Random Specific : Meena Kadri

It's not everyday I encounter people who see the world the way I do, with the same twist of undergrad Anthropology and a Masters in Design, but Meena Kadri of Random Specific is just that combo. Calling herself "a mix tape of sorts," Meena sees her work as exploring the intersection of communication, culture and creativity where the result is a cross-pollinated dialogue. Based in New Zealand, her consulting work regularly takes her to India, Berlin and beyond. And on top of working as the Community Manager for OpenIDEO, she also brings her creative insight as a contributor to Design Observer and Osocio. Her own blog is a fountain of knowledge and insights into the ways design is being used in interesting, engaging smart and challenging ways. The inspiration she shares is endless, but below are links to three of my favorite pieces she's written, which are worth a full read.
Conflict Kitchen is an experimental project associated with the Carnegie Mellon School of Art which uses food as a mediator to help encourage dialogue and conversation about places in conflict with the United Sates. The first iteration was Iranian, then Afghani, with South Korea and Venezuela in the works. Read more here.
DREAM: IN is a project designed to catch dreams from cities, towns and villages across India that will be shared entrepreneurs, policy makers and designers to devise transformative scenarios. The idea is that the future can be informed by people's dreams, and not just people's needs. In this post Meena sets the stage for the project, and here you can see a follow up with captured dreams.
The Potty Project, lead by multi-disciplinary innovation consultancy Quicksand, explores the behaviors, experiences and attitudes of users regarding sanitation in slums across India in order to provide insights and a comprehensive account of experiences, while also exploring the ways the various issues are interconnected. As Meena points out, the open sharing of their findings, as well as their strong visuals, are worthy of applause. Read more here.

{images via, with permission Random Specific}