Design education and (prefigurative) work politics

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