tioned traditional forms. On the contrary, this is where the real poiesis is at work;
to build the new interfaces and plugs that connect to the system, and through these
new contacts bend and modulate the energies flowing within. The next step is to
share these new methods with the community or network of other small builders.
It is through these small interventions and designed changes we see the hacktivist
mindset at work as it uses the energies inherent in a system to release MORE lines
of flight and MORE possibilities to be collectively worked on. It must be MORE
that runs both on the small scale as well as on the large. It must be political both in
street action as well as in the parliament or the mass media. MORE means all chan-
nels, all spectrums and all levels. Yes, all multiplicities have to be taken into ac-
count. It is not only about the trendy street or edge lifestyle statement, but the full
spectrum of political tools and channels, even those that lack the “cool” credibility
among the counterculture kids.
It is from this wide variety of lines and ready potentials that practical work must
begin. All these freshly opened possibilities cannot be left undone, but action must
also be taken to tune and bend the line in the preferred direction. Experiments
have to be done, changes made, however small. Consequently we must look at how
to design these small changes.
designing small change
The works of small politics require a lot of discussion and directions, a small dose
of theory but it mainly needs practice. This could be a low scale design, as in small
change. All design is about change, hopefully towards better situations. It is a
change that, as theorist Herbert Simon proposes, “devises courses of action aimed
at changing existing situations, into preferred ones.” (Simon 1996) Design is turn-
ing the situation into how it might or ought to be.
Still, it is not uncommon that, however well intended, these new courses turn into
unintended situations that generate unexpected and unwanted effects, something
called “rebound effects” (Manzini & Jégou 2003). Creating a nicer milieu in the
cars to make people better stand the traffic jams will probably bring even more cars
onto the streets, causing even more paralyzed traffic situations, which is an every-
day experience in our sprawl-designed world. This also happens when products
become light, small, efficient and cheap and their status change from being exclu-
sive commodities to mass produced lifestyle accessories, such as in the case of
watches or self-publishing. This is something we can also experience with the “de-
mocratization” of fashion.
These “rebound effects” occur, according to design theorist John Thackara, “be-
cause we have inadequate time to try things out small, observe what happens, and
reflect on how the bigger picture is changing.” (Thackara 2005: 5) The big scale
design problems can usually be avoided by experimenting on a small scale, as in the
Thackara’s examples, by trying to promote a design practice that is open, collabo-
rative and from the bottom up. It is a design practice of cultivating systems of ena-
blement, increasing participation and promoting decentralized and flexible organ-
izations, all with the aim of improving the local and specific everyday scenario, and
to reinforce the social fabric (Manzini & Jégou 2003).
Design can also be deliberately directed to the low scale in an attempt to stay small,
to continuously work on a local level, but with open interfaces to promote emer-