Re-industrialisation is now emerging as a strategic priority.
The concepts of industrial sovereignty and energy transition no longer apply solely to the economy, but outline a vision for society.
In this context, the issue of design cannot be treated as a minor detail. It shapes the way in which we conceive, materialise and implement these changes.
However, the industry is currently undergoing a transformation. Automation, digitalisation, the integration of environmental requirements and partial relocations are redefining the very architecture of technical systems. Far from reviving the 20th-century model, today's reindustrialisation is characterised by a systematic, interconnected and energy-constrained production process.
The aim of this special issue of Azimuts, edited by students from the first session of the Local Tools post-master's programme, is clear: to document, analyse and explore these transformations without succumbing either to industrial nostalgia or to an abstraction disconnected from real-world infrastructures. That means combining critical thinking, planning and practical implementation.
Azimuts is a design research journal founded in 1991 by the student-researchers of the post-graduate program of the École supérieure d'art et design de Saint-Étienne. A unique publication in the design editorial landscape, the journal is a place for reflection, exchange, and criticism on the issues of contemporary design and art, as well as a field for experimentation and graphic and typographic research. Azimuts magazine gathers the points of view of personalities from the world of design, culture and research in general. The issues are organized around thematic dossiers on design and, more generally, on material culture or its criticism. The "Varia" section welcomes contributions that are not part of the dossier, and the "Anthology" section allows readers to discover or rediscover texts and documents that are difficult to access (out of print or never translated into French). The "Reviews" section is a space for free criticism of current research and publications on design in the field.
