Design In Society

Everything we see around us is a product of design-- an inifinite pool of ideas and imagination. Unsure of what to make of my surroundings, I label them in ways that emphasize the role of the designer so that they exceed the bland images as they appear to us.  For example, marriage betweeen a man and a woman may seem like a fulfillment of a societal role, but it just so happens that there is a historical underlying this design that has evolved the defintion of this bond. Indeed there are social forces that construct such an activity, but nontheless it is a design. As a young girl, I began to see objects from this basic premise.
As a little girl I watched my Mexican grandmother weave colorful bags. I felt hypnotized by her hand interlacing the thread in a repetitive manner and the vibrant colors made it hard for my eyes to stray away. Could it be the pattern that captivated me? Or perhaps it was the allure of the electrifying mood that the colors infused into me? But it was indeed greather than that. It was the hardworking woman that created these bags in order to make a living. It was the representation of my Mexican roots that inhabited the fabric. It was the energetic colors that screamed "cultura". All of these are factors of society that molded me, but nonetheless a design.