
VOLUME 37
(N)EVERLASTING: IMPERMANENCE IN DESIGN CULTURE
Volume 37 Full PDF (2015)
Abstract
With the arrival of the digital age and a culture dedicated to speed and efficiency, much of contemporary design has lost an old motivation: to create artifacts or experiences of permanence. Not even incredible breakthroughs remain for very long before they become the undiscussed norm or are replaced with new successes and new advances. Often it falls upon the shoulders of the designer to keep up with the perpetual flow of invention and reinvention, today more active and integrated into the flesh of society than ever. The river of progress is merciless and inevitable, and it’s only getting faster: but what does that mean, and how do we address it as consumers and creators?
One of the hallmarks of this fast-paced environment is the concept of immutable impermanence: a strict recognition of the fact that not everything will last, and that not everything should last. Impermanence is far from a new idea, but...