Digging the Suez Canal With a Teaspoon is a documentary film by David Stairs and Eric Limarenko that investigates the pros and cons of what has come to be called the “social design space.” This in itself is a bit of a misnomer, as clearly all design requires some sort of social contract, but the term has come into universal use from a need to differentiate design’s civil society and community characteristics from its commercial aspects. Over the last fifteen years there has been a general movement attempting to redefine professional practice in the various fields of design ranging from graphic and fashion design to architecture and industrial design. This movement has taken many forms, from the establishment of philanthropies, to new environmental competitions, and finally including critical exegeses. To date, no one has attempted to document these activities in a coherent or critical manner. It is the purpose of this project to be the first to do so.
