AGENTS OF ALTERNATIVES - RE-DESIGNING OUR REALITIES
…is an independently published open book exploring the visions, actions, tools and impacts of change agents, thinkers and ‘happeners’ (those who make things happen!). It shows the creative processes and tools for designing positive societal transitions. These transitions are revealed by showing the new hybrid relationships being forged between alternative approaches to learning, living, making, socialising, thinking, sharing and working.
Agents of Alternatives enables professionals, amateurs and citizens to understand the rich possibilities of creating and designing together in open, participatory and imaginative ways. It provides an integrated and systemic collection of case studies, essays and interviews from well-known international contributors and local activists.
It is collated by a diverse team of international editors and contributors – including YOU! You can contribute your thoughts and knowledge - see how in the sponsor options below!
(first prototype of the book)
AIMS OF THE BOOK:
- challenge and refresh existing world views
- celebrate the diverse agents designing alternatives such as organizers, artists, designers, volunteers, activists, entrepreneurs and many more
- encourage actions by providing tools and know-how in highly visual ways
- analyse and link up all content to provide more holistic views
- give food for thought and energy for action!
WHO IS IT FOR?
You will find Agents of Alternatives an essential reference for EVERYONE who wishes to become part of positive societal change. It is especially relevant if you are a social change agent wanting to apply new design and creative processes, or if you are a designer, artist or architect seeking to lever social change. Teachers, students, activists, alternative life-stylers, citizens and anyone who wishes to create more meaningful ways of living, working and playing, will find stimulation and practical tools in the pages of this book.
WHO IS IT BY?
An amazing diversity of over 60 international and local contributors, coordinated by an editing team. The diverse contributors, so far:
Interviews with:
Francesca Walsh & Isolde Nagel on the Community Lover’s Guide to the Universe;
Cecilia Palmer on Open Source Fashion and the DIY-fashion workshop initiative Fashion Reloaded;
Adam Lawrence of Work Play Experience on the Global Design Service Jam;
Elisa Garrote-Gasch on Repair Café Kreuzberg, Berlin;
Amber Hickey on the book Guidebook of Alternative Nows;
Maya Indira Ganesh on the information advocacy organization Tactical Tech;
Marcin Jakubowski of Open Source Ecology about the Global Village Construction Set;
Frauke Hehl & Antonia Gerlinde Schui on the workstation ideenwerkstatt e.V.;
Cordula Andrä on the intentional community ZEGG, Centre of Experimental Cultural Design;
Caleb Waldorf, Fotini Lazaridou-Hatzigoga and Fiona Gueß on the self-organized learning project Public School;
Daphne Büllesbach & Luisa Maria Schweitzer on the civil society organization European Alternatives e.V.,
Diana Krabendam on the design agency The Beach,
…with more to follow.
Case studies:
BYO Biennale; Clear Village; Drawing By Numbers; Global Service Design Jam; Global Village Construction Set; Kuutio; Make{able}; Mode Uncut; Open Structures; Open Wear; Peloton; Satokartta.net; Time/Bank; Tradeschool.coop; and University of Neighbourhood… with many more to follow.
Essays by:
Martin Parker, co-author of the book Dictionary of Alternatives;
David Bollier, author of the book Think Like a Commoner;
Otto von Busch, fashion hacker and activist on his fashion project >Self_Passage<;
Michel Bauwens, founder of the peer-to-peer initiative P2P-Foundation;
Ben Pohl and Anna Richter of the 5-year-experiment University of Neighbourhood;
Saara Hannula of the art project Reality Research Centre;
Cindy Kohtala, doctoral researcher of the Maker movement;
Malin Bäckman on design participation in communities;
and the contributing editors – Alastair Fuad-Luke on design activism and design for social innovation; Katharina Moebus on mutual learning; Anja-Lisa Hirscher on participation in making; and Cathérine Kuebel on socio-poetic nomadism.
The editors believe this offers a genuinely inter-disciplinary perspective on contemporary Agents of Alternatives.
The editing team:
It is assembled by a team of international contributing editors from art and design education, practice and activism – Alastair Fuad-Luke, Katharina Moebus, Anja-Lisa Hirscher and Cathérine Kuebel. The editors have previous published works including Design Activism and The Eco-design Handbook and chapters in a range of books including: Helsinki Beyond Dreams; Sustainable Fashion; The Sustainable Design Handbook; Longer Lasting Products; and Designers, Visionaries and Other Stories. All the editors have taught and researched at Aalto University's Department of Design in the School of Arts, Architecture and Design (Aalto ARTS). The co-editors are all active in contributing to and co-organising diverse projects and blogs – see Make{able}, Mode Uncut, Trade School Berlin and Window874.
YOU are also a potential contributor!
Sponsors can also make a unique contribution to the book. Each sponsor gets a ‘vox pops’ (vox populi – popular voice) opportunity to get their words into print and, so, contribute to the bigger picture. See the sponsor options below for more details.
TECHNICAL INFO:
Agents of Alternatives: Re-designing Our Realities
- written by over 60 international contributors and contributions by the sponsors
- co-edited by Alastair Fuad-Luke, Katharina Moebus & Anja-Lisa Hirscher with Cathérine Kuebel
- the first SPECIAL edition of 500 copies with a unique wrap around cover and map
- published under a Creative Commons licence
- 400+ pages, full colour, 24 x 17 cm
- includes essays, interviews and up to 30 case studies
- language: English
PRODUCTION SCHEDULE & COSTS:
We started contacting contributors in September 2013 and are steadily assembling the received materials into the production process. The final proof should be ready by early July 2014. We will then print in late August/early September 2014 with a German eco-printing house. The first edition will be a unique print run of 500 on sustainably sourced paper, water based ink, and glue-bound in a soft cover.
With your help, we can publish it in September 2014 and distribute it to all the sponsors in September/October 2014. We will seek a suitable publisher with an international distribution network for a second edition to make the book more widely accessible.
How does your money support the book?
Our crowdfunding total of 16,000 € is to cover the basic costs of producing the first edition of this book and to renumerate all of our amazing contributors. The costs are as follows:
7.000 € - Printing 500 books & wrap around map
4.500 € - Payments to our contributors
3.700 € - Miscellaneous production costs, including copy editing and proof reading
800 € - Sponsume fee
Minimum amounts we need to raise to move forward with the book:
5.000 €: would enable us to print 125 books and meet some of the production costs
7.000 €: would enable us to print 150 books and meet half the production costs
11.000 €: would enable us to print 250 books and pay our contributors
16.000 €: would enable us to produce the 500 first edition copies, pay our contributors and meet all of our other costs!!
As you can see, you can be part of supporting an independent book production AND fund a range of amazing contributors' work - so help us achieve our funding goal and our thanks will be yours forever!
SPONSOR OPTIONS:
All sponsors can get their voice in the book to help build a bigger picture of alternative ways of learning, living, making, socialising, thinking and working. If you wish, you can highlight a project, resource, organisation, video, book or other output which is giving voice to how we re-design alternatives. You might also wish to give your favourite quotation, suggest tools or other inspirational examples.
We shall publish YOUR words, in a special position within the book, so YOU can fertilise the concept of Agents of Alternatives! Your contribution should be in English, but we will support translation from other languages if required. In addition, all of our sponsors will be thanked on the project's website.
You can sponsor in six ways:
Vox Pops (popular voice)
Donate 10 € or more – receive a pdf of the book plus Vox Pops in the front of the book. It will include your name in bold then a message of up to 8 words. This can be, for example, a project you like, an organisation or agency, a video, a resource, a quotation or blog with a web link, e.g.:
JOHN DOE Openknit,”a wonderful intervention”, openknit.org
LISA MÜLLER The Story of Solutions, storyofstuff.org
MAIJA MEIKÄLÄINEN “We, the people, are the future”, Paola Antonelli
Page sponsor
Donate 30 € or more – Receive a copy of the book plus become a page host: one line along the side of the page, incl. name in bold and maximum 16 words. Your words include your name plus one sentence describing a project, resource, blog, video or quotation or other stimulating thought and a web link if available, e.g.:
KARI NORMAN “I like the directness of Gerard Rubio’s challenge to the fashion industry”,Openknit, openknit.org/
SVEN JOHANSON “Less ‘Stuff’ and more collective ‘Solutions’, from Annie Leonard and team”,The Story of Solutions, storyofstuff.org
ANINA KOWALSKA “Let’s learn from Nature. An inspirational resource from the Biomimicry Institute”, asknature.org,
THAN AH KAO “A million minds are better than one: We, the people, are the future”, Paola Antonelli, MOMA.
Case study/ Interview/ Essay sponsor/ 'Golden sponsor'
Donate 50 € or more – Receive a copy of the book plus become a case study sponsor. Your name is in bold and a colour. You have up to a maximum of 45 words.
Donate 100 € or more – Receive a copy of the book plus become an interview sponsor. Your name is in bold and a colour. You have up to a maximum of 45 words.
Donate 150 € or more – Receive a copy of the book plus become an essay sponsor. Your name is in bold and a colour. You have up to a maximum of 45 words.
Donate 500 € or more – Become a ‘golden sponsor' and be mentioned in the acknowledgements for the book, receive three books and have a Vox Pops, maximum 45 words, in the front of the book.
Your 45 words include your name plus a brief description of a project/resource/blog with a web link or a quotation from a specific source or anything else to which you wish to ‘give voice’, e.g.:
JOE BLOGGS “I like Gerard Rubio’s challenge to the fashion industry as he takes direct action by placing garments made by an Open Source knitting machine on mannequins in leading fashion retailers in Barcelona. What could an open source local community knitwear fashion shop look like?”,Openknit, openknit.org
MARY MAJOR “This formidable coalition is an action network of experienced independent think-tanks, do-tanks, institutions, movements and communicators focusing on imaginatively challenging the hegemony of the global economy. Democracy, justice and appropriate scale are its by-words”, New Economy Coalition, neweconomy.net/new-economy-coalition
The co-editors reserve the right to reject a sponsor contribution if it is deemed to not fit the ethical principles of the book, or if there is a copyright issue associated with the contribution. Please be careful to accurately and fairly quote the sources you use. In submitting your words you agree to them being included in the Creative Commons licence for the book, unless you specifically exclude them from this licence, or it is the work of another copyright holder.
Postage & packaging to deliver the books will be charged at cost.
The owner of this project has not made any updates yet.
