Caring for the future

With the current crisis of globalization, it no longer makes sense to consider art and design as oppositional. The uncertainty about the future and the simultaneity of the choices we are called upon to take, are some of the factors that link artistic and design cultures, paradoxically called into question to alleviate a condition of disorientation and confusion. In the last decade, the role of the client in addressing the creative process has been lacking in both sectors; figures such as the curator and the entrepreneur who were in charge of valorizing the productive results, have disappeared; in the absence of any clear directive, the planning activity began to spread out over new horizons by seeking inspiration from and being influenced by other disciplines and knowledge. In this light, design has become more expressive, controversial, critical, and focused on addressing complex social, political and ecological issues. Artists, on the other hand, are increasingly interested in investigating design cultures and their impact on society, by focusing in particular on the new technologies (Rawsthorn, 2018). But, above all, art and design are converging in their efforts to understand and border the complexity of the present, through the synthesis, the representation, and the sharing of narratives projected towards possible futures. Starting from a reflection on the impact that the ongoing digital revolution is having on productive sectors, this article investigates the cross-fertilization between art and design through a shared aesthetic perspective, in terms of perception, experience and knowledge acquired through the mediation of the senses. Thanks to a phenomenological analysis based on the contemporary art and design scene, three possible approaches have been identified (integrated, relational and open) that denote the emergence of a common sensitivity linked to the aesthetics of possible futures.