up speed in the middle.” (D&G 2004; 28) From this
middle we should also pick up our energy for ac-
tion.
It is in-between that we will have room for action.
With skill and perspective the small actor might even
become strong enough to enliven a shift in roles,
from that of the entrepreneur (leasing in-between),
to that of a complementary “entredonneur” (giving
in-between), a shift proposed by design researcher
John Wood (1990). This would suggest a possibility
of a designer or actor, using their action spaces for
the common good, playing a role in the market econ-
omy while still being a “merciful entrepreneur”
(Palmås 2003).
This last “entredonneur” or “merciful entrepreneur”
could be an influence for a designer role revisiting
the “Buddhist economics” of E.F. Schumacher (1989).
Schumacher paints a scenario of another form of
economy, another nuance or a complement to the
global materialist economy we experience today. He
means that while “the materialist is mainly interested
in goods, the Buddhist is mainly interested in libera-
tion.” (60) Even though this thesis does not have a
Buddhist approach we will find a lot of his thoughts
resonate throughout this thesis, from his ideas to use
“appropriate technologies” (188ff ), to develop skills
and to produce “from local resources for local needs”
(62). We should leave this passage with his view of
work is really about.
The Buddhist point of view takes the function of
work to be at least threefold: to give a man a chance
to utilise and develop his faculties; to enable him to
overcome his ego-centredness by joining with other
people in a common task; and to bring forth the
goods and services needed for a becoming existence.
(58)It is within these setting we must imagine a new de-
signer role emerging. It is one operating the abstract
machine of hacktivism, intersecting many disciplines
and participatory paths, yet remaining a hands-on
crafter. This would be a new hacktivist designer role.
a new crafter and designer role
There are always possibilities for new designer roles
to emerge, and history is full of evolutionary muta-
tions and leaps in how the designer finds his or her
place in society and the modes of production.
Throughout this research we must imagine a com-