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Design
Between borderlines and multiple personality
disorders
Stefano Mirti
Siracusa, June 2014

Last month,
I was invited to this Design Festival in Zagreb….

Design Borderline
was the topic of the D Day festival.
Aim of the festival is to question and focus on
the topics that are on the edge of the design
practice, and more generally on the intersection
of design with other disciplines…
(this was the first question I had to answer)

“borderline” as a keyword is rather
appropriate.
If we check in the dictionary, we get into a
quite fabulous world.
Borderline, as a noun:
1. A line that establishes or marks a border.
2. An indefinite area intermediate between
two qualities or conditions:
The borderline between love and hate is
often thin.

Even more interesting if we get into borderline
as an adjective:
1.a. Verging on a given quality or condition:
borderline poverty.
1.b. Of a questionable nature or quality: an
applicant with borderline qualifications.

2.a. Psychology.
Relating to any phenomenon that is intermediate
between two groups and not clearly categorized
in either group:
a borderline state showing the characteristics of
both neurotic and psychotic reactions.

2.b. Relating to a condition characterized
by a pattern of instability in mood,
interpersonal relations, and self-image,
and manifested by self-destructive,
impulsive, and inconsistent
behavior:
the borderline syndrome.

Finally,
I think that the final paragraphs
are the ones really meaningful and promising:
“a borderline state showing the characteristics
of both neurotic and psychotic reactions”.

Of course, if we get into the borderline syndrome,
we are right in the spot. Wikipedia starts its
explanation like this:
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) (called
emotionally unstable personality disorder,
emotional intensity disorder, or borderline type in
the ICD-10) is a cluster-B personality disorder, the
essential feature of which is a pattern of marked
impulsivity and instability of affects, interpersonal
relationships and self image.
The pattern is present by early adulthood and
occurs across a variety of situations and contexts.

Let’s say that because design lives in a
borderline condition, designers are lead
to have a multiple personality disorder.
Here I am, with my multiple
personalities and their various disorders.
We can proceed on with the lecture...

then, there was a second question:
In the context of your own work,
how can you relate to this topic,
given that your are experimenting
and operating in within different
disciplines,
from architecture
to new media to design education etc.?

This is exactly the point.
To be a designer in the contemporary
world, you have to carry multiple
personalities.
Without this (special and burdensome)
feature, it is very difficult to survive the
borderline conditions of today’s world.

...I am so many things at once.

I am an architect, but I am also a teacher.
To design I have to be an entrepreneur,
but from time to time I get a salary from
some real and/or fictional entities.
I write an article, sometimes I write a book.
One day I organize a community,
and the following day I am at work for some
evil corporation.
Indeed, never a boring moment.

In the morning a story-teller,
in the afternoon an expert on social media,
in the evening research,
and finally,
i spend the night drowning in my hobbies
(of course, the most important part of my life…).
Actually,
we can see some of this role I have to play...

sometimes, I am an architect.
this is what is studied for...

here for instance,
an image of the Biodiversity Park for
Expo 2015

here another image.
just because we like the project very much!

here you have the desgin theam: a lot of people.
too long to list them all.
i am one of many….

here a traditional axonometric view of
the whole thing.
eight greenhouses + a lot of assorted
greeneries...

not to forget the interiors...

as well as all kind of different details...

sometimes I am a teacher, a traditional teacher
here the link to the things I do at Bocconi University…
and here another link: “To the final test with post and tweets”

sometimes, my teaching becomes more experimental.
here for instance, the link to “For Your Community” workshop
organized for Alta Scuola Politecnica (Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino).

sometimes, I teach.
some other times, I learn...

Design. Between borderlines and multiple personality disorders

sometimes, I have to decide which way to
go.
finally, I learned that the important thing
is to decide quick.
not so relevant what you decide.
just decide, go for it,
keep calm and carry on...

sometimes, to teach better,
I have to transform myself into a puppet…
You don’t believe me? Look at this “Design 101”

the puppet game, this I like very much.
I can even become an elegant lady...

sometimes (actually,
every day, once per day),
I collect the sky.
If you want to see the collection,
you go to my Instagram account,
or you use the #todaysky hashtag.

this project where every day I take one
picture of the sky,
I like it so much that here you have
another picture.
#todaysky

sometimes I build things with my hands
(well, this is just an idea of what we
wanted to build)

sometimes, I invent new schools…
here for instance, Relational Design master degree program, a project developed
with Lucia Giuliano and Abadir Fine Art Academy.

sometimes I invent stories…
here you have a couple of images of my
#littlepeople series.
like #todaysky series,
you can find them all at my Instagram account

basically, it is a love story, a very sad love story.
as much as he tries, he will never get her…
every time, one image and one caption:
in trieste they went,
here, finally, i could kiss him (this is what she
thought).
but unfortunately, he didn’t ask.
#poignant

sometimes I do things, I can’t share in
public.
they are nice and fun,
but I am too shy.
sorry sorry...

sometimes, I play…
actually, I spend a lot of time playing.
if I was to count the amount of time I
play,
you would be amazed (I am amazed).

sometimes I play so much,
that I get special recognition.
for instance,
in 2001, I was the world champion of
Nokia’s snake.
do you remember?
yes, that….

sometimes I am a social media manager.
here for instance, the link to the work we are doing for Expo 2015: social media hub

sometimes, I am an authority.
(very odd feeling).

sometimes (actually, most of the time), I keep a diary.
for instance, check this MolDor Diary

I like very much to observe things around me...

sometimes I read books….
nowadays, for instance, I am very much into
Simenon’s Maigret...

sometimes, I play trick.
this, I like.
finally, design is manipulation.
and this is good.

here you can see all the things we are setting
up at whoami.it
next activities are:
> workshop on community design
> workshop on design vs twitter
> workshop at venice biennale 2014 (sorry, no
link yet)

sometimes I sell…
here for instance, you have another nice link

of course, I could go on for hours...

stefano mirti, siracusa, june 2014
@stefi_idlab on twitter and instagram, stefano
mirti on facebook

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