PROGRAM

08:00	Registration
09:00	Welcome words LENA NORDHOLM, Rector of the University College of Borås ROLF WOLFF, Dean of the School of Business and Law Göteborg University RONALD PEDERSEN, Dean of The Swedish School of Textiles
09:20	The Modernity Dream Video-clip	Program (pdf) »»
09:25	SIMONETTA CARBONARO, Italy/Germany The Design of Prosperity The way out of the “more-of-the-same-design” trap means getting back to the basics of the design process and a fresh look at how design can interpret and influence the economic, social, political and cultural aspects of our lives and thus contribute to the prosperity of our Western societies.
09:55	JEREMY RIFKIN, USA Rethinking humanity's future. The end of the American Dream and the beginning of a New Energy Era Europe’s Vision of the Future is quietly eclipsing the American Dream. Rifkin also brings first hand information about how new economies powered by renewable energy sources will fundamentally change the nature of our market, political and social institutions.
10:55	Break
11:10	JOE FRIGGIERI, Malta The design of prosperity: beauty, happiness and hope Assuming that we all subscribe to the admittedly vague principle that the primary goal of design is to make people's lives better, we still need to ask ourselves: in what ways can that goal be reached? How exactly can design improve the quality of people's lives?
11:30	LUCY ORTA, United Kingdom/France Design with Soul and Social Link The design of objects that respond to a critical and constructive gaze on the most sensitive areas of society, evoking the need for change, poetically prefiguring reality and suggesting alternative life styles.
12:15	Lunch-Break
13:15	DERRICK DE KERCKHOVE, Canada Connecting intelligence: to design and implement prosperity Prosperity depends more than ever on fostering and harvesting people’s creativity and collaboration. Using examples of social software De Kerkhove , will explore what new rules play into the economy of networks. Policy should consider strategies to accelerate and connect intelligences within and among educational (key area), economic and cultural realms.
14:00	JOHN THACKARA, The Netherlands Power Laws of Innovation Lots of things need to be redesigned in ways that make good business but without adding to today's flood of pointless products. John Thackara made up ten power laws of innovation that could change the bigger picture as well as the quality of our every-day life.
14:45	NATHALIE DU PASQUIER, France/Italy Arranging Things Video-clip by Ilvio Gallo
14:50	Break
15:05	Dignity: Who do you wear? Videoclip of The Swedish Textile School & Mid Sweden University research group
15:10	SAFIA MINNEY, United Kingdom/Japan People Tree, Fair Trade and Fashion Design: the Aesthetics of Ethics How to turn a life-long interest in environmental, trade and social justice issues from a lifestyle into a Fair Trade business, providing proof of how ethical and ecological products don’t necessarily need to look boring. People Tree’s designers help to quash the idea that fair trade fashion is ugly and undesirable.
15:40	OLIVIERO TOSCANI, Italy Creativity is the risk and opportunity of the real present To be creative means to have no certainties, it means doing the opposite of what every pre-established system wants you to do. To be creative means to try to do something that has never been done, to build something that can be of enormous value in the future out of nothing. Creativity demands a state of non-control, of limitless courage. And that is why conformism is creativity's worst enemy.
16:40	RAIMON PANIKKAR, Spain (video by Ilvio Gallo) Beyond Prosperity The materialistic aspects connected with the concept of prosperity, progress, comfort and growth are problematic. Neglecting human need for spirituality is one of the major problems of our Western civilizations. Artists have the task to translate and transfer the sublime into their work. Not happiness nor wealth, but Joy and Beauty are two of major aspirations everyone seems to be searching for.
16:50	Podium Discussion - Moderation by CHRISTIAN VOTAVA discussion between the conference speakers and a panel of business leaders, policy makers and other special guests.
17:45	The End... of the conference-day