Shaped by Design
Humans have always created tools to complete tasks that lie beyond
the limitations of their bodies, from the earliest flint tools, the invention
of the wheel, the bicycle, the sewing machine, the light bulb, the computer,
the cell phone and now GPT4, with countless inventions in between.
While the value of design is measured by increase in productivity,
people are also unconsciously shaped by designs. It affects our behaviour, our
relationships with our surroundings, and our use of time. Objects become
symbols of ourselves, our society, our class.
Design can be used to influence behaviour, called ‘nudging’. Use
of recycled materials creates environmental responsibility. Fitbits encourage
people to keep track of their health. If the 50s brought entertainment into the
home with television and music systems, the 21st century has attached it to our
bodies with integrated phones accompanying us wherever we go.
New products can sharpen the divide of global inequality, between
countries, between generations, between urban and rural communities. It creates
a sense of being left behind and more harmfully, of devaluing traditional
design.
Some designs travel well across cultures, such as medical
equipment, cell phones, and transport systems. People-centred design is more
problematic. Foam mattresses replacing the rope or cloth tape woven charpai is
not only a poor choice for hot climates, but a whole culture centred around the
lightweight, mobile, multi use charpai is at stake.
One furniture design that has not only traveled well, but
continues to be a best seller is Michael Thonets’ No. 14 bentwood chair
introduced in 1859, that is a familiar sight in tea shops and bistros across
the world, including in Pakistan.
Pakistanis are often berated for not following traffic rules. But
these rules evolved from existing conventions in other countries. Keeping to
the left was practiced by the Romans to keep the right hand free to wield a
sword in case of an attack. Traffic lights evolved from railroad signals in the
1920s, when roads were chaotic with new motor cars vying with horse carriages.
It took many consultative meetings between engineers and the public to agree
upon traffic regulation. Gradually roads were designed exclusively for cars and
pedestrians were corralled onto pavements. Pakistanis, despite the growth
of cities, perhaps still carry the tradition of cross country journeys, taking
the shortest route to reach their destination.
The international model of urban design, expects Pakistanis to
radically change their lifestyle. Inevitably, zoning is bypassed as shops and
carts mushroom, tea shops spill onto roads, and pavement activities that
connect people, are ignored by planners. Herding has never held humans together
for long.
Architectural design in Pakistan rarely acknowledges the lifestyle
requirements of home dwellers, cramming them into congested highrises with no
communal spaces. Modern houses with picture windows are permanently covered
with blinds for privacy. The older houses had private courtyards, roofs as
living spaces, verandahs, doors with windows, and windcatchers.
Design change is not always a good thing. There is a reassurance
associated with age-old places of worship, schools and museums. When the House
of Commons was bombed in May 1941, Winston Churchill rejected plans to rebuild
a modern building, insisting it be restored to its former design, which
reflected the history and character of British politics. He
famously said “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us,”
Ruskin said “when we build let us think we build forever”
but today we dont expect things to last. Throwaway single use products create
rootlessness. Designs that are imposed rather than evolve from usage, are
rarely integrated. We are more likely to blame the behaviour of people than the
design. Good design should nourish and nurture, and improve lives.
As designer Robert L. Peters says, "Design creates culture.
Culture shapes values. Values determine the future."
Durriya Kazi
March 27, 2023
Karachi
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