With Socially Responsible Design as its central theme, the World Design Capital CDMX 2018 program proposes an agenda to establish a forum for connection, reflection, and dialogue on design as a force that shapes material life and ideas to build a livable city.
The agenda for the coming months (April–June) of World Design Capital CDMX 2018 includes official events, academic, cultural, and design activities. The official events, organized under the guidelines of the World Design Organization (WDO), will take place in April; meanwhile, the local program—highlighting the Interuniversity Circuit and the cultural agenda—will run throughout the year.
Notably, the exhibitions, conferences, urban interventions, and educational projects are guided by six cross-cutting themes: inhabitants, mobility, identity, environment, public space, and creative economy.
Official Events
International Design Pavilion (World Design Experience) — in collaboration with FICA. As part of Mexico City's designation as World Design Capital 2018, the theme of FICA 2018 (International Friendly Cultures Fair) will focus on design as a multisectoral discipline that promotes creativity, problem-solving, and innovation. Consequently, World Design Capital CDMX 2018 will present the International Design Pavilion, an exhibition space showing best practices in "City-Centered Design" centered around the guiding theme of WDC CDMX 2018: Socially Responsible Design.
Local Program
Throughout the year, World Design Capital CDMX 2018 will work with the academic community through the Interuniversity Circuit to promote interaction and create a collaborative platform among universities, faculties, and design schools, focusing on socially responsible design.
Participating universities and institutions include: Universidad La Salle, Universidad Anáhuac, UNAM (through the Faculty of Architecture and CIDI), Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Universidad Iberoamericana, Universidad del Valle de México, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Universidad CENTRO, and the School of Design of the National Institute of Fine Arts (EDINBA).
Key activities of the Interuniversity Circuit include:
V Interdisciplinary Design Forum
Location: National Museum of Anthropology
Dates: April 27 and 28, 2018
Organizer: EDINBA
Theme: Design and social responsibility
Description: The School of Design of the National Institute of Fine Arts organizes the V Interdisciplinary Design Forum (FID) as a space for dialogue to foster reflection on different approaches, theories,
concepts, trends, tools, and methodologies surrounding topics of academic and
professional relevance in design that shape professional profiles.
Clara Porset Dumas Seminar
Location: UNAM
Dates: May 17, 24, and 31 – June 21 – August 23 – September 20 – October 25 – November 15 and 16, 2018
Organizer: CIDI / IIE UNAM
Theme: Reflections on contemporary Latin American design
Description: Through dialogue between researchers, specialists, and academics, the first cycle of this seminar aims to present new contributions and view the work of Clara Porset from alternative perspectives. The goal is to foster reflection based on various methods of design and architecture, as well as history and editorial circulation, building a dialogue that demonstrates Clara Porset's influence on contemporary design. This influence imbues it with an identity and character rooted in the values of Latin American modernity while connecting it to avant-garde production in other countries.
Entre Nos – FICA
Location: Zócalo Square
Dates: April 18, 2018
Organizer: ITESM / wdc
Theme: Urban Furniture
Description: Developed in the Design Department of the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Estado de México. This exercise emerged within the framework of the course Experience Design II, which aims to have students integrate emotional design, usability, and identity requirements into their creative process. To achieve these learning objectives, professor Fabien Cappello challenged students to design outdoor furniture that would spark interaction outside of the classroom. This interaction could foster collaborative work, rest, or recreation. Following the validation of the new concepts, it was found that the furniture promoted interpersonal interaction, regardless of the academic context in which it was conceived.
Creative Projects for More Humane Cities – FICA
Location: Zócalo Square
Dates: April 27, 2018
Organizer: City Lab Madrid – Istituto Europeo di Design
Theme: Transforming cities through creativity
Description: Creative Projects for More Humane Cities is a demonstration session of collaborative work dynamics, showcasing the capacity to develop these projects in different locations. We will share our urban design and regeneration proposal, which is based on the creative fabric (City Lab Madrid – IED), focusing on "the neighborhood" as the sphere of action and involving the full and active participation of citizens alongside public and private stakeholders in urban design.
Highlights of the cultural agenda, organized in collaboration with various museums in Mexico City, include the exhibition “By All, For All: Design and Public Space in Mexico City”, presented at MUCA Campus. The exhibition aims to show how design practices across different scales contribute to open public spaces, enhancing their usability and expanding possibilities for users to enrich their experience.
Thematically structured around the categories of Street, Plaza, Garden, and Park, “By All, For All: Design and Public Space in Mexico City” showcases design interventions carried out in Mexico City during the current century. It will be open to the public until April 28.
The photography exhibition “I Live and Work,” presented at the Open Gallery of the Gates of Chapultepec Forest on Paseo de la Reforma, features key figures of the country's creative industry whose work has established platforms to boost Mexico's design scene. The exhibition will run from April 20 to May 13.
The Franz Mayer Museum will host two exhibitions: “Idealista: 50 Years Manifesting Design” and the Ibero-American Design Biennial. From April 19 to July 8, it will feature “Idealista: 50 Years Manifesting Design,” a project by Design Center celebrating five decades of continuous transformation and enrichment through design. Through the history of this pioneering firm, the exhibition aims to convey the significance of the design profession, its creative and production processes, and its evolution over time. It invites reflection on technical challenges amid rapid technological change, its impact on people's lives, and the history of design development in Mexico over the last few decades.
From May 31 to July 15, the Franz Mayer Museum, in collaboration with the Fundación Diseño Madrid, will bring the Ibero-American Design Biennial to Mexico City. Held biennially at the Central de Diseño in Matadero Madrid, the event is the most important gathering for contemporary Ibero-American design. This key exhibition highlights, disseminates, and promotes the most significant works from the 2016 edition.
For more information about the World Design Capital CDMX 2018 program, visit www.wdccdmx2018.com
This article was written by Mónica Arellano. The translation is powered by AI.
