Design and creativeness for a three-act session
Authors: Soares Liliana , Aparo Ermanno , Almendra Rita 
Published: June 2023

This paper presents the bases of a documentary about the conversion of the business sector and the performing arts in the North of Portugal, during the pandemic. The documentary intends to prove that the introduction of innovative procedures can be important to all sectors involved in society. Liquid reality (Bauman, 2005) demands constant exploration; therefore, it challenges designers to create sustainable products. Knowing that spectacle is about human connection, a process disconnected from visual culture can contribute to the public ignoring the participation of design as an area of knowledge. Between 2021 and 2022 a territorial network system was developed consisting of researchers, a lighting company, a raw materials industry, a municipality, company, a theatre, entertainment companies and a school of music of the North of Portugal. It was possible to develop systemic lighting products at the prototype level, bearing new semantic paths, performance, and interaction with people. The prototypes were developed by a lighting company. In theatre, the prototypes were joined by musicians to interpret pieces by Debussy and Dvořák. This group was joined by an actor who declaimed Mallarmé and Longfellow. The result was recorded on video by technicians and disseminated on YouTube and Instagram.The study investigates the dynamics of a creative process and its impact on the different areas involved, bringing together the testimony of the various actors in the process, challenging assumptions and bringing a new view to reality events. The golden age of documentaries happened in the 80’s (Rosenthal, Corner, 2005), and today the dissemination of documentaries happens through internet. As the documentary film never had a precise definition (Nichols, 2017), this study contributes to the autonomy of this typology of artistic production. The documentary methodology combined with the use of social networks manages to achieve a broader societal impact and in an effective way. An experimental theme related to different areas of knowledge attends a design-driven innovation (Verganti, 2009) and not a market-oriented process that could compromise the experimental factor. The documentary can become an occasion to promote discussion between the notions of science and art, fiction and non-fiction, business and art, teaching, and profession. It is intended to demonstrate that the process of cooperation between different areas is a sustainable choice that respects and values the project partners, assuming a social commitment. The film interprets the current reality, dealing with what happened before, during and after filming and conveying social interest and debate about the role of creative processes in transforming reality.The research already includes a post-doctoral, the publication of a book, a video, a promotional teaser, 2 prototypes and interviews with some stakeholders, so that it can expand its potential to a larger project with the aim of generating innovation, producing mutual sustainability between the manufacturing and the culture industries of the same region. The study could be the basis for consolidating a proposal for a future project, explaining how a design process is developed in the various stages and using a visual document that can have a strong impact on today's society.