{"id":11903,"date":"2025-06-24T17:34:41","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T10:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/the-world-needs-it-michael-kaethler-on-ieds-social-ecological-design-for-urgent-change\/"},"modified":"2025-06-24T17:34:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T10:34:41","slug":"the-world-needs-it-michael-kaethler-on-ieds-social-ecological-design-for-urgent-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/the-world-needs-it-michael-kaethler-on-ieds-social-ecological-design-for-urgent-change\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018the world needs it\u2019: michael kaethler on IED\u2019s social ecological design for urgent change"},"content":{"rendered":"

REDEFINING DESIGN EDUCATION FOR URGENT CHANGE<\/h2>\n

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The <\/span>IED<\/a> Master program in Social Ecological Design emerges as a vital alternative to <\/span>design education<\/a>, aiming to confront the complex challenges of our time. For Michael Kaethler, coordinator of the program, the traditional design curriculum, often shaped by market trends or conventional perspectives, does not contribute enough to the urgent transformation needed to address today\u2019s crises. From accelerating <\/span>climate change<\/a> and biodiversity loss to widening social inequalities and the creeping rise of authoritarianism, the challenges are immense and interconnected.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Despite its problem-solving prowess, academic design programs sometimes risk lacking the ability to adapt to new approaches required for socio-ecological change. This critical gap is what the Social Ecological Design program aims to fill as Michael Kaethler revealed in an exclusive<\/span> interview with designboom.<\/a> The program is built on the idea that education itself should <\/span>\u2018assist in unlearning the status quo,\u2019<\/span> Michael Kaethler tells designboom, pushing for new forms of knowledge through emancipation, experimentation, and breaking down old structures.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2018We don\u2019t need more education but rather, we need different education,\u2019 <\/span>Kaethler continues. \u2018We need alternative modes of building and sharing knowledge in order to produce the forms of meaningful knowledge that can engage with these crises.\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n

the Social Ecological Design program emerges as a vital alternative to design education | all images courtesy of IED<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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IED MASTER PROGRAM IN SOCIAL ECOLOGICAL DESIGN<\/h2>\n

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Within a 16-month period, the European Institute of Design (<\/span>IED<\/a>) in Torino offers a pioneering Master\u2019s program in <\/span>Social Ecological Design<\/a>: <\/span>Regenerative Practices for Everyday Life<\/span>. As coordinator of the program, Michael Kaethler \u2014 a sociologist of design with a background in social anthropology and human rights research \u2014 leverages his expertise to root the curriculum in a profound understanding of societal change and human agency. The course positions itself as a critical response to the complex challenges of our time, offering a deep dive into fostering connections between humans, communities, and ecosystems. It\u2019s designed to equip a new generation of designers with the tools to actively engage in meaningful social and ecological transformation.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2018We study transitions and how design can provide important levers for change. We explore the importance of creativity in opening up new forms of relations, new forms of understanding and communicating and ultimately how it can offer generative action towards meaningful social ecological transformation. It\u2019s not just about knowledge\u2014it\u2019s about recovering a sense of agency,\u2019<\/span> explains the program\u2019s coordinator.<\/p>\n

the course positions itself as a critical response to the complex challenges of our time<\/p>\n

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CULTIVATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF DESIGNERS<\/h2>\n

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The program\u2019s core philosophy centers on a radical re-evaluation of design\u2019s role, seeking to restore fundamental capabilities for ideological and societal engagement. This approach challenges the comfortable notion of design as purely aesthetic or commercially driven, repositioning it as a critical tool for societal survival. <\/span>\u2018It feels absurd to be designing new chairs or lamps when our house is on fire,\u2019<\/span> he states, emphasizing that the overlapping social, ecological, and economic crises are <\/span>\u2018real design problems!\u2019 <\/span>This sentiment is rooted in a historical critique. Kaethler notes that after the Cold War, design largely <\/span>\u2018favoured irony over ideological engagement, swapping grand social visions for playful contradictions.\u2019 <\/span>This shift, he argues, turned design into a mere service provider for the highest bidders.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The IED program directly counters this by bringing back generative critique \u2013 a design practice that doesn\u2019t just analyze problems from the sidelines, but actively makes, intervenes, and creates tangible alternatives.<\/span> \u2018It is not simply a question of adding \u201ccriticality\u201d to design but rather building up a culture of design that is essentially reflective in its engagement with the world and these reflections include questioning fundamental tenets such as values and orientations.\u2019\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

the new generation of designers get equipped with the agency to tackle urgent societal and environmental issues<\/p>\n

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To achieve this, the curriculum employs its unique <\/span>\u2018OUT THERE\u2019 methodology, pulling students out of traditional classrooms and into immersive fieldwork across diverse Italian regions, including the off-grid Alps, Tuscany, and Sicily. This direct engagement with communities and ecosystems fosters a versatile skill set, spanning crucial areas like biomimicry, multispecies thinking, cross-cultural communication, cultural ethnography, creative activism, systems analysis, and inclusive design. Students work closely with local stakeholders, craftspeople, experts, and peers, applying principles of social and ecological design through analysis, interpretation, and practical application. The program\u2019s structure guides them through three distinct phases: exploring \u2018OUT-of-the-box\u2019 ideas in the first trimester, immersing themselves \u2018OUT in the field\u2019 and \u2018OUT of their comfort zone\u2019 in the second, and finally challenging them to be \u2018OUT on their own\u2019 in the third trimester.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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\u2018A big part of our vision is that learning is driven and directed by the student\u2019s own ambitions and interests, which we nourish through one-on-one mentoring as well as regular moments of co-reflection and dialogue. We pair this with an intensive program of lectures, workshops and immersive fieldwork that pushes students to tackle difficult subjects and contexts beyond superficiality. Nothing inspires one to learn quicker than working in real life contexts,\u2019<\/span> Kaethler emphasizes. \u2018<\/span>When design education becomes rooted in the real world, design becomes a fundamental human act of shaping one\u2019s world to express one\u2019s needs\u2014tangible or intangible. This is where design can have a positive impact.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

the program emphasizes hands-on learning, pushing to bridge theoretical concepts with real-world application<\/p>\n

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Graduates are prepared for a professional landscape in constant flux, equipped with dynamism, transversal skills, and a confidence that matches competence. Beyond the intensive coursework, IED supports students with practical experiences like internships and leverages its extensive network of partnerships and alumni to ensure they are truly career-ready for diverse and impactful roles.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2018It sounds clich\u00e9 but ambition and openness are more important than any specific experiences. Overall, we believe in balancing intellectual knowledge with practical knowledge and this means being willing to challenge oneself with theory in the morning and in the afternoon learning new maker-skills\u2026 and in the evening cooking dinner with members of the local community.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

collaborative workshops cultivate a versatile skill set<\/p>\n

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Looking ahead, Michael Kaethler envisions the program fostering a strong alumni community that continues to support collective engagement with critical social and ecological issues. His ambition extends beyond the IED, aiming to inspire a broader paradigm shift in design education globally.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2018More broadly, I hope we inspire other design institutions to embrace an emancipatory, embedded, and autonomous approach to design education,\u2019<\/span> Michael Kaethler concludes. \u2018The world needs it.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

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students engage directly with communities and ecosystems<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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project info:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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course: Social Ecological Design<\/span><\/p>\n

organization: Istituto Europeo di Design (IED)<\/span><\/a> | <\/span>@ied_offical<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

program coordinator: Michael Kaethler<\/span><\/p>\n

The post \u2018the world needs it\u2019: michael kaethler on IED\u2019s social ecological design for urgent change<\/a> appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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