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Familiar Stranger

Francesco Pace states that design is a way to shape reality, but it is also a discipline that limits our perception and the knowledge we have of the real world.

The collection by Francesco Pace explores psycological aspects of design and social interaction. In his words, “Cognitive dissonance is ‘the mental stress experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs at the same time; or that is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing ideas and values.’ An individual who experiences dissonance tends to become psychologically uncomfortable, and he/she is motivated to try to reduce this dissonance by actively avoiding situations that are likely to increase it.”

“The creation of uniformity allows for a lessening of psychological tension. Dissonance is felt when people are confronted with information that is inconsistent with their beliefs.  The design discipline shapes our life, our environment, and the way we see the world, through the objects that it creates. In everything that man builds, with words, artifacts, or rules, he/she shapes the world, fitted to our understanding of it, and in that way limits the objective existence of reality to the way we codify the surrounding environment.”

“ Uniformity lessens psychological tension. We feel safe in the world through the accepted narratives we all share with each other. We understand the world through the limitations we put on it. In a broader vision, design is a way to shape reality, but it is also a discipline that limits our perception and consequently the knowledge we have of reality.”

“ As a Designer, I should be sharp on the message I send or in the object I create. I should avoid any form of misleading in the things I do, but what can happen if I subvert this statement? Did I fail in my role as a Designer ? Or I can achieve a deeper knowledge of a possible unknown reality?”.