Roubaix recently hosted the Low Tech Festival, an event dedicated to rethinking our relationship with technology in an age of overconsumption and rapid innovation. The festival brought together designers, researchers, and citizens to question the dominant narrative of “faster, newer, more complex” and to highlight alternatives that are accessible, sustainable, and human-centered. Workshops, exhibitions, and talks encouraged participants to explore practical solutions that rely less on high-tech dependency and more on creativity, repairability, and resilience.
Among the highlights of the festival was the conference delivered by Kris De Decker, founder of Low-Tech Magazine. Known for his critical and thought-provoking approach, De Decker invited the audience to reconsider the assumption that progress must always be tied to advanced technologies. Instead, he emphasized that low tech is not about going backwards, but about designing smarter, simpler systems that work within ecological and social limits.
What stood out in his presentation was not only the clarity of his arguments, but also the way he illustrated them with tangible examples. One of the most interesting examples he talked about is the solar-powered version of Low-Tech Magazine’s website, which runs entirely on renewable energy and even goes offline when there isn’t enough sunlight. This means that the site cannot always be accessed, for instance at night or during cloudy periods, which encourages a more conscious and sustainable use of digital resources. This simple yet radical approach perfectly embodies the low-tech philosophy: using existing technologies wisely, prioritizing efficiency over performance, and making digital infrastructure more transparent and sustainable.
From historical case studies to contemporary projects, De Decker showed how forgotten or overlooked technologies can inspire modern, resilient solutions. His ability to connect technical details with broader cultural questions gave the talk both intellectual depth and practical relevance.
Rather than imposing a rigid framework, De Decker engaged the audience with an open, questioning tone. He made space for reflection, encouraging listeners to imagine how low-tech principles could apply in their own fields or daily lives. His conference was less a lecture than an invitation to rethink, together, what a sustainable future might look like. He also reminded the audience that low tech is inherently political, it challenges dominant economic models, questions our dependence on growth and consumption, and invites a collective reimagining of what progress means.
The Low Tech Festival in Roubaix, and Kris De Decker’s contribution in particular, left a strong impression: real innovation may not lie in the newest inventions, but in rediscovering the wisdom of doing more with less.
Article written by Lucie ZACCHI, first-year student.
