On Our 2021 Theme: Re:Design
“Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life.”
— Dr. Mae Jemison, engineer, physician, and NASA astronaut
What if….everything we thought we understood about our world was no longer true and, because of this, the world itself was ripe for Re:Invention?
What if, in this newly forming world, you could focus the breadth of your knowledge and your craft to take another crack at anything? You would have the power to Re:Examine things as small as baking bread and hugging your loved ones. Or you might apply your gifts to tackling the large things that underpin our society, like education, transportation, professional sports, and even our democracy.
What if the world presented us with design problems—some new and some ever-present that we are now, finally, able and willing to see—that require us to Re:Think how we engage with each other? Accessibility, inclusivity, equity, and shared responsibility could become the norm as we work together to solve the many challenges we face.
This is the world we are imagining as we prepare for our 2021 In/Visible Talks conference.
Let’s face it, 2020 has been a tough year. Just a few months ago we thought the crises we faced were short-term and temporary, and now we’re realizing (if not quite yet accepting) we’re playing the long game. When it feels like everything we think we know is collapsing, we now make the choice to embrace the new world that is being Re:Made right before our eyes. That also means we are embracing our role as designer—which is evolving to include activist, visionary, artist, change maker, bridge builder, creator, and steward.
On good days, we roll up our sleeves, Re:Ignite our creative spark, and trust we’re making a difference. On not-so-good days, we draw strength and inspiration from each other, from our global community of designers, artists, makers, producers, and collaborators.
At In/Visible Talks, we believe creativity has the power to bring us together as people and to heal us as individuals. We believe that ideas can take us from stagnation to action. We believe that in action, there is hope.
It is in this spirit that we present the theme for In/Visible Talks 2021: Re:Design.
We hope you’ll join us—online—on January 14, 2021, for INVT 2021.