Abstract
The aim of this article is above all to construct a new conceptual framework for understanding how and why design activism in public space matters. The article sets off by providing a literature review of some of the existing theoretical frameworks in design research for understanding design activism. In so doing, I will identify a theoretical ‘blind spot’ in the research literature, which has blocked our view of how design activism functions as an aesthetic practice and not only a socio-political one. To remedy this shortcoming, I then introduce some notions from Rancière (2004; 2010) that enable design research to better explain the close interrelationship between aesthetics and the political in design activism. This will be further demonstrated through a series of case examples from current urban design activism. On the basis of this, I finally offer an alternative framework for the practice and study of urban design activism.
Keywords
Design Activism, Design Aesthetics, DIY, Public Space, Urban Environment
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2011.013
Citation
Markussen, T.(2011) The Disruptive Aesthetics of Design Activism: Enacting design between art and politics., Nordes 2011 - Making Design Matter, 29 - 31 May, School of Art & Design, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland. https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2011.013
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Research papers
Included in
The Disruptive Aesthetics of Design Activism: Enacting design between art and politics
The aim of this article is above all to construct a new conceptual framework for understanding how and why design activism in public space matters. The article sets off by providing a literature review of some of the existing theoretical frameworks in design research for understanding design activism. In so doing, I will identify a theoretical ‘blind spot’ in the research literature, which has blocked our view of how design activism functions as an aesthetic practice and not only a socio-political one. To remedy this shortcoming, I then introduce some notions from Rancière (2004; 2010) that enable design research to better explain the close interrelationship between aesthetics and the political in design activism. This will be further demonstrated through a series of case examples from current urban design activism. On the basis of this, I finally offer an alternative framework for the practice and study of urban design activism.