Where else — whether in a piece of writing that you find outside of the reading list, or in someone else’s creative practice — can you find evidence of a similar or opposing position? 

My road map as a designer is to decant the experience and skills I’ve gained on commercial projects towards causes that could benefit society. I’d like to use visual research to develop an understanding of socio-political issues. Developing a deeper comprehension of these to then be able to expose them. An example of this approach is present at Futuress, the intersectional feminist platform in favour of the underrepresented.

“We stand together, a community for transnational solidarity. We view design as a social and political practice — one that shapes our lived realities. Design is in the words we speak, the objects around us, in the things we do, in the systems around us — all of which, too often, are fundamentally flawed. But design can also be a lens to critically look at the world, and unite us toward a common goal. The daunting struggles for social, spatial and environmental justice require us to come together, across our differences, as a learning community.”

Futuress
https://futuress.org/about/

The Common Goal
Many if not most creatives are vocal in their political views, expressing solidarity towards social struggles. Yet as an industry, we work mostly in favour of private interests incentivising inequality prompts such as consumerism. There seems to be a leap between ideology and practice where we express discontent with radical capitalism while we serve it. Not with malice, rather imposed by capitalism – we have bills to pay. As challenging as it seems to revert the whole system, we can still push it progressively into the direction we want it to take. As Futuress say design is in the words we speak, the objects around us, in the things we do, in the systems around us, therefore by changing design, we can change the systems of which it’s embodied. It’s a matter of empathising on the aspects that will improve the way we live as a society.

“Empower and amplify the voices of womxn, BIPoC, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, migrants and refugees, and others from historically marginalized backgrounds.”

Futuress on their vision
futuress.org

Listen and Amplify
Futuress involves communities in online workshops, lectures and panel discussions on design research, writing, and creative storytelling, through what they call radical listening. The outcomes are then published as articles, stories or essays on their website making design research public. The only way to empower the underrepresented is by giving them the lead. We have to work at their service, provide them with the tools to voice their stories.

Discuss the undiscussed
The first project by Futuress was a speculative collection of unwritten design books. Unwritten in the sense that they were about topics that hadn’t been discussed yet. Anyone could upload ideas onto a website, which would then materialise as floating books on the screen. These are the topics that require research and that we should focus on.

“Futuress is not just a platform but an ecosystem: our growing hive of learning is a community that is alive, buzzing with the power of our voices and our stories.”

Futuress
futuress.org

Co-operation
Futuress connect with other designers, researchers, journalists and activists through their digital channels across the globe to problematise the role of design, and challenge power and privilege. This internationalist approach allows us to co-operate as a community.

Co-operate discussing the undiscussed to listen and amplify in favour of the common goal.

How are positions most effectively developed and demonstrated? Discuss this in relation to a creative practice or text. Then explain how this has helped you think about developing your own emerging position.

Forensic Architecture’s Grenfell Media Archive is a platform that compiles footage of the catastrophe that took place in West London on 14th June 2017. The deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since 1988 with 72 deaths and more than 70 people injured.

Hundreds of thousands of witnesses recorded the event with their smartphones or cameras. This project gathers these clips and brings them together to recreate the event. The different videos are synchronised, joined and mapped onto a 3D model of the building which is then presented as a 3D video. Users can navigate through time and space attaining a deeper understanding of the events.

Being a public open-ended research fed by users, it will continue to develop future findings over time that might reveal valuable information on how to prevent tragedies like Grenfell’s. 

In this case, Forensic Architecture has engineered a communication tool that allows the user to act both as sender and receiver. Their role is not to tell a story from their perspective but instead to enable an expansive user-generated one.

“FA works in partnership with institutions across civil society, from grassroots activists, to legal teams, to international NGOs and media organisations, to carry out investigations with and on behalf of communities and individuals affected by conflict, police brutality, border regimes and environmental violence.”

Forensic Architecture

This approach where the affected group or individual are invited to be part of the making process takes the concept of collaboration further. Not only it shows respect towards the people affected by the issue but also extends the possibilities by making sources limitless.

Using communication design as a way of research on socio-political issues rather than for commercial purposes fits within the position I’d like to take moving forward as a designer. Another example of user-generated design for social issues is Rebecca Ross’ London is Changing, where she captured the voices and stories of people either moving to, within or out of the capital. The responses were then displayed on digital billboards.

This project brought public opinion into public space by subverting devices allocated for private commercial purposes. Billboards were used to amplify voices rather than to advertise products. 

Grenfell Media Archive and London is Changing focus on topics around locations with a sense of belonging for their people. Both Forensic Architecture and Rebecca Ross have considered this by using spaces to display their research: 3D model in the case of Grenfell and the actual streets of London for London is Changing. Talking about space through space is coherent and mindful and adds that 3rd dimension to the research.

With and on behalf
Collaboration is key, not only with other technicians but also inviting anyone affected by the matter into the process.

Private into public
Using communication tools and skills usually at the service of commercial purposes for a greater good can benefit us as a society.

Coherent and mindful
Design needs to be thoughtful about how and where it’s displayed. Topics shouldn’t be detached from their origin. ie. Issues to do with location should be presented in a format that respects this.