Ms. Maria Cecillia is not an architect or a designer. First of all, she had majored in philosophy, then through her perception of philosopher, her interests are connecting to aesthetic and design. At the same time, in the process of studying it, she experienced the exile of her professors by dictatorship and also has become to be interested in garbage, garbage collector and homelessness. When she thinks about design, she always does about the community and the social system in Brazil in the background. What is social design? What do designers propose to the communities and the social systems where they have lived through design? If we design something, there are, at first, the connection with clients. Without satisfying them, we, designer are not able to continue working as designer. However, simultaneously, when the community itself which could form the ‘love affairs’ between designers and clients will fail to be sustainable, the profession of designer is going to disappear. That is to say, to design something remains with the community and the social system. Let’s begin to share her question, ‘social design’ above all. In addition to that, be sensitive toward our own community and social system we have been alive in. That’s is the possibility we have, I think.
Could you tell me why you choose social design as your topic of research when you were a student?
I am not an architect. I am a philosopher. As a philosopher, I had my undergraduate degree pretty much during dictatorship period of Brazil. And this was a big impact in my student time because many of my professors were forced to leave the country by the dictatorship. And since that time, I was too young, but I realize that I had to engage myself in critical commitment to change the education in my country.
When I think about social design, I am thinking about how to design for everybody, how to design for all. Because the right to have a shelter is a human right and everybody has that right. But in my society, in my city and in Brazil, it's not insured for everybody to have the right to have a house. It’s a struggle. It's challenge that everybody has to face. And 21st century architecture and urban planning have to be concerned about that.’
Could you tell me your dream and hope in your own future related to 'social design' ?
It's not a dream. It is absolutely imperative that we have to consider excluded people in social special exclusion in our profession. It is no more possible, you know, to design only for privilege people. Of course, privilege people can have all kinds of designs for them. But 21st century is not a dream, but will be our obligation to work for deprived people. You know, victims of social disaster, victims of physical disaster and victims of human disaster of stigma, of prejudice we have to include all kinds of human beings in our project. This will be very hard. But my hope is not myself or old people, but you, young guys and kids that are engaged. In different manners, you know, in order to save the humanity. Congratulations! OMEDETOU!