Aca-article: Design Livre - Cannibalistic Interaction Design

This essay reports on a collective experience of appropriating Interaction Design itself into technology development in Brazil. The authors reflect on the practice of cannibalism, which is a common aspect used to understand the particularities of Brazilian cultures. The metaphor is brought back once again to sketch the foundations for an authentic Brazilian Interaction Design praxis, which is being called by now Design Livre.

Authors: Amstel, Frederick M.C. van, University of Twente, Enschede/Netherlands, PhD Researcher; Vassão, Caio A.; Independent Research Bureau (EPI), São Paulo/Brazil, Research Director; Ferraz, Gonçalo B. Faber-Ludens Institute for Interaction Design, Curitiba/Brazil, Education Director.

Open access: http://www.faberludens.com.br/files/design_livre_cannibalistic.pdf

Abstract
This paper provides a historical account of cannibalism as used to explain how Brazilians integrate foreign cultural influences into their own and introduces a design praxis based on it. From Modernism to Digital Culture, cannibalism is a recurring tactic used to overcome cultural traditions without  throwing them out. It proposes the hybridization of old and new forms in festive celebrations. Design Livre is an approach that combines the principles of Free Software with design methodologies, aiming to enable participation in the design process by anyone. Sharing source-code is not considered enough to enable such participation, thus Design Livre goes back to the level of Metadesign – the underlining structures of design process – to subvert formalism and maximize appropriation. An example of a cannibal ecosystem developed by Faber-Ludens is described to instigate questions on intellectual property in design, co-creation, embodied relationships, and culture.