Technology has changed the way we communicate and, in turn, the way we participate in communities. We can now contact anyone anywhere in the world from a small handheld device. As a result many communities now exist virtually. For many of us, however, our online and offline communities still feel like separate worlds. Some argue that while enhancing some communities, technology has had a more negative effect on others.

‘Talking People’ is an exhibition of six design projects that look at how technology can better support communities by bringing together online and offline forms of communication. The ideas were created by Masters students from the RCA Departments of Communication Art & Design, Design Products and Industrial Design Engineering. Working with a range of communities, their projects explore ways to combat loneliness, ideas for making digital communication more expressive, and look at social exchange between strangers. The aim was not to create new device designs but to explore ‘old’ and ‘new’ forms of community and understand the value communication technologies can bring.

This work builds on an ongoing association between Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry® range of smartphones, and the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the RCA.

Project Director: Rama Gheerawo
Project Leaders and Exhibition Curators: Catherine Greene and Lisa Johansson
Exhibition Design by architects Chiara Bello and Emilia Serra.