Form&Seek's 'Age of Man' Series on MaterialDriven.com
The Age of Man
Form&Seek’s series on MaterialDriven for Milan Design Week
March 6th– April 7th, 2017
Thirty designers, from locations as diverse as Lithuania, Kuwait, London, Eindhoven in the
Netherlands, Australia, Turkey, and Canada will be featured by us during a three-week period leading up to the start of Milan Design Week 2017. This gathering of international designers and artists represents the talented collective Form&Seek, whose work will be exhibited at Via Ventura 2, in Milan, from April 4-9 2017.
This diverse gathering of designers is united by a powerful and timely theme today, "The Age of Man". Follow the eponymous series of articles and interviews on this website, to see how each designer interprets and visualizes the theme of this epoch.
The Age of Man
There is a growing consensus today, that we are living in an age where the earth has been so
deeply impacted by humanity, that a new geologic epoch–the Anthropocene–needs to the
declared. The Anthropocene, or the ‘Age of Man’ is believed to have begun in the year 1950,
and can be visualized as a distinct and heavy footprint on the earth. Furthermore, this footprint
has been etched and defined by the prickly residues of our industrialization, technological
advancement, and rampant consumer culture.
This realization has triggered a growing awareness in our society, with a focus on the
consequences of our actions. And among those who are reflecting on their roles most deeply
today, are designers and artists. Going one step further than reflection and response, they are in fact using this awareness as a springboard for new, progressive design aimed for the future. They are seizing this opportunity to shift attitudes and cultures, to work most efficiently and globally, with open-borders, and to use familiar technology in new and thought-provoking ways.
This supports the belief that designers are well-aligned to play a leading role in shaping our
future attitude towards natural resources, production processes and the consumption of goods.
And it is this belief, that is at the heart of Form&Seek’s ‘Age of Man’ exhibit, where the talented and diverse collective of designers and artists will present their compelling visions for the future, and design solutions that are best suited for our age.
