Since we're talking about social design, engaging with the community, and addressing problems, why not recognize the much loved and much hated Santiago Sierra! He's an extremely controversial Spanish artist who's work often deals with capitalism and exploited or ignored peoples.
His website:
http://www.santiago-sierra.com
His work is unabashedly extreme and pretty often terrifying, (and he is often using the very tactics he is warning against) but he certainly involves the community and gets his points across loud and clear! Always interesting.
Some of his more well-known pieces:
WORKERS WHO CANNOT BE PAID, REMUNERATED TO REMAIN INSIDE CARDBOARD BOXES (2000)
10 INCH LINE SHAVED ON THE HEADS OF TWO JUNKIES WHO RECEIVED A SHOT OF HEROIN AS PAYMENT (2000)
133 PERSONS PAID TO HAVE THEIR HAIR DYED BLOND (2001)
4.000 BLACK POSTERS (2008)
100 BEGGARS (2005)
any thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is some great work. I find myself very intrigued and moved by work that invokes very strong emotional feelings towards social and economic issues.
ReplyDeleteIts interesting how social design or art in community projects can help to serve organizations directly. This work seems to serve some people directly but other parts of his work still serve the freedom of the creative idealist. This is beautiful and I think should be practiced.
As we move into a new era of design now we need to not forget that some projects, although not serving an organizations needs, is speaking about those needs in a way that can change the perception of many people.
I think Sierra's work is fantastic and outrageously bold. He is able to confront socio-economic issues (which is also of interest to me) in a way that is well-considered and in your face. I also understand that he himself is aware of paradox of his position as an artist who explicitly uses mechanisms of exploitation as his material work, while he himself is exploited/profiting heavily in the art capitalist machine.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm particularly wondering about/interested in is whether design is able to work in this way. This might also extend outside of the field of social design and into a discussion of art vs. design. Is it acceptable for a designer to create a loud statement without also providing a solution? If so would that then just be considered fine art? Like Bernard mentions "A Poster is not a solution." What is this grey area that is inhabited?