Accepted precepts on design are changing according to designer and creative director, Gabriele Chiave – the creative driving force behind Audi’s installation at this year’s Milan Design Week. With sustainability playing a greater role in everything including  design, the emphasis and many of the outcomes have to change – with some surprisingly and very pleasing results.

“In my opinion, the idea that design follows form is overstated and overshadows more important aspects,” says Chiave.

“For me, design is about emotion, memory, dreams, heritage, culture, and craft – the things that make up the part of design that speaks to people’s hearts more than their minds. Designers are problem solvers. If we improve the lives of people, we can improve the wellbeing of the planet. So, sustainability, especially circularity, is becoming extremely important for designers. We as humans are responsible for how we live, consume and respond to the world that surrounds us. But as designers, we have an even greater responsibility because we are the ones who create new things. And creating new things may not always be the smart thing to do, maybe new is not always the right approach in today’s world. In a way, we’re seeing a kind of renaissance of design.”

The idea of circularity likewise plays a more important role than ever before, says Chiave, and the fact that products and materials are recyclable and responsible is something that will be increasingly important and appreciated as part of the design fabric.

“It’s about rethinking the process of creating a product from the beginning,” he says.

“For example, at the Marcel Wanders Studio we created the Flos Skynest lamp. It’s a timeless design piece that combines the tradition of handcrafted weaving with innovative lighting techniques. Each element is inserted between the central core so the individual components can be easily disassembled and recycled when broken. In my opinion it’s the essence of a beautiful, handmade product that is sustainable, ethical and technologically innovative.”

The role of the designer too is essential says Chiave, working on the ‘less quantity and more quality’ principle.

“I try to design pieces that last longer. But I think the responsibility of a designer is much greater than what is usually associated with design. It’s about educating and inspiring consumers to behave more sustainably. It’s not enough to say we’re going to do this with recycled plastic or raw materials, because that limits it a lot.”

“Through our work, we are collectively responsible for raising awareness of sustainable behaviour and how to consume less or better.”

For Chiave, design is not a straight line of creating, producing, consuming and exhibiting, but rather it is a circle.

“Everything is interacting and connected,” he says, and that is also the main idea behind the installation ‘The Domino Act’ that he created for Audi for this year’s Milan Design Week.

“It is a reinterpretation of the domino effect,” says Chiave of the installation he created for Audi’s ninth appearance the celebrated design event.

“The domino effect is a United Nations dogma that states that all resources and all sustainability-related problems, such as food scarcity, pollution, water contamination and deforestation are interconnected.”

“They are not singular problems. We chose the term ‘Domino Act’, because it has more of a positive connotation: it means that if we all take even one small positive action for sustainability, for the way we live, if we all act together, everything else will follow. That’s going to create a change. So, it’s a positive domino effect, which is not an effect, but an act. Let’s act together to change this and make the world a better place.”