Working Hard or Hardly Working

As designers we are faced with the manifestation of our creative labours. How much is our work worth, and have we worked enough? What kind of labour makes something more valuable and how do we profit from slow or visible work?

However one defines labour, society is challenging the value of work and its importance on our global well-being. Visibility and ethical labour sourcing have become factors in the branding and acceptance of both small and large companies. Stemming from the current obsession with the handmade, craft is having a real moment in the spotlight. Coveralls, denim, and Japanese workwear are flooding the runways. The physical workspace fluctuates to promote a certain outcome, and plans of interplanetary settlement are raising discussions about multispecies labour. This is occurring at a time when the rise of the influencer not only hides the work that it takes to do something, but also promotes an aestheticism of constant effortlessness. We want to be known for working hard, but to look like we are hardly working. Whether it’s an analysis of the historical socio-economic impact that to labour has had on the minority, the current repercussions of a technological productivity filled with tools designed only for able-bodied men, or a linguistic approach to the definition of labour, this exhibition showcases the different perspectives on this theme.