Unread Messages

By Jonathan Openshaw 04 : 03 : 2016 Aram Gallery : Six:thirty : Unread Messages

London – A new exhibition at The Aram Gallery uses consumer research as a backdrop to investigate our digital lives.

Eight designers respond to three themes focusing on the impact of technology on the human psyche
These themes draw on consumer research undertaken by insight agency Northstar

Matan Stauber at Unread Messages exhibition by Six:Thirty at The Arram Gallery, London

Dean Brown at Unread Messages exhibition by Six:Thirty at The Arram Gallery, London

Matteo Loglio at Unread Messages exhibition by Six:Thirty at The Arram Gallery, London

Paul Macgregor at Unread Messages exhibition by Six:Thirty at The Arram Gallery, London

Unread Messages is the brainchild of Six:Thirty, a London-based agency specialising in the intersection of design and technology. As we explored in our macrotrend The Sharded Self, technology has opened up untold creative possibilities, but can also cause conflict and anxiety. ‘Technologies are a reflection of societal values, so if they’re not working for us then we need to ask why,’ says Roma Levin, founding partner at Six:Thirty. ‘What version of the future do we want and what do we need?’

Insight agency Northstar created an open online community to help research the topic, and discussions involved more than 125 consumers. Three overarching themes were created: Empowered But Dependent, The Curated Self and Compulsive Behaviours. Eight designers were then selected to respond to these themes, ranging from more traditional product designers such as Dean Brown to creative technologists such as Matteo Loglio.

The Big Picture

For a vision of how technology and human emotions can work better together, see our macrotrend The E-motional Economy at our Spring/Summer 2016 Trend Briefing, Backlash Culture.