DIY POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT: THE ARK OF MANY VOICES
ethnographic research and critical design project
For one year Marco Monterzino has somewhat avoided to design a product, a service or a trend. He was struck by the August 2011 riots that occurred in London and started to question himself: “What were the rioters in question standing up and revolting for?’ ‘What was the role of the loot and the products in those events?” In a period of instability, as a young designer of products, it was the right time for Marco to stop and think. His ethnography focuses on notions of diversity, the narratives of the protest and the public space zeitgeist. “When Occupy London took over the public space outside of St. Paul's Cathedral, I gave myself a month of participant observation at the camp – I borrowed the design languages of the artifacts made at the Tent City to create an iconic object, one that reflects the narratives of the protest camp.”
Marco's use of design as a language aims at creating discourse in the public space and takes shape into artifacts and interventions such as 'the Ark of Many Voices' and 'the Walk of the Ark'. In April 2013 'the Ark of Many Voices' became a short film, in which his design process is illustrated as a journey through the political circumstances in the UK and in Italy.
Marco's self education strategy sets the scene for meaningmaking for both himself and the audience without prescribing an answer. He dubbed his journey through the contrasting hegemonic systems embodied in the public space “The Ark of Many Voices”, a self-initiated critical design project aiming at making the transient tangible, long lived and ambiguously accessible.
FEATURED ON BLUEPRINT MAGAZINE as one of the most interesting projects of the London Design Festival 2012.
© Copyright Marco Monterzino 2011
ACHIEVEMENTS
Exhibited at the Guardian News Media Gallery
(London, April 2012).
Selected for “Getinframe”, a one-month talent campaign on digital billboards in central London, sponsored by Outdoorplus.
(London, July-August 2012)
Published on The Eye Magazine.
(August 2012)
Exhibited during London Design Week 2012 at Designersblock.
(London, September 2012)
Presented during a talk at London College of Communication.
(London, October 2012)
Exhibited during "Digital Futures" at the V&A.
(London, November 2012)
Published on Blueprint Magazine as one of the most interesting projects of the London Design Festival 2012.
(December 2012)
Installed and presented during a talk for Creative Mornings at Design Library, Milano.
(Milan, February 2013)
Exhibited during "Philosophical Toys" at Central Saint Martins and published on 1Granary.
(London, March 2013)
Installed along with the first screening of the short film "The Ark of Many Voices" for Designersblock at the Magazzino hosted by Heineken, during Milano Design Week, Fuorisalone 2013.
(Milan, April 2013)
Exhibited at Officine Ansaldo with the support of Designersblock during Milano Design Week, Fuorisalone 2013.
(Milan, April 2013)
Presented as a guest speaker during the talk 'Where next for Italian Design?' with Piers Roberts, Luca Fois, Maria Serra and Formabilio with the support of Designersblock, hosted by PechaKucha at Magazzini Heineken during Milano Design Week, Fuorisalone 2013.
(Milan, April 2013)
Published on "It's Nice That", championing the Milan Fuorisalone 2013.
(April 2013)
Exhibited within "NOISE: the Art of Protest" at People's History Museum with the support of NOISE Festival.
(Manchester, April-June 2013)
COMING SOON:
Installation during Radical Gestures Symposium at Central Saint Martins.
(London, June 2013)
Exhibition within the Biennale "Mediterranea 16 - Errors Allowed" with the support of GAI Giovani Artisti Italiani hosted by Bjcem.
(Ancona, June-July 2013)
Installation, screening of the short film and Q&A with the visitors of Zona Tortona, the very crowded pivot point of Fuorisalone at Officine Ansaldo with the support of Designersblock.
More on Designersblock.com
Feature on 'It's Nice That', championing the Milan Fuorisalone 2013.
Guest speaker during the talk 'Where next for Italian Design?' with the support of Designersblock, hosted by PechaKucha at Magazzini Heineken, Fuorisalone 2013.
Coolhunting presents: Designer Master Classes.
Installation and first screening of the short film "The Ark of Many Voices" for Designersblock at the Magazzino hosted by Heineken, Fuorisalone 2013.
www.verydesignersblock.com/milan2013
Installation & Talk at Creative Mornings hosted by Design Library, Milano.
'Marco argues that the designer must be aware of his role: either to create needs or to contribute in creating cultural capital.'
The Creative Mornings Milan Team
PHOTOS
www.designlibrary.it
www.creativemornings.com
BLUEPRINT MAGAZINE, the Leading Magazine on Architecture and Design, December 2012 issue. Featured as one of the most interesting projects of the London Design Festival 2012.
"DIY Political Engagement: The Ark of Many Voices" exhibited at Designersblock during London Design Week 2012.
www.verydesignersblock.com
THE EYE MAGAZINE, Blog of the Eye Magazine, the international review of graphic design, August 2012. Featured in the article 'Billboards Reloaded' as one of the four designers selected for the project 'Getinframe' and the one-month campaign on digital billboards in central London sponsored by Outdoorplus.
...SEE MORE ON THE BLOG:
ethnographic research and critical design project
For one year Marco Monterzino has somewhat avoided to design a product, a service or a trend. He was struck by the August 2011 riots that occurred in London and started to question himself: “What were the rioters in question standing up and revolting for?’ ‘What was the role of the loot and the products in those events?” In a period of instability, as a young designer of products, it was the right time for Marco to stop and think. His ethnography focuses on notions of diversity, the narratives of the protest and the public space zeitgeist. “When Occupy London took over the public space outside of St. Paul's Cathedral, I gave myself a month of participant observation at the camp – I borrowed the design languages of the artifacts made at the Tent City to create an iconic object, one that reflects the narratives of the protest camp.”Marco's use of design as a language aims at creating discourse in the public space and takes shape into artifacts and interventions such as 'the Ark of Many Voices' and 'the Walk of the Ark'. In April 2013 'the Ark of Many Voices' became a short film, in which his design process is illustrated as a journey through the political circumstances in the UK and in Italy.
Marco's self education strategy sets the scene for meaningmaking for both himself and the audience without prescribing an answer. He dubbed his journey through the contrasting hegemonic systems embodied in the public space “The Ark of Many Voices”, a self-initiated critical design project aiming at making the transient tangible, long lived and ambiguously accessible.
FEATURED ON BLUEPRINT MAGAZINE as one of the most interesting projects of the London Design Festival 2012.
© Copyright Marco Monterzino 2011
ACHIEVEMENTS
Exhibited at the Guardian News Media Gallery
(London, April 2012).
Selected for “Getinframe”, a one-month talent campaign on digital billboards in central London, sponsored by Outdoorplus.
(London, July-August 2012)
Published on The Eye Magazine.
(August 2012)
Exhibited during London Design Week 2012 at Designersblock.
(London, September 2012)
Presented during a talk at London College of Communication.
(London, October 2012)
Exhibited during "Digital Futures" at the V&A.
(London, November 2012)
Published on Blueprint Magazine as one of the most interesting projects of the London Design Festival 2012.
(December 2012)
Installed and presented during a talk for Creative Mornings at Design Library, Milano.
(Milan, February 2013)
Exhibited during "Philosophical Toys" at Central Saint Martins and published on 1Granary.
(London, March 2013)
Installed along with the first screening of the short film "The Ark of Many Voices" for Designersblock at the Magazzino hosted by Heineken, during Milano Design Week, Fuorisalone 2013.
(Milan, April 2013)
Exhibited at Officine Ansaldo with the support of Designersblock during Milano Design Week, Fuorisalone 2013.
(Milan, April 2013)
Presented as a guest speaker during the talk 'Where next for Italian Design?' with Piers Roberts, Luca Fois, Maria Serra and Formabilio with the support of Designersblock, hosted by PechaKucha at Magazzini Heineken during Milano Design Week, Fuorisalone 2013.
(Milan, April 2013)
Published on "It's Nice That", championing the Milan Fuorisalone 2013.
(April 2013)
Exhibited within "NOISE: the Art of Protest" at People's History Museum with the support of NOISE Festival.
(Manchester, April-June 2013)
COMING SOON:
Installation during Radical Gestures Symposium at Central Saint Martins.
(London, June 2013)
Exhibition within the Biennale "Mediterranea 16 - Errors Allowed" with the support of GAI Giovani Artisti Italiani hosted by Bjcem.
(Ancona, June-July 2013)
Installation, screening of the short film and Q&A with the visitors of Zona Tortona, the very crowded pivot point of Fuorisalone at Officine Ansaldo with the support of Designersblock.
More on Designersblock.com
Feature on 'It's Nice That', championing the Milan Fuorisalone 2013.
Guest speaker during the talk 'Where next for Italian Design?' with the support of Designersblock, hosted by PechaKucha at Magazzini Heineken, Fuorisalone 2013.
Coolhunting presents: Designer Master Classes.
Installation and first screening of the short film "The Ark of Many Voices" for Designersblock at the Magazzino hosted by Heineken, Fuorisalone 2013.
www.verydesignersblock.com/milan2013
Installation & Talk at Creative Mornings hosted by Design Library, Milano.
'Marco argues that the designer must be aware of his role: either to create needs or to contribute in creating cultural capital.'
The Creative Mornings Milan Team
PHOTOS
www.designlibrary.it
www.creativemornings.com
BLUEPRINT MAGAZINE, the Leading Magazine on Architecture and Design, December 2012 issue. Featured as one of the most interesting projects of the London Design Festival 2012.
"DIY Political Engagement: The Ark of Many Voices" exhibited at Designersblock during London Design Week 2012.
www.verydesignersblock.com
THE EYE MAGAZINE, Blog of the Eye Magazine, the international review of graphic design, August 2012. Featured in the article 'Billboards Reloaded' as one of the four designers selected for the project 'Getinframe' and the one-month campaign on digital billboards in central London sponsored by Outdoorplus.
...SEE MORE ON THE BLOG:
