Making Of
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How might we build a network of design professionals, social orgs, students, and academics to foster recognition of the transdisciplinary design practice?
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We plan, manage and execute memorable events to connect key stakeholder groups, and actively promote transdisciplinary design by providing cutting-edge workshops feeding into TransD thesis work.
Context
VergeNYC is a 2.5-day design event organized by students at Parsons School of Design, along with design and community partners to promote transdisciplinary design – a mindset and practice that encourages collaboration and to act on society’s most complex problems.
Today’s designers are ready to facilitate social change. At VergeNYC, you’ll find us mixing and matching. Combining voices from the public and private sector, including but definitely not limited to, design, urban planning, sustainability, business and social innovation.
Our goal is to create a space for transdisciplinary collaboration. We believe that this collective impact is much greater, than the sum of its parts.
Solution
At VergeNYC, we are fascinated with big questions and bold topics. We discuss, debate, speculate, analyze and seek to act on the most complex issues of our time.
VergeNYC 2016 focused on Elasticity. Examining this topic through the lens of cities, services and ecosystems, we explored new possibilities for the future of transportation, public spaces and technological networks, as well as services for the disempowered.
VergeNYC 2017 highlighted Invisibility as an opportunity for new strategies to impact our societies. We can utilize transdisciplinary design as acts of seeing, revealing, and creating new perceptions of what currently goes unseen and overseen.
1
System Insight
The ecosystem of social, design, and academic organizations in New York is longing for innovative, extraordinary knowledge and design talent that bridge the three realms.
3
Prototype Insight
The complexity and the unique experience design of such an event can lead to remarkable participation rates and immediate job opportunities.
2
Human Insight
People feel strong gratitude when their conference participation is multilateral and also serves as a contribution to the success of graduating students.
VergeNYC Conference
A conference on transdisciplinary design
2016-17
with Stephanie Lukito, Andrea Burgueño, Elena Habre, Melika Alipour Leili, Kate Fisher, Winnie Chang, et. al.
Client/Partner
ThoughtWorks, Doblin, Zago, International Reycue committee, IBM, Moleskine, DESIS Lab
Topics
Innovation Networks, Transdisciplinary Design, Health-Tech, Shared Economy, Migration, Identity Politics, Speculative Design, A.I.
Approaches
Network Building, Experience Design, Design Thinking, Event Management, Hosting
Output
Event, Branding & CI, Implementation Roadmap, Website
Project Details
Migration Panel: Ezio Manzini, Rachel Lehrer, Lara Penin
During VergeNYC 2017, we had the honor to invite Ezio Manzini and Rachel Lehrer from the International Rescue Committe to a pnael about what Design(ers) can do in the context of the international migration crisis.
© VergeNYC
Invisibility Topic Matrix
After brainstorming the topic for VergeNYC 2017, we created a matrix that helped map out which speakers we would like to invite based on most interesting and relevant topics.
© VergeNYC
Migration Crisis Focus
VergeNYC is known for its detailed curation. Our focus segment on the international migration crisis did include talks by Angela Luna, Ezio Manzini and Rachel Lehrer, then continued with lunch by EatOffbeat, a social venture that employs former refugees resettled to NYC, sponsored by social design firm Zago.co. The finale was Ankita Roy‘s workshop “Invisibility in Migration”.
© VergeNYC
"Migration" Conversation
Ankita Roy led her conversation "Invisibility of Migration – The Untold Narratives". Gathering stories of meaning by analyzing and understanding the emotional value of objects, artefacts and places, she was able to glimpse inside people’s hearts and minds.
© VergeNYC, Sophie Riendeau
"Decisions" Conversation
Winnie Chang and Corey Chao led their conversation "Invisibility in Decisions – Predictive Analytics & Equality". By connecting the lived experiences of our collaborators to research frameworks, they discussed the roles of government and assessed its effectiveness.
© VergeNYC, Sophie Riendeau
Live Visual Recording
Johanna Tysk did the live visual recording during all talks and panels.
© VergeNYC
Conference Kit 2016
Every year, the VergeNYC brand gets an update. In 2016 the laser-cut nametags were used as frames to frame elastic moments for social media images.
© VergeNYC
Orientation Kit 2016
It was crucial to ensure clear orientation vor all conference participants across the various locations with this colorful signage.
© VergeNYC
Conference Kit 2017
For several years, Moleskine became a sponsor of VergeNYC, providing notebooks for all participants and conference contributors.
© VergeNYC
Interactive Pillar (The Yard)
At The Yard NYC, one of our sponsored event locations, we installed a large-scale column asking participants for topics and ideas for next year's converence.
© VergeNYC
