6. Nonterior

Nonterior sees the designer as a narrator who engages with the eclectic, multi-layered experience of the contemporary world and who works this, in a multiplicity of ways, into the realm of design. Nonterior participants test ideas on a real site, in a real context, with real communities, stakeholders, external institutions and businesses. Research interests are investigated by creating narrative artefact models that record a site's local intelligence, which can be defined as a unique reading of place, history and contemporary lifestyles.

These stories act as a meaningful base for a variety of design propositions, which are developed through an iterative design process and when possible, built and tested. Outcomes might be an interior or installation, exhibition, event, product or visitor experience. The platform adopts professional working practices, seeing this as the opportunity for participants to start their own studio practice.

This year the Platform was based in Soho, London. Nonterior participants have developed individual briefs that champion participatory methods and challenge accepted economic, social, cultural, environmental, sustainable and democratic norms. Projects include, the slow death of Soho’s quirky clubs, the subculture of cottaging, the growing trend of living apart together (LAT), night time worker lifestyles, and productive vertical public space.

Kevin Haley