Saturday, 7 May 2005 | Levent OZLER
IIID/AIGA Summer Academy 2005
(Im)Material Exchange
IIID/AIGA Summer Academy 2005: "(Im)Material Exchange"
July 11-23, 2005
Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
The IIID/AIGA Summer Academy 2005 will be in harmony with the 8th UN Millennium Goal
"Developing a Global Partnership for Development". It is open to information design students and professionals and sets out to
- conceive a partnership program for economic development,
- design the interface between the affluent and the underpriviledged,
- integrate education and cultural heritage,
- stimulate the exchange of material values for immaterial ones,
- enhance the happiness of everyone involved.
The focus of the IIID/AIGA Summer Academy are the Cap Verde islands situated in the middle of the Atlantic.
Once known as a Portugese station for the slave trade between Africa and America, the Cap Verdes became independent only in 1975. Now the República Cabo Verde is struggling hard to improve the economy of the islands and the well-being of its citizens.
We asked ourselves: How could information design assist? What for instance could we do to provide school leavers in this underpriviledged part of the world with opportunities leading to a better future?
The resulting task of the Summer Adacemy:
Together with Associacao de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram, an Austrian-Cap Verdian NGO with 18 years experience in project development: to define the necessary infrastructure and the needed investments to enable the local partner organization to run crash courses leading up to proper vocational education and training in
- tourism,
- information design and
- cultural management.
To devise and communicate a cooperation programme, attractive enough to make affluent westerners partner with the kids in the far away south.
To design the interfaces between the program, the media and the affluent supporters.
Together with the local IIID partner organization: to conceive symbols of thankfulness to be given to the donors/investors.
Such symbols may be/should be part of the Cabo Verde identity. They could be artifacts, music or invitations to festivities the Cap Verde islands are famous for.
Surveys conducted by the World Watch Institute indicate that growing wealth, once it exceeds a certain level, does not make people much happier. This project undoubtedly will.
Of course, the happiness of those whose lives get a new perspective is expected to increase most. And that's how it should be.
http://www.iiid.net/SummerAcademy.htm
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