URMADIC UNIVERSITY HOTHOUSE

Thessaloniki, Greece.

Greece is historically unique. A territory that keeps shifting its borders in all directions. Here is a country with a history that has formed the histories of other nations and that has been reformed by exclusion and demarcation.
The situation in Greece is obviously of concern to the people of the nation in numerous ways – economically, culturally, existentially and so on. But it is equally a felt concern for many other people globally as the plight of the nation is understood as symptomatic of far wider problems at the end of modernity. The intent of this « hothouse » was to bring together a collection of people from Greece and around the world in order to confront these issues in a structured way. Designers, researchers, local lecturers and students were brought together to discuss these issues and develop possible solutions using design as a tool for change.
The conversation was grounded in the identification and elaboration of local agendas that were appropriated by the locals and are currently being developed. The main themes of these agendas were: repair, local economies, knowledge and skills exchange and education for sustain-ability.