Prospectus

Design For the Real World REDUX: An International Design Competition

THE COMPETITION

Design, if it is to be ecologically responsible and socially responsive, must be revolutionary and radical in the truest sense. It must dedicate itself to…maximum diversity with minimum inventory…or doing the most with the least.

These prescient words were written 40 years ago by Viennese-born designer and thinker Victor J. Papanek and published in his influential book Design for the Real World. While many have been inspired by Papanek's plea for responsible and humane design, many more have ignored it. Yet as we face unparalleled social, economic, and environmental challenges, Papanek's words are more timely and urgent than ever.

The Museum of Arts and Design in New York City in partnership with the Victor J. Papanek Foundation at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and the Austrian Cultural Forum New York are pleased to announce

"Design for the Real World Redux"

An international design competition

and the launch of the

Victor J. Papanek Social design Award

Established and emerging designers are invited to submit innovative and radical examples of ecologically responsible and/or socially responsive designs that address everyday problems or social needs in the spirit of Victor Papanek's philosophy.

IMPORTANT DATES

Submissions open on March 1, 2011
Deadline for submissions is June 15, 2011
Finalists will be notified on July 20, 2011
Winners will be announced on July 20, 2011
Winners will be featured at an exhibition and awards ceremony at the University of Applied Arts Vienna on November 10, 2011 - January 31, 2012. The exhibition will travel to the Museum of Arts and Design and/or the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, depending on the number of finalists, on March 6 - June 17, 2012. There is a possibility that the exhibition will travel to other venues worldwide.

CATEGORIES

Established and emerging designers are invited to submit designs that address such issues as accessibility for all, domestic necessities, and solutions to today's environmental problems. All varieties of product design and/or digital media that address social need in a direct manner may be submitted. Entries must exist as either realized samples or final prototypes. Designs must have been conceived within the last three years.

Submissions are solicited in the following categories:

Designed Objects which
- significantly improve existing standards within their product group with the aim of achieving net zero environmental impact
- which offer social benefit to underserved segments of society or which are driven by socially responsive considerations.

Social and/or Ecological Infrastructures and Design Concepts which
- address transdisciplinary design perspectives on urbanization, in areas such as housing, transportation, accessibility (inclusive design), communication, social and medical care, and the implications of national and international migration, etc.
- offer paradigm-shifting solutions to bridge the lives of individuals and social networks by creating processes, systems and devices or combinations thereof that have the potential to transform social relations.

AWARDS

The winning entries will be featured in exhibitions held at the University of Applied Arts Vienna (November 10, 2011-January 31, 2012) and at the Museum of Arts and Design and/or the Austrian Cultural Forum New York (March 6-June 17, 2012) depending on the number of finalists. There is a possibility that the exhibition will travel to other venues worldwide.

One outstanding entry in the area of socially responsive design will be awarded the inaugural Victor J. Papanek Social Design Award.

A fully illustrated catalogue will be produced to document the competition and the winners featured in the exhibition.

THE JURY

The competition will be judged by an international panel that includes representatives of the sponsoring institutions and leading experts in the field.

The Victor J. Papanek Jury

Gerald Bast, President, University of Applied Arts Vienna

Allan Chochinov, Partner, Editor-in-Chief, Core77

Alison J. Clarke, Professor of Design History and Theory, and Research Director of Victor J. Papanek Foundation, University of Applied Arts Vienna

Holly Hotchner, Director, Museum of Arts and Design

Ronald Labaco, Curator, Museum of Arts and Design

David McFadden, Chief Curator, Museum of Arts and Design

Katarina Posch, Associate Professor of History of Art and Design, Pratt Institute

Fiona Raby, Principal, Dunne and Raby

Stefan Sagmeister, Principal, Sagmeister Inc.

Andreas Stadler, Director, Austrian Cultural Forum New York

John Thackara, Fouder and Director, Doors of Perception

REGISTRATION AND SUBMISSION DEADLINES

June 15, 2011

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY / ENTRIES

Project description statement of no more than 500 words including objectives, how they were met, design challenges, and social and environmental considerations. A minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 images per project submitted in .jpg format, 300 dpi, approximately 8.5 x 11 inches print size, and copyright free.

To submit a PDF file, email it to papanek.competition@madmuseum.org. To submit a video clip, please post it on You Tube and include the webpage URL on the application.

Each project submission must be accompanied by electronic payment
(in U.S. dollars or equivalent currency):

For Professional Designers:

$100 for first entry, $75 for additional entries

For Students (copy of ID necessary):

$75 for first entry, $50 for additional entries

Payment should be made to: Museum of Arts and Design, New York.

No refunds will be issued under any circumstances.

Winners grant publication rights for their winning submissions and images must be copyright-free. Images must not contain the name or logo of the designer, architect, firm, company, client, or manufacturer. The design must not infringe any third party's right, including but not limited to copyright, logos, trademark, trade names, or other proprietary rights of publicity or privacy.

RESULTS NOTIFICATION AND ANNOUNCEMENT

Finalists will be notified July 20, 2011.

Winners will be announced July 20, 2011.

EXHIBITION, CATALOGUE, AND TOUR

University of Applied Arts Vienna: Awards ceremony and exhibition opening on November 10 - 11, 2011, exhibition dates November 11, 2011-January 31, 2012. Museum of Arts and Design and/or the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, depending on the number of finalists: exhibition dates March 6-June 17, 2012. There will be the possibility of an international tour. A fully illustrated catalogue will be produced to document the competition and the winners featured in the exhibition.

Any moral and paternity right regarding the project sent in for submission is the designer's property. By participating in the competition, all entrants authorize the organizers to publish and exhibit any or all of the designs, including project data, waiving compensation, at exhibitions and events and/or to use them in any publications and promotions.

INFORMATION ON VICTOR J. PAPANEK FOUNDATION, UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED ARTS VIENNA, AUSTRIAN CULTURAL FORUM NEW YORK, AND MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN

The Victor J. Papanek Foundation, located at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, seeks to advance the understanding of design from the perspective of social responsibility. It supports design as an innovative and creative practice with the potential to transform societies and enhance human well-being. Inspired by Victor J. Papanek's critical and cross-cultural approach to design culture, the newly established Foundation will further an inclusive approach to design that challenges the purely commercial imperative of product culture. The Foundation holds at its centre the newly acquired archive and library of Papanek's working life.

The University of Applied Arts Vienna ("Angewandte") offers a wide range of study programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and PhD levels, including architecture, design, fine arts, media arts, transmedia arts, and art conservation-restoration. The "Angewandte" is home to more than 1,800 students from all over the world. The basic concept of the university as a place of critical reflection upon personal thought and action and a forum, where questions are more important than given patent solutions, lives on at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. The "Angewandte" sees itself as a place for free artistic and scientific articulation, as a forum for open discussion, and a development laboratory for artistic visions which should fulfill their potential and shape the society of the future.

The Austrian Cultural Forum New York (ACFNY), an agency of the Republic of Austria, is located in an extraordinary architectural landmark building in Manhattan. It is a cultural, academic, and intellectual meeting place for Austrians, Americans, and citizens from all over the world. The ACFNY seeks to enhance the appreciation of contemporary Austrian creative achievements in the United States. It offers programs focusing on current artistic and intellectual challenges and controversies, and cooperates with cultural and academic institutions throughout the United States.

The Museum of Arts and Design collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the Museum celebrates the creative process through which materials are crafted into works that enhance contemporary life.

QUESTIONS

Inquiries to: papanek.competition@madmuseum.org; 212-299-7787