(x) exhibition design • (x) wenn_ dann_ — if_ then_

if_ then_ is my team's interpretation of a series of events at haw hamburg, where graduated students present their master projects to current master students. when we took over the organisation of these events, we decided to provide more than a simple presentation format. we created a forum that should open up discussion spaces based on the projects presented, inspired by the concept of critical design by dunne and raby. we asked the lecturers to complete an if … then … sentence, regarding their concept, to ease the transition into a fruitful discussion. furthermore, we invited people from different kinds of studies, to open up the minds of the students for different media and collaborations. together with the lecturers and the audience we wanted to find out to what extent design can be critical, participative and intervening and how we as designers can take an attitude. via the interactive tool mentimeter, all listeners could log into the same interface on their smartphones and post questions or comments during the presentation. our concept was very well received and we enjoyed lively discussions with those present during the three evenings.