As part of Paris Design Week’s fringe festival, Ground Control held design exhibitions, live radio discussions and on-site conferences. Several professionals focused on therapeutic urban design.
Invited guest speakers Emili Padrós and Ana Mir from Barcelona-based Emiliana Design Studio spoke about their work using design as therapy in urban settings. Emiliana takes a people-first approach, considering human problems in the city and creating designs that work towards solutions.
The design duo talked about their 2010 installation at the Centre d’Arts Santa Mònica for which they were asked to embellish the museum’s entry in order to draw people inside. They created a circular seating area they called Summer Nest. Using a metal frame and straps, they built a visible marker of the museum’s front door, but also a place for people to sit. According to Padrós, the circular form “forces people to meet each other.” Emiliana has also worked with Swedish company Nola to create the Sunday bench which encourages interaction in public spaces, and with Escofet, producers of architectural concrete, for the Otto bench.
In addition to their own work, Emiliana Design Studio has collaborated with different communities on light installations. In 2013, with Down de Lleida Association in Lleida, Spain they created the Lights To Be Seen project which took thousands of empty plastic bottles from household items such as laundry detergent and dish soap and turned them into string lights. The lights, put together by young people with down syndrome, were then placed all around the city. Implicating themselves in the beautification of their city drew a strong sense of satisfaction from the participants.
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