Conducted March 27, 2010 at the Structures for Inclusion 10 conference at Howard University
This panel presents four unique projects that demonstrate the breadth and depth of this theme we refer to as Design Activism. Through a commitment to ideals within goal-driven practices, these designers exemplify the significance of activism not only on a personal level but to a degree that deeply affects entire communities and arguably populations. The synergistic qualities of this work addresses issues of education, access to basic essentials like healthcare through well considered and accessible facilities, local production and sale of fresh foods, employment generation and job training to name a few. Working across cultural barriers and with marginalized communities further demonstrates how these designers are challenging convention in order activate meaningful design solutions for the people who need them most. This type of activism has also been the core of my research for the past six years during which time I curated and organized the international interdisciplinary design exhibition entitled: Substance: Diverse Practices from the Periphery. The show explore not just designed artifact but questioned the requirement for the work to exist through the filters of Cause (what issues are being addressed), Method (how was the project developed and in what ways was inclusivity approached) and impact (which is the result – how did the solution answer the problem).
Panel: Emilie Taylor, Anselmo Canfora, Michael Murphy, Ifeoma Ebo
http://www.designcorps.org/sfi-conference/sfi-archive/sfi10