If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things. ― René Descartes
The truth was supposed to set us free. ― Garry Kasparov
The exponential acceleration of the production and spread of information in the digital era exposes us to the possible appearance of relative or partial truth, as well as the generation of involuntary falsehood – the result of an accidental error also indicated with the term misinformation – or of intentional action, which for various reasons we might see as malicious, expressed through the term disinformation.
Characterized by the presence of “post-truth”, an expression that points to the trend of considering the truthfulness of a report as a matter of secondary importance, the contemporary world often seems to value a non-objective emotional-sensational reaction more than an analytical response based on the facts. With reference to this scenario, IN Residence Design Workshop #14: “TRUTH TELLERS” investigates the multiple meanings attributed to the concept of truth in today’s society, organizing a study that sets out to reflect on the cultural value assigned to that concept. Applying the exercise of Design Thinking, the workshop examines the opposing categories of false and authentic, fiction and non-fiction, also considering the potential influence that can be exerted on these issues by doubt.
Questioning the possible existence of a “truth” that can be seen as absolute – “Truth is truth, to the end of reckoning,” as Shakespeare wrote – the workshop is oriented toward exploration of the shifting nature of reality and facts, considering a series of queries. Through design activity, is it possible to produce new categories of devices – analog or digital, handmade or industrial – capable of detecting and revealing the truth? Is it possible to give rise to individual or collective practices useful to develop a shared idea of truth? Can we transform ourselves into truth-divining entities? Can we achieve new forms of awareness driven by the divination of future truths?
Participants
Adnan Arif, Esther Bapsalle, Giulia Braglia, Ambra Dentella, Ricardo Gonçalves, Žan Kobal, Flora Lechner, Paloma Moniz, Carolina Nogueira, Felepa Oliveira, Vicent Orts, Ginevra Petrozzi, Tancredi Pino, Ariana Pita, Anna Resei, Ksenya Samarskaya, Samuel dos Santos, Ricard Serarols Llorens, Ricardo Sousa, Filipa Ventura, Edgar Wilson, João Xará
Interaction and results:
Following the restrictions imposed by the emergency linked to the pandemic, IN Residence Design Workshop # 14 “TRUTH TELLERS” experimented with an entirely digital method of development: the online experience allowed to verify a new interaction formula between the participants, allowing to define new ways of collaboration between IN Residence and MAAT, which have been decidedly stimulating.
The idea of attributing to MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology – a renowned cultural institution committed to promoting critical discourse linked to creative practice – the role of reference point and ideal connection between all the participants meant a lot, defining a “context of privileged relationship” which was elected as a “node” of non-physical contact.
On this ideal platform for comparison, the workshop curated by Barbara Brondi & Marco Rainò and included in the program of activities promoted by MAAT under the name of “MAAT Mode 2020”, had two young and talented designers as protagonists in the role of Designers-Tutors: THOMAS BALLOUHEY (France, 1990) and SOFT BAROQUE (Nicholas Gardner – Australia, 1988 and Saša Štucin – Slovenia, 1984) who, during the four days of development of the creative laboratory, were asked to confront and interact with the ultimate goal of develop some design considerations able to answer the questions implicit in the research topic.
The workshop activities carried out were of an individual and non-individual type, culminating in a collective in-depth project carried out by 22 participants divided in 4 individual groups.
The titles of the research carried out by individual groups were:
DIGITAL MYTHS
MODERN MYTHS
ALTERNATE TRUTHS
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic
The results, with a high rate of intellectual speculation, have proposed a multiple reading of the theme “Truth Tellers”, interpreted in absolutely original ways.
Obtained thanks to an intense interaction between the participants, the results were presented using a mixture of different digital software: video, sound and textual elements were used to represent the thoughts, gestures and performative acts conceived by the participants.
Given the results, the initial limitation of using digital as the only channel of interaction turned out to be unexpectedly interesting.
Thanks to an openness to dialogue and cross-discussion between all the participants, applications of all types and levels were used – even in a less orthodox way than usual – to define an expressive language that proved to be very original.
During the days of interaction, and with particular reference to the final project presented by the individual groups, we had the opportunity to explore the topic of “truth” in a rather extrovert way: simulating human-machine conversations with chat-bots; hybridizing and altering potential images intended as “truthful”; hypothesizing interviews with objects that reveal a new, true identity; building symbolic avatars; generating new material presences, new domestic objects from the combination of others, and giving the result of these grafts the value of objects capable of stimulating new reflections – and questions – on the theme “truth”; verify the potential of a machine learning process in relation to the main topic of discussion.
It was (truly, truly, truly) a unique, vibrant, emotionally engaging experience. In which the human factor, in spite of the supposed limitations given by the remote connection, proved to be substantial and decisive.
