The Case For Reconstruction, A Design Manifesto.
In study of the design movements of the past, one can grow in touch with the movement they themselves are shaping via their practice. It has discouraged me, as a result of this belief, to see so many of my peers create without sense of their place or purpose. It currently seems as though a major responsibility and risk is being avoided in order to maintain façades and elude justification for the wrongs being perpetuated upon our global home. A head-in-the-sand approach is never going to push true innovation. Even though it is scary, to be a designer means to take a stand both in defense and pursuit of the ideal world as you yourself see it.
*Note: The We refers to the next vanguards of design, who are tasked like no other movement before with quite literally saving the world. The crisis we have been left with from those before us is now our burden to bear. It becomes up to us to heal ourselves and face the challenge.
Characteristics
Minimalism
We are inundated with things, and more things and useless options are not the answer. Anything put into the world at this
point should be of value to the greater good, as well as the individual, as the user should not be burdened with a useless item
after the novelty of ownership wears off.
We maintain that form follows function, and that function should
determine the existence of a design. We do cherish aesthetics,
however, and don’t wish to communicate in monotone. We still
wish for a world painted with the colors we love, and specific
to one’s own environment. (More on that thought soon.)
The Urban As A Communal Nature
Another principle is that We believe that the Urban is an honorable way of life and cultural hub, and should not be abandoned
in favor of individual picket-fence mass produced properties. In
cities, communities are tighter knit, and the spirit of wonder
and play are embraced. There is a better opportunity for class
stratification. And they are microcosms of the globe at-large,
meaning we are constantly exposed to just how diverse we are.
Communalism
The next guiding principle is based on the positive precedents set
forth by Constructivism. Design can be a cultural influencer; a
carrier of values directly into the lives of a user. And in this
case, the value We too identify with is communalism. The ideas
of communal labor and spaces are so important that they should
fundamentally structure our world. A world built for oneself is
not large enough.
Against Standardization
Mass manufacturing has both led and fed the overproduction problem of today, the ornamentalism we see, and the alienation of
anyone who dares color outside the lines. The illusion of individualization is created via an abundance of superficial choices. Equality has led to a decorated world, with a bland undercarriage.
All of our worlds are different due to culture and location.
That’s okay and should be celebrated. Equity should not seek to
standardize.
The Black Tradition
This connects to the final tenet of Reconstruction, summarized
by a quote of David H. Rice of the postmodernist Organization
of Black Designers: “The visibility, education, empowerment and
interaction of its membership and the understanding and value
that diverse design perspectives contribute to world culture and
commerce.”
Cedric Robinson’s Black Marxism lays out a very important history and theory of Black Tradition and Vanguardism, analyzing the
pattern of Black Radicalism being omnipresent in Our collective
being, especially in a particularly oppressive colonial world.
Being that it isn’t in his particular background, he does stop
short of analyzing the creative and design disciplines. We intend to write that chapter.
Amiri Baraka’s “Technology and Ethos” is entirely centered
around the idea that designers have the power to shape the world
with the ethos behind their designs, and that in turn, Black designers especially have the imagination to create a rhythmic and
vibrant world. We ardently agree, and look to further the Tradition and legacy left by creatives like Emory Douglas and Glenn
Ligon, who have used their design practices as politicization in
service of the people and greater good.
As a final note: why Reconstruction? Because the world as we know it is dying. There is no denial; we must reconcile with the issues we have created for ourselves. However, there is hope in the fact that the world we live in was created by us, can be demolished by us, and rebuilt by us. But this time we will not and cannot build just to build. We will start from the ground up, design the change we want to see, and construct the world from these new ideals that will sustain us all.
LINDSEE DOWNER
MAY 4, 2022