BR A IN
WAV E S
Brain Waves is the final instalment in a trilogy of exhibitions presented by Central Saint Martins as part of the London Design Festival. In 2014 Restless Futures examined the multiple contexts in which designers are now operating. The Intelligent Optimist in 2015 explored the differing characteristics of designers. Now in 2016 Brain Waves surveys the variety of design intelligence that our graduates deploy in their work. Taken together, these three exhibitions and their accompanying catalogues give a fascinating perspective on the obsessions and directions of one of the world’s leading art and design colleges. But the trilogy is about more than the individual pieces of work themselves: it also makes a compelling argument about the role of design in engaging with our uncertain futures. As an art and design school, we reject an era without expertise. The designers you see here are specialists, but crucially, they work with openness because considered design requires both creativity and collaboration. The complexities of contemporary life demand new ways of thinking therefore diversity of approach is essential. Brain Waves maps out four territories: ‘Creative Forensics’, ‘Empathic Invention’, ‘Haptic Thinking’ and ‘Shifting Reality’. The aim is not only to show how different types of design intelligence are applied to process and object, but also their wider potential and application. Design is not the route to more things and new aesthetics, it is a key to making sense of the world. J erem y T ill Head of Central Saint Martins Pro Vice - Chancellor Research, University of the Arts London