Insights from an Interactive Banter Experiment

As I entered the Urmila Kailash Black Box, a 1,656 sq. ft. experimental theatre, memories of my past as a Mime artist flooded back. Five decades ago, as a design student, I performed Mime at various venues across Ahmedabad. Inspired by those memories, I rearranged the performance area to create a late-night interactive banter atmosphere.

I began by posing a question to the audience: “Imagine living in a society where everyone knows mathematics well. How would life in such a society differ from today?” I allowed the audience time to contemplate their responses. Someone suggested increased efficiency, entrepreneurship, and profit, while another expressed concern about life becoming too calculated, lacking emotion or intuition.

Next, I asked them to envision a future where everyone, regardless of education or social status, possesses robust healthcare and medical knowledge. The audience imagined reduced risks, lower insurance premiums, and the eradication of medical malpractices.

Then, I posed the question, “Imagine a future where every individual possesses well-developed design competencies. How would life unfold in such a society?” After a moment of silence, the audience proposed more empathy, critical thinking, and individuals solving their own problems. The energy in the room was palpable.

I interjected, “If everyone, from children to adults, excels in design, why would such a society need designers?” Another wave of silence swept the room.

I reminded the audience that the “utopian” scenarios they imagined were the reality during the Renaissance, where curiosity and imagination thrived across art, architecture, medicine, and literature. People exchanged ideas in cafes, bars, homes, and public spaces, fostering creativity.

I shared my participatory design experiments, highlighting my role as a catalyst for a convivial society where individuals receive training, nourishment, and encouragement to use their energy and imagination. “Being & Belonging: A Journey of Curiosity and Imagination,” my book, chronicles my three-decade-long exploration of everyday people’s perception and practice of design.

After the banter, a group of young designers expressed their appreciation, saying, “This dialogue was unique, and we learned a lot. You were funny, sarcastic, and insightful.”

For me, this experience marks a turning point as an ethnographer of social imagination. To influence social imagination, one must embrace dialogue and deliver it in the spirit of theatrical performance or interactive banter. I plan to use this approach for my book tour, inspiring everyday people to design for themselves, cultivate curiosity, compassion, and imagination, and foster a convivial society.

Join me at one of my future interactive banters, with the next one in Mumbai at Artisan’s Gallery in Kala Ghoda on Thursday, March 7th, at 6:30 PM.