Human by Design: A Countercurrent Manifesto for Creativity in the Digital Age
In an era dominated by algorithms and automation logic, the creative process risks becoming sterile, homogenised, and predictable. Yet, it’s precisely today that we feel the urgent need to return to materiality, gesture, and human error as the spark of authentic innovation. Creativity cannot emerge from a screen alone. It must return to getting its hands dirty. It must start from things. The “Wrong Reassembly” Method Disassemble and reassemble. Apparently, without logic. Just as Rick Owens did with his deconstructed garments: off-centre shoulders, visible seams, jackets mounted backwards. Mistakes? No, vision. Each piece was a dialogue between form and function, between art and technique. And in that misalignment, it found its identity. Owens doesn’t “make fashion.” He sculpts concepts. Similarly, in furniture design, Ron Arad has shaped seating like the “Big Easy” that seems born from the collision between sculpture and comfort, between industrial curves and material softness. Objects that don’t seek market approval, but pose questions. And they endure because they speak to deeper levels. Creativity as Friction: Designer + Technician The creative process then becomes a space of positive tension. It’s in the confrontation—and even in the clash—between those who envision the form and those who guarantee its function that products destined to last are born. There is no real innovation without continuous dialectic. The laboratory, physical or mental, is the true beating heart of the idea. Consider Boris Bidjan Saberi, whose work is characterised by architectural silhouettes, experimental material treatments, and a monochromatic palette dominated by blacks and grays. His designs merge technical innovation with artisanal craftsmanship, often featuring raw edges, visible seams, and unique textile manipulations. Saberi’s controlled extremism manifests in his meticulous attention to material experimentation—working with leather, waxed fabrics, and natural dyes through processes that blur the line between traditional technique and avant-garde vision. Here, the creative tension isn’t just conceptual but materialised in garments that challenge conventional forms while maintaining exquisite functionality. Detach to Be Recognisable It’s not about rejecting technology. On the contrary, it’s precisely by maintaining distance from its dominion that the creative process can dialogue with it in a fertile way. We aren’t against innovation. But we reject standardisation. The idea is that everything must be optimised, replicable, and fast. Projects that endure are those that take time. That evolves. That makes mistakes. That’s a confrontation. That change was conceived while being conceived. And, above all, remain human.
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