The concept of the 100-year life is rapidly shifting from speculation to demographic reality. For students in the Response_Able Futures (ResFut); MFA in Design and Health_Care programme, this is not merely a future trend but a present design imperative. This challenge was the central focus of a recent three-day masterclass led by Lekshmy Parameswaran and Laszlo Herczeg, co-founders of The Care Lab, a practice focused on care activism through design.
Students immersed themselves in rethinking fundamental societal structures—learning, work, and rest—that are currently ill-equipped to support a century-long existence. The core provocation was clear: if those born after 2007 have a high probability of reaching 100, how must we, as designers, anticipate and create the conditions for these decades to be lived meaningfully, rather than just endured?
Systemic Thinking: From 'Product' to 'Plant'
The masterclass went beyond surface-level solutions, introducing a powerful framework for understanding care as a systemic issue. The Care Lab's "garden framework" distinguishes between the visible actions (the 'leaves'), the organizational culture and processes (the 'roots'), and the deep, underlying cultural and political conditions (the 'soil') that shape care. ResFut students applied this lens to reimagine non-linear life cycles, moving away from the outdated study-career-retirement pipeline.
Group concepts focused on creating resilient, lifelong structures. Ideas coalesced around the pivotal roles of community and continuous learning, proposing concepts such as a "Lifelong Learning Lab" and safe, reflective spaces for intergenerational connection. These prototypes underscore a shift in design responsibility—to actively build systems that embed learning and purpose throughout every life phase.
The Interdependence of Care and Politics
A key takeaway for students was the inherent political dimension of design and care. The discussions highlighted that designing for longevity cannot be an insulated exercise; it requires confronting global inequities and recognizing who is currently excluded from the promise of a long life. The realization—that "Design is never neutral. It is political. So is care"—serves as a potent reminder of the ethical burden and expansive scope of design activism.
The masterclass with The Care Lab has expanded the students' understanding of their role, reinforcing that design's highest purpose may be in its capacity to act as a care activist, creating the conditions for systemic change. This experience aligns deeply with ResFut's commitment to designing not just future-proof products, but future-just systems.
To learn more about the influential work driving this conversation, we highly recommend exploring the work of The Care Lab, including Lekshmy Parameswaran's insights in her TED Talk, “Who Cares? Redesigning Caregiving.”
