The Project M Lab

Part 2 of the report from Project M’s work in Greensboro, Alabama

Project M 2008 was to set to officially end on July 1st. Nine young designers, a couple dozen or so advisors, and John Bielenberg all headed to Greensboro, Alabama to explore ways design could be used for social good. After spending a month fully immersing themselves in the town, culture, community, and heat, the team packed up and headed back to their daily lives. Well, sort of.

You see, the 2008 M’ers took a slightly different approach than in past years. They didn’t key in on a specific problem or challenge to solve. They won’t be walking away with a neatly printed book or artifact. Their journey revealed a different challenge that required a different solution. As I stated in my earlier post, these young designers seemed to understand that the solution was not about them or even design, but about the needs of the community. So, they looked to the people of Greensboro to guide them.

The “L” sculpture signage in bricks and concrete.

They relied heavily on Pam Dorr, director of HERO’s housing resource center, for information and insight. After years of dedication to the residents of Greensboro, she knows the community better than anyone. In one brainstorming session, Pam mentioned the need for a community design center. The idea resonated w/ the M’ers, and creation of the Project M Lab was under way. The team began by transforming an old school house behind the HERO offices. A demographic accustomed to lap tops, Illustrator, and iPhones found themselves swinging hammers, installing toilets, painting walls, and building tables. Because they are designers, they had to create signage. They opted for a giant sculptural “L” made from concrete and wood and a wall sign made from nuts and bolts.

The sign made of nuts and bolts

The Lab will serve as a permanent design center in Greensboro, Alabama, and will feature a working studio, a bunkhouse for up to 10 people, and additional lodging for visiting advisors. Greensboro is also the home of Auburn University’s Rural Studio, an architecture program that has been designing and building in Hale County for about 15 years. The Project M team recently launched a website that explains their vision in more detail.

Inside the lab
They’ve also issued and invitation to designers around the globe:

We just want to change the world.

And this is where you come in.

So there you have it, an open invitation from Project M for designers to come to Alabama and engage in meaningful design projects. The infrastructure is in place, the plan is in motion, they just need designers to use it. So, all you passionate designers out there who want to change the world, come use it.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 28th, 2008 at 12:18 pm and is filed under Graphic Design, INSPIRATION. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.