安全系統(tǒng)的，從而使小偷更容易在商店里行竊。Re-Code是項新的網(wǎng)絡(luò)服務(wù),旨在創(chuàng)造新的可以粘在商品上的條形碼，有了這些條形碼可以為大型零售網(wǎng)點的商品制定合理的價格。精英設(shè)計師們抵制宜家家居（瑞典公司），反對藍色和黃色的大商場的霸權(quán)（宜家商場的門面的顏色主要是藍色和黃色）。這些新的烏托邦能建成嗎？