New Book: DESIGN (&) ACTIVISM

Happy to announce DESIGN (&) ACTIVISM to be published as the first title in the book series Design Meanings (Mimesis Edizioni).

This is a book about how the worlds of design and activism (could) inspire each other. The book focuses on theories and practices related to the role of Design in terms of addressing, provoking and creating political discourse. Starting from traditional forms of protest, visual languages of resistance, to new forms of digital participation, this will help us to better understand the rituals, structures and meanings of design activism in history and the present, clarifying that design is intrinsically social and supremely political. And it shall help us to derive arguments and examples for the transformative potential of future design (and) activism.

The volume contains contributions by Alastair Fuad-Luke, Guy Julier, Ann Thorpe, Chantal Mouffe, Gui Bonsiepe, Thomas Markussen, Gavin Grindon, Michael Erlhoff, Anna Feigenbaum, Cathy Gale, Barbara Hoidn, Stephen Duncombe, Steve Lambert, Harald Gruendl, Fernando Luiz Lara, Tom Bieling, Pierre Smolarski, Marcel René Marburger, Maziar Rezai or Mikala Hyldig Dal.

Available since 30. October 2019
Tom Bieling (Ed.): DESIGN (&) ACTIVISM –
Perspectives on Design as Activism and Activism as Design
Mimesis International; ISBN 978-8869772412
254 Pages, English
ISBN: 9788869772412

Further Info via the International Research Network on Design (and) Activism at www.design-activism.org

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Mobile Lorm Glove – A Communication Device for deaf-blind people.

At the Design Research Lab, we develop the Mobile Lorm Glove, a mobile communication and translation device for the deaf-blind. The prototype translates the hand-touch alphabet “Lorm”, a common form of communication used by people with both hearing and vision impairment, into text and vice versa.

Textile pressure sensors located on the palm of the glove enable the deafblind user to “lorm” on his or her own hand to compose text messages. A Bluetooth connection transmits the data from the glove to the user’s handheld device. It is then forwarded to the receiver’s handheld device in the form of an SMS. If the wearer of the Mobile Lorm Glove receives a text message, the message will be forwarded via Bluetooth from his or her handheld device to the glove. Initiated by small vibration motors located on the back of the glove, tactile feedback patterns allow the wearer to perceive incoming messages.

The Mobile Lorm Glove provides particularly two innovative ways of communication for deafblind people: it supports mobile communication over distance, e.g. text message, chat or e-mail, and it enables parallel one-to-many communication, which is especially helpful in school and other learning contexts. With this newly developed technology and interaction, it will soon become possible to also “feel” e-Books or audiobooks. The Mobile Lorm Glove functions as a simultaneous translator and makes communicating with others without knowledge of “Lorm” possible. As a result, it empowers deaf-blind people to engage with a wider social world and further enhances their independence.

The next step of our research will be to prepare the implementation of direct speech input and output.

Team: Tom Bieling, Ulrike Gollner

 

Lorm Hand connects deaf-blind people with twitter

On the 4th October an impressive protest march of the deaf-blind took place in Berlin. Many of the participants took the opportunity to express and tweet their thoughts, demands, needs, wishes and requests with the @LormHand.

The Lorm Hand is an installation, which connects deaf-blind people with twitter or other social networks. Using touch sensory technology, the Lorm Hand enables deaf-blind people to compose text messages by applying the tactile hand-touch alphabet LORM, a common way of communication used by the deaf-blind. After typing a message on the Lorm Hand, it can immediately be tweeted or shared with social networks.

The Lorm Hand was created by the Design Research Lab initially for this event, so that the protest would go online and could be shared with a broader community. Furthermore the Lorm Hand has been used as a tool of communication for other non deaf-blind people, who are generally interested in the topic “deaf-blindness” and who can use it as a learning tool, to literally get in touch with the idea of LORM or deaf-blind culture in general.