Designatures. Economies of design, politics of participation

The present essay questions the frameworks in which the participatory design takes place. Participatory design is seen nowadays as the guaranty of a democratic approach, sensitive to the needs of those for whom we are designing. Still, this approach does not find always unanimity, being considered by some as a form of derogation from design’s responsibility or as disguise for the lack of innovation behind the “political correctness”. Largely praised both in architecture and design, this essay invites to critical reflection and puts under scrutiny the foundations of practice models in the context of the financial crisis, globalisation and technical mutations. Pointing to the misleading interpretations of participatory design concept, the essay proposes a much more clear articulation of the multitude of voices that compose architecture and design practices.