Design for the Other 90%
Before living in China I felt that I needed certain material things in order to be satisfied. Seeing how people live in impoverished communities throughout Asia has dramatically changed this viewpoint. When presented with limited resources, human do amazing and resourceful things.
The exhibit Design for the Other 90%, takes human ingenuity one step further. The Cooper-Hewitt describes the focus of the exhibit best:
“Of the world’s total population of 6.5 billion, 5.8 billion people, or 90%, have little or no access to most of the products and services many of us take for granted; in fact, nearly half do not have regular access to food, clean water, or shelter. Design for the Other 90% explores a growing movement among designers to design low-cost solutions for this “other 90%.” Through partnerships both local and global, individuals and organizations are finding unique ways to address the basic challenges of survival and progress faced by the world’s poor and marginalized.”
The show was originally exhibited at the Cooper-Hewitt in New York City, but is now currently at the Walker Art Center from May 24th to September 7th.
After reading about this exhibit I couldn’t help but think that this would be an incredible lesson for students of all ages to take part in. Not only does it provide a clear link between art and science, but it also addresses issue of social justice, race, and inequality.