Visionary Design & Nonviolent Civil Protest

Visionary Design and Non-Violent Civil Protest Organized by Nsumi Collective and School of the Future Presented by Trade School and the Museum of Art and Design, NYC http://madmuseum.org/ http://tradeschool.ourgoods.org/ The traditional techniques of non-violent civil protest have been practiced by people around th...e world in response to oppressive states, policies and proxies, going back as far as BCE 470–391 in China, when the Mohist philosophical school--who disapproved of war--cultivated the science of fortification. Today, the Occupy movement brings together multiple struggles and concerns under a common name, inciting new practices of collaboration and coordination. People are fighting against inequality, privatization, and exclusion and working to create alternatives to corporate control, the loss of public space, and the privilege of the one percent. With bold tactics and artistic innovations, Occupy has incited the global imagination. At the same time, and not surprisingly, it doesn't employ formal design processes. Also lacking are formal feedback systems, techniques of self-correction, and the formal rigor underpinning the best scientific and social research. Likewise, while the confluence of many different voices, subcultures and micro-communities collaborating together creates unique social opportunities and perceptions, a culture of “radical design innovation” has yet to surface. This workshop will examine these deficits as opportunities for growth. We will brainstorm new protest processes and systems, design tools, strategies, and techniques, based on feedback collected from Occupy meeting notes and from Occupiers and working groups from several cities. These challenges will be presented to workshop attendees, a group of self-selected designers, Occupiers, artists, scientists, engineers, activists, and researchers, who will collectively respond with new ideas and approaches.