(by Francesco Mazzarella and Cecilia Casas)
Given the current environmental, social and economic crises in the world, it is becoming increasingly clear that designers can play a crucial role in working with vulnerable and at-risk people (such as prisoners, refugees, people with disabilities, homeless people, etc.), contributing to improving their living conditions and promoting social justice.
In line with the objectives of DESIS and with the ambition to give this area of work a more explicit space within the network, Cecilia
Casas, José Chávez and Alberto Franco (ESDA DESIS Lab, Spain) and Francesco Mazzarella (UAL DESIS Lab, UK) have launched a new DESIS group focusing on "Design Practice and Education for Social Change from the Margins".
This DESIS group aims to explore what it means to work with students in difficult contexts with people in vulnerable situations, to reflect on the implications of this social design teaching and practice work, to identify commonalities, differences and possible strategic avenues for future work (e.g. workshops, talks, collaborative projects, publications, exhibitions, etc.).
The first online meeting - held on 14 November 2023 - aimed to explore interest in participating and generate initial ideas. Twenty-one people from different DESIS Labs attended. The collective discussion highlighted a number of issues related to teaching and learning design for social change. A video recording of the full meeting can be accessed on the DESIS Network's DESIS Network YouTube: A call for all DESIS Labs
The second online meeting was held on 29 January 2024 and was attended by 17 people who contributed to rethinking the concept of vulnerability. Considering that labels can be harmful and paternalistic, and that there is a risk of "marginalising" people, the
Participants in the meeting discussed some possible names for this group and suggested a positive framework around the potential 'capacities' of diverse people and their situations at the margins of society as an enabler of care, in and through design. The second meeting is available on the DESIS network's YouTube channel. (RE) FRAMING VULNERABILITY Practice and Education in Design for Social Change from the Margins
Following the first two online meetings, some members of the DESIS Lab will meet in person at the 3rd ESDA DESIS Social Design Conference, which will take place on 11-12 March in Zaragoza, Spain. Building on the success of the last two years, this event will consolidate a forum to discuss, collaborate, experiment, showcase and expand this field of work, thanks to the participation of several members of the DESIS Lab, as well as students, staff and local communities at large.
At the same time, Francesco Mazarella DESIS UAL and Cecilia Casas and the ESDA DESIS Labtogether with Bori Fehér and Jonathan Ventura (co-directors of the Social Design Network www.socialdesignnetwork.org) to create a Cumulus Task Force CUMULUS Budapest(CWG) on "Education for Social Change", which will be officially launched at the forthcoming Cumulus Conference, to be held in Budapest on 15-17 May.
If you are interested in this new Cluster, you can follow the work on DESIS channels and/or contact ESDA DESIS Lab (esdadesislab@esda.es) and Francesco Mazzarella (f.mazzarella@fashion.arts.ac.uk). We look forward to exchanging experiences and ideas, and to shaping this new area of work, counting on you!
New DESIS Cluster on "Practice and Education in Design for Social Change from the Margins".
(by Cecilia Casas and Francesco Mazzarella)
Given the current world's environmental, social, and economic crises, it is increasingly recognised that designers can play a crucial role in working with vulnerable people and persons at risk of exclusion (such as prisoners, refugees, people with disabilities, experiencing homelessness, etc.) and contribute to improving their living conditions and fostering social justice. In line with DESIS's goals and with the ambition to give this area of work a more explicit space within the network, Cecilia Casas, José Chávez, and Albert Franco (ESDA DESIS Lab, Spain) and Francesco Mazzarella (UAL DESIS Lab, UK) have launched a new DESIS cluster focused on Practice and Education in Design for Social Change from the Margins. This DESIS cluster is intended to explore what it means to work with students in challenging contexts that include vulnerable people, to reflect on the implications of this work for social design teaching and practice, identify commonalities, differences, and potential strategic pathways for future work (e.g. workshops, talks, collaborative projects, publications, exhibitions, etc.).
The first online meeting - held on 14th November 2023 - was aimed at exploring interest in participation and generating initial ideas. Twenty one people from different DESIS Labs attended the meeting. The collective discussion that followed brought to the fore several issues related to teaching and learning in design for social change. A video recording of the full meeting is accessible on the DESIS Network YouTube Channel: A Call for all DESIS labs, hosted by ESDA DESIS Lab
The second online meeting was held on 29th January 2024 and was attended by 17 people who contributed to reframing the concept of vulnerability. Whilst having in mind that labels can be harmful and patronising, and risk of 'othering' people, the meeting participants discussed some potential names for this cluster, and suggested a positive framing around potential 'abilities' of diverse people and their situations at the margins of societies, as an enabling factor for care, in and through design. A video recording of the second meeting is accessible on the DESIS Network YouTube Channel.
Following the first two online meetings, some DESIS Lab members will meet in person at the III ESDA DESIS Social Design Dayswhich will take place on 11 th and 12 th March in Zaragoza, Spain. Building on the success of the past two years, this event will consolidate a forum for discussing, collaborating, experimenting, showcasing and amplifying this area of work, thanks to the involvement of various DESIS Lab members, as well as local students, staff, and wider communities. Cecilia Casas and Francesco Mazarella, collaborating with Bori Fehér and Jonathan Ventura (Co-directors of the Social Design Network) to set up a Cumulus Working Group on Education for Social Change, which will be officially launched at the upcoming Cumulus Conference in Budapest on 15 th - 17 th May. If you are interested in this new Cluster, you can follow the work on DESIS channels, and/or reach out to ESDA DESIS Lab (esdadesislab@esda.es) and Francesco Mazzarella (f.mazzarella@fashion.arts.ac.uk). We look forward to exchanging experiences and ideas, and shaping this emerging area of work, together with you!
