Project Review: ‘Making Room for Abolition’, by Lauren Williams
This review positions Lauren Williams’ installation ‘Making Room for Abolition’, shown in ‘Monolith’ at Red Bull Arts in Detroit, as a speculative design project that presents a two-fold critique: one directed at US society and the other, at speculative design itself. As a discourse and practice, s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Diseña |
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| Online Access: | https://teologiayvida.uc.cl/index.php/Disena/article/view/53251 |
| _version_ | 1797326399125585920 |
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| author | Aggie Toppins |
| author_facet | Aggie Toppins |
| author_sort | Aggie Toppins |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This review positions Lauren Williams’ installation ‘Making Room for Abolition’, shown in ‘Monolith’ at Red Bull Arts in Detroit, as a speculative design project that presents a two-fold critique: one directed at US society and the other, at speculative design itself. As a discourse and practice, speculative design offers a model for designing in socially-oriented, post-capitalist contexts, but it has yet to fully unmoor itself from colonialist ideology. I present common critiques of speculative design—specifically: the lack of attention to race- and class-based struggles, the assumption that time is absolute, and its stance that preferable futures must be plausible—to show how Williams addresses these shortcomings while centering Black experiences and imagination in a dream of abolitionist futures.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T06:22:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c6dc14509c58411ea817d5aad20c8a7a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0718-8447 2452-4298 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T06:22:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diseña |
| spelling | doaj.art-c6dc14509c58411ea817d5aad20c8a7a2024-02-03T21:29:37ZengPontificia Universidad Católica de ChileDiseña0718-84472452-42982023-01-0122Project Review: ‘Making Room for Abolition’, by Lauren WilliamsAggie Toppins0Washington University in St. Louis This review positions Lauren Williams’ installation ‘Making Room for Abolition’, shown in ‘Monolith’ at Red Bull Arts in Detroit, as a speculative design project that presents a two-fold critique: one directed at US society and the other, at speculative design itself. As a discourse and practice, speculative design offers a model for designing in socially-oriented, post-capitalist contexts, but it has yet to fully unmoor itself from colonialist ideology. I present common critiques of speculative design—specifically: the lack of attention to race- and class-based struggles, the assumption that time is absolute, and its stance that preferable futures must be plausible—to show how Williams addresses these shortcomings while centering Black experiences and imagination in a dream of abolitionist futures. https://teologiayvida.uc.cl/index.php/Disena/article/view/53251Speculative DesignCritical DesignAbolitionDesign FuturesAfrofuturism |
| spellingShingle | Aggie Toppins Project Review: ‘Making Room for Abolition’, by Lauren Williams Diseña Speculative Design Critical Design Abolition Design Futures Afrofuturism |
| title | Project Review: ‘Making Room for Abolition’, by Lauren Williams |
| title_full | Project Review: ‘Making Room for Abolition’, by Lauren Williams |
| title_fullStr | Project Review: ‘Making Room for Abolition’, by Lauren Williams |
| title_full_unstemmed | Project Review: ‘Making Room for Abolition’, by Lauren Williams |
| title_short | Project Review: ‘Making Room for Abolition’, by Lauren Williams |
| title_sort | project review making room for abolition by lauren williams |
| topic | Speculative Design Critical Design Abolition Design Futures Afrofuturism |
| url | https://teologiayvida.uc.cl/index.php/Disena/article/view/53251 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aggietoppins projectreviewmakingroomforabolitionbylaurenwilliams |