Design, Olympics and Harmony
設(shè)計(jì) 奧運(yùn) 和諧
Christian GUELLERIN
Abstract
The ? Harmony ? within design and designers would be to accept all the cultures, all the differences, all the beliefs in order to create (economic and spiritual) wealth for all ?Harmony ? is a political model in which all the people could live together with no fear for his/her life and his or her happiness. ? Harmony ? is a utopia and ? Utopia ? is a country of creators.Chinese universities of design and creation should, more than others, create what they want for China, for the world, in a sense of ? Harmony ?and peace. By essence, the Olympics strive to garantee peace and Harmony for all the countries participating. It is a fantastic opportunity to compete,to learn from the others, to improve oneself, to become better. Design andOlympism are tied by essence, in that they are both humanistic.Is competition virtuous in the country of Harmony? Of course, yes. Yes.because competition is the opportunity to show one’s singularity, to mark the difference, to signify the humanity of each of us. Harmony is a way to manage the differences between people, not to erase them. In the ?globalization ? of culture and economy, to be singular, to be different is revolutionary. Design and creation teach that to us. Let’s conclude with the words of the ? French-Lithuanian ? Emmanuel Levinas : ? Morals make us feel sorry for those who are hungry, Ethics oblige us to feed them ?. All designers must have those words in mind, in China and elsewhere, to define what may be their responsibilities.
Keyword: Design,Olympics,Harmony
Part I: Design imposes itself on Humankind, society and economy
What we will be tomorrow?
Design is a creative discipline. Creating means going beyond what already exists. By overstepping “what already is” design compels us to reflect upon what we will be tomorrow. Designers shape the world along the line of a progress-oriented logic. They address the fundamental issue of what we will leave behind, of what world we will pass on to our children.
Design gives significance to the “global world”
Design aims to give meaning to what surrounds us. In an era when globalization brings down all fences, boundaries, it questions meaning, identity, culture and faith while forcing us to “take the other into account”. The other imposes him/herself on us and is pleased to add up to his personal culture in doing so. Design produces meaning in a world where belief sharing shakes all our cultural landmarks and enforces new, more consistent ones.
An economic discipline…
In an economic background, design enables one to produce wealth, development, and progress. The economic emergence of countries such as China, India, Brazil… and other countries with low labor and production costs forces us to resort to creation, innovation and design to seek new means to generate value-added and to maintain activity, employment rate, social services in Western economies born from the nineteenth century Industrial Revolutions. Design lies at the heart of corporate issues rooted either in tactics