SPACE10 set to host ‘Beyond Human-Centered Design’ in Mexico City

IKEA’s research and design lab, SPACE10 will set up a creative platform on the theme ‘Beyond Human- Centered Design’ in the vibrant Mexico City through talks, exhibitions, art installations, hackathons and several other interactive events. The pop-up will be open from March 26, 2022 until April 9, 2022, at the exhibition space ‘Loot’ in Roma Norte. ”We are excited for SPACE10 to reside in LOOT, as it is a venue that allows us to open the doors to the community, as well as house our team from Copenhagen to work and engage with new collaborators and partners,” says Kevin Curran, Spatial Design Lead, SPACE10.

“As such, the purpose of setting up SPACE10 in Mexico City is to create a platform where we can come together as a design community and discuss how we design our way out of it. It’s pretty clear it’s time we redefine what constitutes good design,” shares Simon Caspersen, Co-Founder of SPACE10. SPACE10 will bring together an eclectic ensemble of artists, designers, technologists, architects, academics, entrepreneurs and activists  to share their work and ideas, to find innovative ways to employ design and technology to build a better future. According to Caspersen, the biggest and most urgent creative challenge of our time is how we meet the needs and dreams of the many people while remaining within the boundaries of the planet. “We have undeliberately designed ourselves into the mess we find ourselves in today,” he says.

The event is an initiative in the design labs quest to reimagine innovative designs in the face of declining climate crisis and rising inequality. “Our aim is for the pop-up to be a laboratory of ideas for a new type of design thinking. At SPACE10, we are excited to bring both local and international thought leaders on stage and learn from the design community of Mexico City. Our hope is that the program in Mexico will provoke our collective imagination and help us qualify new opportunities, build new partnerships, and design new solutions, all while emboldening people from around the world to take action together for positive change,” explains Jana Perkovic, Editor & Program Curator at SPACE10.

Along with the pop-up festival SPACE10 will offer a six-week residency from 28 February to 9 April 2022, for five Mexico-based designers. Launched in collaboration with material translator Seetal Solanki from Ma-tt-er, SPACE10 is looking for creatives to explore, research and experiment with local materials, identify and investigate new possibilities for their use. Through their continued efforts Space10 endeavors to unfold new design approaches that can help solve real problems with real people. 

Along with Mexico, SPACE10 has also organised pop-ups in several cities including New York, London, Shanghai, Nairobi, and most recently Delhi. ”We feel Mexico City’s progressive and dynamic design scene is the perfect playground for us to connect research experts and creatives from around the world to explore and rethink the role of design,” concludes Curran.