The most important thing is to determine the genre. The Design for Every Body exhibition that has opened at the Center of Contemporary Art at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy National University can be rightfully called an exposition of modern and even ultramodern design. But this is only the first impression.
In fact, those attending the exhibition define its theme in an emotional exclamation: “How good the Swedes live!”
There is ample reason for such exclamations. Beautiful color photos on the walls are evidence that the exhibition is not about design only. The photos are of happy Swedish ladies and gentlemen, and captions below explain the reason for their happiness. It turns out that 40% of all Swedes own country houses; all Swedes have five weeks’ paid vacation; a special water prize is awarded in Stockholm annually for achievements in preserving and renewing water resources; aside from the human rights ombudsman, Sweden also has ombudsmen for issues of discrimination against sexual minorities, problems of ethnic minorities, and the physically challenged.
I will not even mention their pension guarantees, much like the Swedish social right to walk and pick mushrooms and berries in forests and parks leaving their natural cleanliness intact.
It is not surprising that under conditions of such social democracy things must be not merely comfortable but super-comfortable, that is, designed in such a way as to become the continuations of human organs rather than objects of the external world. The exhibition is overflowing with such items. Ergonomic pens and screwdrivers, using which is obviously sheer pleasure. Pens for people suffering from pains in their joints that can be wielded even by someone with advanced rheumatism. A robot lawn mower on solar batteries mows everything, recharges itself, and moves around obstacles. Extensible slippers for any foot and occasion — from a train ride to official reception. The so-called solidarity chair with an extended seat to fit a cat, child, or any other beloved creature. A metal Bobbly backpack that looks like a portable jet engine, in which you can carry just about anything — from open bottles to a laptop. Spectacles without bows — the world’s only patented spectacles and, most importantly, the world’s only eyeglasses that do not pinch. A super-light and super-strong titanium wheelchair. A tea-and-coffee pot that prevents water from spilling. A stoplight for the blind with adjustable volume. A silicon lamp to be used under field conditions. A vacuum cleaner that not only cleans the rugs but also serves as an air conditioner. A stainless steel mirror the size of a credit card. And one of the most appealing items on show is a chandelier on which you can swing.
But the calling card of the exhibition is a yellow fabric that, owing to a Braille pattern on it, makes the blind sense the color of yellow.
After seeing all this, you cannot even bring yourself to reproach our industry. This would be tantamount to berating a cart with a draft horse for falling behind a supersonic jet.
Yet my simile is not fair. In fact, there is only one fundamental difference that does not depend all that much on the level of welfare of one country or another. It is just that Swedish designers, managers, politicians, and businessmen think about how they can make the lives of their compatriots most comfortable and, understandably, make a profit from this. Meanwhile, ours care about nothing but profit. Well, maybe they also do not want to not to end up behind bars for reaping this profit. This is, so to speak, a difference of living conditions and not some social, mental, or national difference.
How many years it will take for things to change is anyone’s guess.
