What if Lab LIVE: Safety Matters

In this year's What if Lab, Safety Matters, Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten (ed. Association of Dutch Municipalities) has focused on urgent issues in the field of security that cannot be solved by the government alone. During Dutch Design Week (DDW), the three design studios - Afdeling Buitengewone Zaken, Extra Practice and We are Social Rebels - temporarily move their workplaces to the Embassy of Safety on the Ketelhuisplein. This embassy is part of World Design Embassies. At the embassy, they will work for nine days, together with municipalities, experts and the public giving visitors the opportunity to participate in the creative process.

In this article you can read more about these three different cases. Your opinion is important so questions, suggestions and tips are welcome! Come to DDW and share your expertise on the following questions:

What if... neighbours contribute to tackle organised crime?

Municipality of Maastricht x We are Social Rebels
Human trafficking, money laundering and the production of drugs. In the case of undermining, criminals abuse the systems and services of the public world. They settle in neighbourhoods and involve vulnerable people in criminal activities. Shops without customers, delivery vans at strange times... What if local residents themselves recognise and pass on signs of undermining? Design agency We are Social Rebels and the municipality of Maastricht dive into the world behind drugs and, together with residents and experts, explore what happens when they use their vigilance.
 
Want to take part in the discussion and share your thoughts? Discuss doom and dream scenarios during the panel discussion on 21 October or come and join the co-creation session on 23 October. Sign up by sending an email to Eva de Bruijn.

What if… we need E-retail therapy?  

Municipality of Haarlem x Extra Practice
Every year, thousands of people become victims to online shopping fraud, despite warning campaigns. Why is it that even when we aware of the danger, we can still be deceived? Could there be a deeper drive, overruling our rational judgement, that we need to come to terms with? To investigate this, Extra Practice and the municipality of Haarlem will set up E-ROB, an Experimental Rehab for Online Buyers. At DDW they will test, diagnose and treat visitors to both rE-search and rE-boot their online shopping behaviour.
 
Want to join the workshop ‘DIY: Defraud It Yourself’? Meet us at the Embassy of Safety on Sunday 20 October at 13:00-15:00hr.. Sign up by sending an e-mail to Extra Pratice.

What if… you could proudly say you visit sex workers?

RIEC Limburg x Afdeling Buitengewone Zaken
In the challenge to rid the sexwork field of wrongdoing, we try to cut out some of the taboo and misinformation surrounding sexwork, in the hope to gain insights in how illegal sexwork can be tackled in the future. With a challenging set of interventions and scenarios we will look for disruptive perspectives to tackle this worldwide challenge together with the DDW visitors.
 
Are you an expert on the field of sexwork, have first-hand experiences, or would you like to learn more? Contact Afdeling Buitengewone Zaken or meet us at the Embassy of Safety.

What if Lab

How can we intensify the collaboration between designers and companies or governments? What if Lab provides you with the answer. Looking deeper into challenges that arise from such collaborations, this programme presents surprising conclusions. It is about exchange: companies and service organisations get the chance to work closely with professionals in design and designers get the chance can get caught up in large, more complex challenges. Both parties broaden their network at the same time.