The AH-DEsign project brings together participatory design and art education through different workshops and interventions with local communities, such as ageing and empathy, and system design and urban design. The purpose of the collaborative project is to explore intergenerational dialogue as a source for sustainable solutions in our ageing European society. As part of a design process, it introduces new ideas of participatory design, radical art pedagogy, and accessible TANGO exhibitions.
The 2-year experiment was led by Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture (Helsinki, Finland), and carried out between 2011 and 2013 with the partners L'École de design Nantes Atlantique (France) and the department of Design of Politecnico di Milano (Italy), in collaboration with the European Commission Culture programme. Collaboration included individual and local stakeholders, such as school pupils and their grandparents, and local cultural partners such as museums.