The festival focuses on how our everyday lives are more and more pervaded by technology and the internet, by the use of smart devices. This trend has a significant effect on design as well. This year’s opening exhibition open till 2nd November 2014 in Várkert Bazaar, Budapest, also explores the Figurative Sense slogan.

Figurative Sense – User Experience, User Interactions

The exhibition focuses on the diversity of the relationship matrix existing between design and technology, as well as the related expectations, with special regard to the changed relationship between designers and users.

In the past decades, technology has taken the lead among the major aspects of shaping the environment in terms of objects – in many cases preceding or even crowding out traditional notions and aspects, such as form or ergonomics. In certain cases, function does not even call for physical implementation (or form), because the service, the product only exists virtually (for instance, the use of smart phones has resulted in the practically complete disappearance or transformation of traditional objects like watches, alarm clocks, thermometers or calendars).

Where are the limits to this change and what are its consequences for the designers of our time – and all the more so for future designers? What are the new criteria future designers need to meet, what are they to learn, to pay attention to if they intend to be successful in their profession?

What are the challenges to be met by a designer in an era when an increasing number of functions and tasks are taken over by machines, and when end users shape the desired object themselves in many cases (customisable products based on a DIY logic, Arduino, 3D printing)?

In the technology-dominated near future, when most of our devices will have direct connectivity to internet, enabling immediate communication with other machines and people, what will be or what can be the tasks of a designer? Will they find their place in an increasingly service-intensive market that focuses on user experience even when object design is preceded by service design, the design of processes?

The projects, products and services shown in the exhibition Figurative Sense – User Experience and Interactions, for instance, are a good example of the new designer thinking driven by user interaction design and user experience design that has been prevailing in the world of design in the past years. It is a brand new approach that does not expect users to adapt to an object with physical properties and functions determined by a designer, but relies on users as a partner, involving them in the development of the final shape of products, whereby user needs are in the focus.

The design that responds to and reflects on users is present at our exhibition in the form of products for sale, as well as promising concepts and plans still in an experimental phase. With a number of installations, we attempt to present the process illustrating the transformation of design thinking that is manifest in turning a concept into a product. Due to the nature of the exhibited objects, visitors are provided an opportunity in certain cases to participate in the ever-changing, exciting, creative process called design.

The curator of the Figurative Sense – User Experience and Interactions is Attila Nemes, member of the founding team of Kitchen Budapest, lead of KIBU’s Talent program, art historian; graduated from UC Berkeley and ELTE.

Installation designed and built by the architects of Studio Nomad, graphic design by David Barath Design.

Exhibition summary

The Figurative Sense – User Experience and Interactions exhibition is open from 3rd October till 2nd November in Várkert Bazaar (1013 Budapest, Ybl Mikós square 5., Southern Palace, right-hand entrance).

Opening times: Tue-Sun 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.

Source and more info: designweek.hu/2014