design education and (prefigurative) work politics
TRANSCRIPT
DESIGN EDUCATION AND (PREFIGURATIVE) WORK POLITICS
GRAPHIC DESIGN EDUCATORS NETWORK ANNUAL CONFERENCE, CARDIFF, 9.9.2016
BIANCA ELZENBAUMERLEEDS COLLEGE OF ARTBRAVE-NEW-ALPS.COM
IF WE WORK, WHERE WE WORK, WITH WHOM WE WORK, WHAT WE DO AT WORK, AND HOW LONG WE WORK ARE SOCIAL ARRANGEMENTS AND HENCE PROPERLY POLITICAL DECISIONS.
HOW MIGHT MORE OF THIS TERRITORY BE RECLAIMED AS VIABLE TERRAINS OF DEBATE AND STRUGGLE?”
KATHI WEEKS, THE PROBLEM WITH WORK (2011), P.35-36
“
KEY SYMPTOMS OF PRECARIOUS WORKING CONDITIONS:
BULIMIC WORK PATTERNS, LOW PAY,WORK IN ISOLATION, WORK-RELATED HEALTH PROBLEMS, WORK TAKING OVER LIFE, INABILITY TO PLAN AHEAD.
KEY SYMPTOMS OF PRECARIOUS WORKING CONDITIONS:
BULIMIC WORK PATTERNS, LOW PAY,WORK IN ISOLATION, WORK-RELATED HEALTH PROBLEMS, WORK TAKING OVER LIFE, INABILITY TO PLAN AHEAD.
NO PAID VACATIONS, NO SICK-LEAVE,NO UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION, NO PARENTAL LEAVE, NO PENSION.
THE RAT RACE OF NEOLIBERAL WORK CULTURE:
YOU ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR LAST PROJECT ...
... AND NO MATTER HOW WELL YOU DID THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO BETTER.
THE PRESSURE IS ON!
MICHAEL OSWELL
BUT COULDN’T DESIGN EDUCATION – DESPITE BEING RESTRICTED BY HIGH FEES AND MANAGERIAL CULTURE – BECOME A SPACE WHERE TO ENACT A PREFIGURATIVE* POLITICS FOR THE COLLECTIVE RESHAPING OF OUR WORKING LIVES?
BUT COULDN’T DESIGN EDUCATION – DESPITE BEING RESTRICTED BY HIGH FEES AND MANAGERIAL CULTURE – BECOME A SPACE WHERE TO ENACT A PREFIGURATIVE* POLITICS FOR THE COLLECTIVE RESHAPING OF OUR WORKING LIVES?
* “PREFIGURATIVE POLITICS REFERS TO PRACTICES THAT STRIVE TO ENACT DESIRED POLITICAL CONDITIONS OR SYSTEMS. WHEN ‘DOING’ PREFIGURATIVE POLITICS, WE ACT OUT THE SOCIAL VALUES AND RELATIONS WE WANT TO SEE REALIZED —WE PERFORM THEM INTO BEING.” CARL DISALVO, DESIGN & PREFIGURATIVE POLITICS (FORTHCOMING)
SOME PRELIMINARY IDEAS
OPENLY DISCUSS WAYS OF WORKING
PRECARITYPILOT.NET/INTERVIEWS
MAKE CONDITIONS OF CLIENT COLLABORATIONS TRANSPARENT
LIVEPROJECTS.ORG
DISCUSS THE MONETARY VALUE OF A PROJECT
AN HOUR, A MONTH, A YEAR – WORKSHOP AT THE UNIVERSITYOF THE WEST OF ENGLAND, BRISTOL, OCTOBER 2013
DISCUSS THE MONETARY VALUE OF A PROJECT
AN HOUR, A MONTH, A YEAR – WORKSHOP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND, BRISTOL, OCTOBER 2013
TEACH THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE
PRECARITYPILOT.NET/ORGANISING-YOUR-PRACTICE; THENUSCHOOL.COM
SUPPORT SOLIDARITY AND COOPERATIVE APPROACHES
ALTGEN.ORG.UK
JANELLE ORSI, PRACTICING LAW IN THE SHARING ECONOMY: HELPING PEOPLE BUILD COOPERATIVES, SOCIAL ENTERPRISES, AND LOCAL SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIES (2012)
GENDER DIVISIONS IN CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC DESIGN VIA:FEMINISMANDGRAPHICDESIGN.BLOGSPOT.COM
... THESE ARE ACTIONS WE CAN ENVISAGE.
WHAT ACTIONS CAN YOU THINK OF FROM THE POSITIONS YOU ARE INHABITING?
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
READING SUGGESTIONS:
PRECARITYPILOT.NET
BRAVE NEW ALPS, COMMONS & COMMUNITY ECONOMIES.DRS CONFERENCE (2016)
BRAVE NEW ALPS. “DESIGN EDUCATION AS A PRACTICE OF FREEDOM?” IN ABOUT LEARNING AND DESIGN, EDITED BY GIORGIO CAMUFFO, MADDALENA DALLA MURA, AND ALVISE MATTOZZI (2014), P.65-72