The Word for Border is Water

Rethinking boundaries through design

This collection questions the overarching yet invisible presence of a controlled, monitored environment, in which the boundaries between nature, ecology, technology and culture are becoming increasingly blurred.
Through design, IED students' work takes a regenerative approach to understanding, restoring and coexisting with the blue environments that influence life on Earth. They consider that over 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by water, and that the health of liquid environments impacts bodies, politics and economies.
The designers interpret, raise awareness of, and address the challenges, inequalities, and overlooked common goods, thereby reconnecting us with life within the planet's liquid environments.
As the title suggests, water challenges the notion of boundaries — both physically, as a surface, and conceptually, as a form of separation — and reminds us that what makes an archipelago a whole is the water flowing between its islands. This concept is reflected in design as a discipline that moves towards a more equitable world, both ecologically and socially, where fluid collaboration and transdisciplinary knowledge promote shared well-being without borders.