Design brings a human-centered approach to change and development - just what we need to make sustainable solutions a part of our everyday lives. Based on an Aalto University Design Factory research study of 101 finnish organizations, Design + Sustainability takes stock of what harnessing design to tackle sustainability looks like in practice today.

The exhibition offers insights and examples of how design can advance sustainability, ranging from manufacturing to retail and consumer goods to public services. Explore bite-sized insights on what are the most common issues and tactics tackled in sustainability through design, and get inspired by examples of improving environmental, social and economical sustainability.

The exhibition is complemented with a Design+Sustainability results report, sharing insights on
• the value design brings to organizations,
• where organizations stand in terms of leveraging design, and
• how this translates into contributions towards environmental, economical and societal sustainability.

Read the report online https://designfactory.aalto.fi/designsustainability/

The main exhibition also features a creative showcase of Future Artifacts from Aalto Design Factory’s community members. It probes the dimensions of future sustainability through visual arts and conceptual design.
• Sculptor Erwin Laiho's "Great & Exciting Things People Will Be Doing with PCs in 30 Years" is a sculpture series exploring the physical dimension of technology. The overarching vision is the creation of unique sculptures of furniture built exclusively from the aluminum exteriors of end-of-life Apple devices, sponsored by Kuusakoski Recycling Oy.

• Designer Sushant Passi showcases two projects on material experimentation. "Evol" is a series of material explorations with cellulose materials derived from birch/pine trees and natural rubber latex. These bio-based materials are imagined as ecologically minded and plant based leather products. Passi's "Future Fossils" offers a series of glass fusions encapsulating a variety of refined metal waste. These glass artifacts form as a reflection of human creation, innovation, and ultimately, wastefulness.

• Through abstract collages in mixed media, designer Anna Kuukka's "Landscapes of Tomorrow"series invites the viewer to reflect diverse future scenarios; what is the kind of future we want to actualize?

• New media artist Shreyasi Kar reflects the idea of agency and decision making in her interactive installation. By using mycelium as the medium, Kar creates a circuit that snoops in on mycelial communications that enables the mycelium to take control of their environment.

For information, contact
• Tua Björklund, assistant professor, Aalto University Design Factory, tua.bjorklund@aalto.fi
• Anna Kuukka, art director, designer, Aalto University Design Factory, anna.kuukka@aalto.fi

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Design+Sustainability exhibition

The event “Design+Sustainability exhibition” has ended