Agonistic objects
UNIT 10: Situating Your Practice | Learning outcomes: 29, 30, 31, 32
BA [HONS] GRAPHIC DESIGN
DESIGN & INTERACTION
“Agonistic objects”
3
11 January 2018
Create a socially responsive piece in retaliation to a current social/cultural/political issue Introduction Socially responsive design has been defined as “Design which takes as its primary driver social issues, its main consideration social impact and its main objective social change” (Gamman & Thorpe, 2006, 2011). Typically societal scenarios constitute complex and ‘wicked’ design challenges, characterized by competing and contradictory drivers and desirable outcomes, depending on context and stakeholder perspective. We argue that tackling such design challenges requires a socially responsive design approach. Agonism within society is believed to be the most optimal way to create a resolution to social/cultural/political issues. Materializing critical/speculative/ fictional design theories challenges social norms in order to influence alternative thoughts and values in society. Seeing these materialized objects in everyday life can spark debates/conversations in order to challenge societys cosy consensus as well as obscured issues. Brief: Create a piece of Socially responsive design which challenge’s negative issues regarding:
PHYSICAL
DIGITAL
Privacy // Surveillance A scandal erupted in 2005 regarding Sony BMG’s implementation of deceptive, illegal, and harmful copy protection measures on about 22 million CDs. When inserted into a computer, the CDs installed one of two pieces of software which provided a form of digital rights management (DRM) by modifying the operating system to interfere with CD copying. Neither program could easily be un-installed, and they created vulnerabilities that were exploited by unrelated malware. £200 million was spent on surveillance cameras to watch over some of London’s poorest boroughs. “The criminal justice act was an attack on agonism, denying people the opportunity to live differently, to use space differently, but they’re putting it into law that one group of people can’t do as they want. Why shouldn’t we be able to get together and demonstrate against what we don’t like. How come it’s okay to get together on amnesty’s day and block the street for that, but it might not be okay to get together without permission and demonstrate against something like mass globalization or trump, etc.” Adam Thorpe (Vexed Generation) Interview 2017
Interrogate the subject using critical analysis and adopting ideologies/theories from critical design, speculate the complex future/current complications that the subject may hold on society. Materialise the research into an object that intends to create contestion in the public domain regarding the subject matter. Investigate the most viable form of evidencing the subject through fearless experimentation of materiality as well applying design fundamentals. Consider strategies of Market Intervention, allowing the challenging of social norms to enter into the mainstream. Agonism - is a political theory that emphasizes the potentially positive aspects of certain (but not all) forms of political conflict.
Brief set by Yachub Webb | [email protected]
References: Vexed Generation, ‘See and Be seen’ Parka (1999) - [Supermodern Wardrobe - Andrew Bolton] Critical Design in Context - Matt Malpass (2017) Speculative Everything - Dunne & Raby (2013) Design Noir - Dunne & Raby (2001)
BA [HONS] GRAPHIC DESIGN
DESIGN & INTERACTION
“Agonistic objects”
3
11 January 2018
Create a socially responsive piece in retaliation to a current social/cultural/political issue Introduction Socially responsive design has been defined as “Design which takes as its primary driver social issues, its main consideration social impact and its main objective social change” (Gamman & Thorpe, 2006, 2011). Typically societal scenarios constitute complex and ‘wicked’ design challenges, characterized by competing and contradictory drivers and desirable outcomes, depending on context and stakeholder perspective. We argue that tackling such design challenges requires a socially responsive design approach. Agonism within society is believed to be the most optimal way to create a resolution to social/cultural/political issues. Materializing critical/speculative/ fictional design theories challenges social norms in order to influence alternative thoughts and values in society. Seeing these materialized objects in everyday life can spark debates/conversations in order to challenge societys cosy consensus as well as obscured issues. Brief: Create a piece of Socially responsive design which challenge’s negative issues regarding:
PHYSICAL
DIGITAL
Privacy // Surveillance A scandal erupted in 2005 regarding Sony BMG’s implementation of deceptive, illegal, and harmful copy protection measures on about 22 million CDs. When inserted into a computer, the CDs installed one of two pieces of software which provided a form of digital rights management (DRM) by modifying the operating system to interfere with CD copying. Neither program could easily be un-installed, and they created vulnerabilities that were exploited by unrelated malware. £200 million was spent on surveillance cameras to watch over some of London’s poorest boroughs. “The criminal justice act was an attack on agonism, denying people the opportunity to live differently, to use space differently, but they’re putting it into law that one group of people can’t do as they want. Why shouldn’t we be able to get together and demonstrate against what we don’t like. How come it’s okay to get together on amnesty’s day and block the street for that, but it might not be okay to get together without permission and demonstrate against something like mass globalization or trump, etc.” Adam Thorpe (Vexed Generation) Interview 2017
Interrogate the subject using critical analysis and adopting ideologies/theories from critical design, speculate the complex future/current complications that the subject may hold on society. Materialise the research into an object that intends to create contestion in the public domain regarding the subject matter. Investigate the most viable form of evidencing the subject through fearless experimentation of materiality as well applying design fundamentals. Consider strategies of Market Intervention, allowing the challenging of social norms to enter into the mainstream. Agonism - is a political theory that emphasizes the potentially positive aspects of certain (but not all) forms of political conflict.
Brief set by Yachub Webb | [email protected]
References: Vexed Generation, ‘See and Be seen’ Parka (1999) - [Supermodern Wardrobe - Andrew Bolton] Critical Design in Context - Matt Malpass (2017) Speculative Everything - Dunne & Raby (2013) Design Noir - Dunne & Raby (2001)
