Every once in a while, you hear someone some one speak so powerfully, so passionately and with such clarity that their words grab you by the shoulders and shake you, making you listen and leaving an imprint on your heart and mind. You walk away with your perspective shifted, the depth and breadth of their life's work so inspiring, so immense you are left wondering how one fit quite so much into one lifetime.
This morning started with a keynote by the formidable Patricia Moore.
I have never heard of Patty, as she likes to be called, or knew of her impressive and lengthy legacy. At 71 she is witty, humorous, unabashedly feminist, politically incorrect and brazen. She held the attention of 400 odd educators for 90+ minutes as she talked about Creative Inclusion. Interspersed with funny, if edgy humour, her entire presentation was made up of slides with single words accompanied by vivid images. The pictures ranged from back and white photographs, going back 70 odd years, sepia tinged photographs of Moore as a young woman in the late 60's and grainy colour photographs from the early 80's. A stunning documentation of her life.
I learned lots about Moore today. She was born to loving parents and grew to become one of the first few women industrial designers in her country. She is as resilient as she is fearless- she fought the patriarchy in her early 20's and went on to enter and forge her spot in the male dominated space of industrial design going on to create her legacy of using the power of design to build (metaphoric) bridges, create opportunity and bring dignity to all. A central message of her keynote was that when you design for the minority, the old, the differently abled, the disadvantaged, everyone benefits. Patty has spent her life designing- everything from aircrafts to NASA's recent moon project. She has led teams that have designed rehabilitation spaces for young children in hospitals all over her country, access for the old and infirm and has used design as a way to create greater equity and justice. It's breathtaking when you hear her tell story after story to weave together the tapestry of her life's work.
I think what impacted me most was how strong she was in her opinion of what makes a just and kind world, how insistent she was that design changes life for the better and that when we lead with empathy, the world becomes a better place. She was scathing about the state of some parts of the world as we know it and some world leaders who she doesn't have time for and was equally generous in her praise, gratitude, and appreciation of those who work to make our world better.
What an amazing way to start the day, and the rest of the year.
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