In what ways can designers help put political issues on the agenda? That is what Laurens Kolks (Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences) investigated in his PhD thesis. He studied a number of projects that discuss air pollution in a creative way. 'What interests me is how designers can make something as intangible as air pollution palpable', he explains.
In your dissertation, you connect sociology with design. What makes that an interesting combination for you?
'I had my own practice as a designer for many years and started studying Sociology to deepen my knowledge. This made me so entranced that I decided to pursue a PhD. Where sociology and design find each other is that they both want to shape the social and the way we live together. Many sociologists may not believe in social engineering, but sociology did start with the idea that society can be changed. And where sociologists, like myself, write thick books about this, designers dare to do so by making things very tangible. Sociologists, for their part, are good at figuring out the context. That is very important for designs, because designers sometimes tend to flatten or reduce problems.'
What did you look at in your thesis?
'For my dissertation, I looked at projects that try to engage audiences in innovative ways. One example is "SerVies". These designers make tableware by scraping fine dust from noise barriers, for example, and incorporating it into the glaze. They do this in such a way that you can tell from the plate how much air pollution there is somewhere. So they make the effects of air pollution very tangible. And I find it interesting that they link tableware to air pollution when these two elements had nothing to do with each other before. Inspired by this, an action group organised a breakfast at Amsterdam's city hall just before a council meeting on air quality. Thus, the activists used SerVies plates and cups to express their commitment to this issue.'
'I also looked at a project in Taiwan. There, 5,000 popsicles made from rainwater were distributed. With rain, among other things, particulate matter precipitates and this allows people to actually taste the difference in air pollution. In this way, the ice creams served as a way to start a conversation about environmental pollution. What I find special is that the creators managed to connect a topic like air pollution with one of the least controversial things in the world: popsicles.'
What do you hope to make clear with your dissertation?
'I want to make explicit what designers can do in political contexts and how they can put political issues on the map. Designers can make utensils that contribute to the energy transition, for example, but there is not a quick-fix for everything. Many designers tend to frame everything as a problem. Problems you can solve, but issues you can put on the agenda. This is an important distinction for me, because in putting issues on the agenda, designers can therefore play an equally important role.'
Air pollution is a recurring theme in the projects you looked at. Why is this relevant to your research?
'Air pollution is very complex and elusive. It could just as easily have been another public issue, but I came across a number of interesting projects on air pollution. What is interesting to me is how designers can make precisely something so intangible palpable.'
What do you see as an important finding?
'The distance between citizens and government seems to be increasing. But people can express their involvement in different ways. Not just by putting a cross on a ballot paper, but so also by handing out ice creams with fine dust or serving breakfast on plates glazed with fine dust. That is important for politicians to know. I am also convinced that designers can contribute in many ways. Not only by coming up with technical solutions, but also by making things that help people express their commitment to collective issues. Designers are used to bringing together diverse interests and contradictions. That combined with imagination can be a very productive mindset to shape public participation.'
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