My name is Rodrigo Lebrun, I’m a French Brazilian critical designer/futurist based in London.
I’ve recently finished my MA in Design Interactions at the Royal College of Art in London. Last year I took part in a residency at the Swiss Pavilion during the Venice Architecture Biennale whose theme was ‘The Future of Work’.
My practice explores the dynamics between human behaviour, emerging technologies and complex systems – e.g. economics – and how they inform micro and macro societal organisations, manifested through notions of personal and group identity, culture, politics, etc.
The end of ‘The End of History?’ – Destructive Destruction
The end of ‘The End of History?’ – News From Somewhere
The end of ‘The End of History?’ – The Big Freeze
In my most recent piece, The End of the ‘End of History?’ I created 3 fictional animated essays describing the years following the aftermath of the 2008 Financial Crisis. The films were inspired by two pieces of writing: News From nowhere, by English writer William Morris, in which he outlines a multidimensional view of a socialist utopia, and Francis Fukuyama’s 1989 essay The end of History? where he claims the world has in Western Liberalism reached its ideological end.
During my time in Tartu I’m going to expand the idea of macro events informing micro culture.
I’m particularly interested in Estonia’s recent moves to become one of the most digitally connected nations in the world, best clearly represented by the introduction of its e-Citizenship. I’ll contrast the role of economics and geopolitics with the complexities permeating Estonian national identity. The process will also be an open exploration of my current understanding of Estonia and its population and the shift that will take place during the residency.
You can follow Rodrigo’s residence here. He will be in Tartu from 1.10.2015 until 28.10.2015.