October 05, 2015
The Retreat began with the simple premise; to enable conversations amongst designers which could be frank, honest and without the pressure of an audience.
It also has at its kernel, the desire to move on; to imagine a better future- to change things, and to keep it real, and to stop lamenting and complaining.
And it wanted to collect these thoughts on a range of topics from across a cross section of professionals at different stages in their lives.
The first one was the Architects’ Retreat, which is now a book ” Behind Closed Doors” and a film.
And now this December there are two more – one for interior designers and the other for landscape architects- both which will be recorded in print.
So what can a group of 12-14 people hope to achieve over a day’s conversation?
The conversations are the result of months of internal debates and thinking and are hence incisive and measured; they are from people who have spent the better parts of their lives thinking about such topics and they are bare bone honest and in this perhaps those who find the interest to learn about the proceedings, will find an echo or a response to the many questions that plague them about their profession each day and then change ennui to action.
And what would we believe would be a good outcome from this?
That many Retreats are held all over the country, which record and map the discussions and share them, and that collectively bit by bit we change. And that we get specific about how change can be considered.
That would be a good beginning.
