The exhibition, which runs from March 23-28, came from a
partnership between UID, Svenska Samernas Riksförbund and Sami
Duodji. It will house three different interactive stations that aim
to challenge visitors to confront their own prejudices and step
into the shoes of marginalized cultural groups in society.
Nicholas Torretta, PhD candidate at UID, is responsible for
developing the course.
"It has been a transformative process for our students, I
believe. They were confronted with various issues around
sustainability, diversity, colonialism and violence. Sometimes they
were struggling, to be honest. Once you realize the consequences
that an unaware design action can create in society it can be hard
to reestablish a clear voice and position. But it is exactly this
that is the point of the course, to reflect on these issues".
What can people expect going to
the exhibition?
"Visitors can expect to have an experience that forces
reflection on who we are and what our position in society is.
Visitors will be able to interact with three different stations,
each posing a different question and asking for a different type of
input. And so, the visitors can expect to contribute to continue to
build on the existing exhibition."
Why do you believe it's important to carry
out projects like this within a design education?
"In an ever increasing connected and globalized world, we as
designers must know how we impact our surrounding society and
society at large. Courses like this one are important for designers
to realize that their worldview as designers is situated in a
specific culture and time. By realizing our actual position within
the a westernized and capitalist worldview, we can start a critical
and reflective process about where we stand, and where we would
like to stand in relation to diverse cultures that are being
suppressed my modern colonialism. From this vantage point, we can
ask what kind of designers we want to be if we are to support the
quest for a sustainable society across cultures?"
What are the three interactive stations that will be
presented at the exhibition?
"One is a collaborative carpet weaving station. It asks the
visitors to organize in order of importance some aspects that can
help define identity. The visitor then organizes the aspects and
add them to a big loom where her/his idea of identity gets weaved
into the responses from other visitors. I think this is a nice
example of the "diverse social fabric" we live in, where diversity
combines to create a whole."
"Another uses phones and a switch board. This station highlights
the lack of voice and control that one may have by being part of an
oppressed group in society. At this station, the visitor can hear
different conversations on the phone by switching plugs on a switch
board and also answer different phone call that demands the visitor
to do something while not giving the visitor the ability to talk
back. It is an effective display that gives insight into the
experience of the oppressed."
"The final station deals with pathways. It utilizes an
interactive map which traces the interconnection of various aspects
constituting culture and identity. Each node of the map provides
either a short story or a question related to identity and
conflict."
For more info on the exhibition, click here
