Prior to the Crisis Design Network workshop on the 12th of July, FFW writer, Sha, met up with the founders of the group, Thomas Kong and Kenta Kishi, to find out more about this little-known thought-provoking group . Singaporean Thomas Kong is an Assistant Professor at the Chicago School of Art Institute and Yokohama-based Kenta Kishi is an architect and founder of architectural urbanscape movement Wonderlandscape. Settling comfortably at the TCC in Bugis Junction, Sha interviewed the gentlemen with a single key query; just what is the Crisis Design Network?

S: In your own words what is the quintessential message that CDN hopes to bring across?

T.K: Ultimately, what we’d like to achieve is to cultivate a social awareness to a phenomenon that is occurring. Hopefully to author a different way of discussing architecture and design that transcends boundaries.

K.K: For example, understanding an urban issue in Japan whose solution may be applied globally as well. Designing relationships, patching gaps in societies that is beyond disciplines, not just architecture, but art and even industrial design.

S: Who are you targeting?

T.K: immediate targets would be designers, design students, academics of various disciplines. People that may think and ponder aloud some curious social phenomenon. Through discussions among these people we might be able to find patterns or trends that may have escaped our attentions before.

S: Through what mediums will you be compiling and publicizing the results of your 2 year findings?

T.K: Hmm, we’re not so sure yet but as part of the grant by the Toyota Foundation we are required to produce a report. Besides that, we may publicize our discoveries in the form of a small publication. And hopefully, after these 2 years, have a commemorative final event?

S: So, ultimately what is it that CDN hopes to achieve? Will it be a design proposition that is a respond or a solution?

K.K: It may not be a solution to a bad design problem…

T.K: …like a solution to a badly designed bus stop…we are not too sure where we’re heading because this is more of an exploration, there may not even be a conclusion, but perhaps the beginning to a new development.

K.K: ..it could be open ended! To reveal hidden crisis, something that manifests, that you can see physically. That’s why crisis is the key word, it doesn’t have to mean a natural disaster, just a reoccurring event in societies that is both local and global as well.

T.K: Take for example the the shrinking city of Tokyo. As more people move out of the costly city and into the suburban outskirts, business and activities moves with them and the city-spaces quite literally shrink. The crisis of suburbia, it is also happening in the big cities of America. How the forest fires of Indonesia affects Singapore and Malaysia; it’s more of identifying the ecology of crisis, which may have something to do with globalisation or simply human nature. It’s about finding and recognizing patterns.

S: What can people expect from these workshops? Or more importantly what is expected of them?

T.K: During the first year, we had a symposium in Yokohama. Attendees were encouraged to ask anything provocative and they were free to say anything at all. As a result there were debates and interesting discussions. The same is hoped for this year!

S: The CDN states that its main modus operandi is to “create and unprecedented transdiciplinary design network and aspires to be relevant beyond Asia, given the global interconnected characters of contemporary cities.� What factors are critical to achieve this?

T.K: Networking. To spread news and knowledge by word of mouth, that is why we think the best way to find our hidden crises and discuss the known ones is by having symposiums! Like how you got to know about us, through a few forwarded emails among acquaintances and friends and how you’re helping us spread the awareness.

S: Architecture operates at a wide variety of scales and CDN acknowledges that. Some architects instigate change through their research papers in the academic domain and some do so through the policies that shape a city, while some are more hands-on, initiating programmes and projects. At which scale do you think holds the key to meeting the challenges of the future?

K.K: Both have their roles to play. In practise you get first-hand experience, while in teaching or writing you have the space to reflect and critique. Businesses refer to researcher’s data and analysis to make their businesses better, the same way how many businesses depend greatly on designers to create a popular identity for them (like how Apple’s popularity is so image driven) and how designers depend on business to get further.

Academics are required to provoke thought, to debate and open more doors for opportunity and progress. To think and to act, both levels of involvement are important to push forward an idea. That’s why schools are so important.

S: Do you think that globalisation of cities pose more of a threat, do you think it bears a more negative impact on the human milieu as opposed to a positive one?

K.K: When Thomas and I communicate through Skype, which is rather often these days, I realise that such technology closes the gap of distant between us. He is in Chicago while I am in Japan. The scale of differences are minimised. This compresses time, the time differences between us have no effect whatsoever to our communication. This is not the natural rhythm, which should be more attuned to the changes in time. Globalisation can mean the expansion and contraction of time, it can be a good thing because people from various parts of the world can make contact without moving. It can be a bad thing because we become less in sync with nature.

T.K: For example, in the past before we had mobile phones we had to meet our friends as promised earlier so as to not miss meeting each other. Now with the convenience of mobile phones, we meet later than promised, as we have tools of communications at any time. This compression or expansion, our way of life results in us slicing time, calibrating time to match it into our activities rather than the other way around.

S: Many cities are aiming to develop itself to become a 24 hour city. Do cities really need to go 24 hours?

T.K: Inevitably, cities operate through the 24 hour with the various levels of activities. Like Mustafa’s, opening for 24 hours a day. Cities now provide activities, beyond the required level of convenience. While initially people’s activities are upholding the cities, which is natural, cities going on for 24 hours, like Singapore, are making activities deliberate. It is not a natural way for a city to grow.

S: Last but not least; what words of guidance/advice would you give to aspiring designers/artists tackling the same issues as CDN?

K.K: 2 things. One, do things by yourself, firstly recognize crises by yourself. Secondly, don’t do everything by yourself. What issues you can bring to the next level, do it by yourself. And then bring other people in to help you out bring it to the next level.

T.K: Throw your cellphones away. Remove distractions as much as you can and identify patterns. Always find the space in which you can think. And most importantly simplify. As the Dalai Lama says� sleep is the best meditation.�

Features >> Q&A

Interview with Thomas Kong and Kenta Kishi of Crisis Design Network