Droog Lab: A.B.C.D.E.—an open discussion on design process

Improvisation is the Future of Design: How Improvisation via the Informal Economy might Impact the way we Design

With the “Global North” crippled in an economic crisis that doesn’t seem to go away, will the business of design, that depends on the formal capitalist economy follow suit, or will it learn from the more vibrant informal economies in the “Global South”?

With Dharavi as a backdrop, I participated in a two-week workshop which was a part of Droog Lab: Here, There, Everywhere. Other collaborators on the project included, Rajeev Thakker (Studio X Mumbai), Renny Ramakers (Droog), Bas Princen, Quaid Doongerwala and Shilpa Ranade (DCOOP Architects), Eric Klarenbeek, Jorge Mañes, Rahul Srivastava (URBZ), Ranjana Dani, (MIT Institute of Design, Pune), Radhika Desai (Domus India), and Agata Jaworska (Droog).

As stated on the Droog website, “Initiated by Renny Ramakers, cofounder and director of Droog, ‘Here, there, everywhere’ offers a new vision on the future of design. In collaboration with designers, consulting experts and local partners, Droog speculates how people in daily situations worldwide can inspire new directions for design. Current and past project locations include Dubai, New York, the Canadian North, Moscow, Belgium and Mumbai.”

Project featured in Domus