Design as Conversations

Last December the COP15 Convention (climate change conference) created quite a stir in the little capital city of Copenhagen in Denmark. Representatives from all over the world came to attend and also to protest the event. What was extremely apparent from living in Copenhagen was that this particular event was thought out to every little detail.

Special temporary structures were erected all over the city designed to be stacked and layered together to house information and experiences for all the Conventions visitors. It was obvious that wherever you visited around the city, there was a standard format giving the entire installation a more intensified presence. Everything from energy-saving solutions to sustainable architecture to global warming were addressed. Each day, there were lectures, public art installations, and many other experiences that had been systematically designed in a streamlined way to make this convention send a message.

This image shows the temporary modules with their green-light exteriors in the night sky in Copenhagen's Rådhusplads (Town Hall Center). Concerts and other events were happening at the same time, creating a dialogue between many different types of people and different pieces of knowledge.

The conversation that the City opened up for the people was one about information, facts, and experiences that enact real life. The conversation that the people got involved with became something else. Activism, public expressions of art & politics, protesting; many people were encouraged to speak their mind and participate in an exciting