In this episode, Paola Antonelli speaks with French social designer Gabriel Fontana, whose practice, based in Paris and Rotterdam, focuses on sports. Sports and society are deeply entangled. Practicing or following sports leads to occasions of socialization that can help shape better individuals, reinforce bonds, and overcome differences, and help bring to the surface many of the ills of society, offering the opportunity to address them and evolve collectively. Children get their first brush with the elation of successful team work and the searing wound of exclusion when they are in school. “Dominant ideas regarding gender, ethnicity, physical ability and sexuality are reproduced in sport and physical education,” Gabriel explains. “Research shows that girls, children with disabilities, children with a bi-cultural background and LGBTQIA+ children are marginalized and often excluded in PE.” Gabriel has designed a new game called Multiform in collaboration with philosopher Nathanja van den Heuvel and sport teachers and pupils in schools in Rotterdam and Paris. Children don transformable outfits and are prompted by the referee to change team several times during the game, with the three teams changing size and composition in evolving asymmetry and diversity.“This way, students experience what it means to be a majority or a minority and are challenged to develop collaborative strategies.” By redesigning the idea of collaboration and competition, and promoting a healthier relationship with them, Gabriel aims to strengthen sport’s ability to influence society and build a better world. You’ll find images of the projects described by Gabriel in this episode on Design Emergency's IG grid @design.emergency. And you can tune into this episode of Design Emergency and the others on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Acast, and other podcast platforms. Thank you for listening.Please join us for future episodes when we will interview other design leaders who, like Gabriel Fontana, are helping to build a better world in different fields and different parts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.