Driving the Human

Seven prototypes for eco–social renewal

Logo with the words "Driving the Human" and an abstract wave form in blue and pink.
Duration
2023

To the exhibition

The scientific–artistic cooperation develops and produces tangible prototypes for a sustainable coexistence. »Driving the Human« addresses future needs in the face of complex and often threatening scenarios. Instead of moralizing the discourse, it makes activating suggestions. How do we promote a social change that can reconcile the use of meaningful new technologies with a standard of living achieved today?

As a catalyst for experimentation, the research project unites science, technology and the arts in a three–year development process. Together with international experts, the participants develop sustainable concepts and implement them as prototypical designs in the sense of practically verifiable proposals for action.

To this end, the four lead organizations – acatech, Forecast, ZKM and HfG – can draw on the knowledge and skills of a top–class network that will methodically deepen the individual development steps and enrich them with relevant expertise and technology. The initiative links scientific approaches with those from the arts and uses this as a profoundly transdisciplinary approach for effective communication.

The prototypes produced can take different forms, such as walk–in room installations, design objects, architectural mock–ups, interactive games, video works and performances, but they have one thing in common: as they develop, they are presented to the public, put up for discussion in different contexts and questioned by experts as to their suitability.

The research project examines the social effects of phenomena such as global warming, energy cycles and technology–driven disruptions and condenses the results into instructive designs. »Driving the Human« conveys possibilities for action in the form of physically experiencable prototypes and motivates the individual to identify with these and to apply the knowledge gained to their own actions.

2020-2023

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