Decolonising DesignDecolonising Design

The domains of architecture, design and digital culture are not immune to the impact of colonial thinking and its designed frameworks. In an essay, audio work or video, contributors question the overriding logic of ruthless progress, productivity and efficiency. Actively thinking beyond the discriminatory and exploitative structures arising from this, they offer guidance for the redesign of design, designers and the role they play in an equal and multivocal society.

In a candid conversation with artist and researcher Miguel Peres dos Santos, Head of Programme Flora van Gaalen talks about the origins and context of the web magazine and other initiatives taking place at the institute in support of the pursuit of ecological and social justice. Together, they talk about big words, discomfort, continuous learning, intersections and accountability. A preliminary conclusion - actually, of course, only the beginning - seems to be that currently there is mainly a need for new connections and a kind of reconstruction. The decolonisation of design starts with the redesign of design itself, in order to be able to shape the (social) structures it helps to create according to the principles of multivocality and social and ecological justice.

The day after the murder of George Floyd, Het Nieuwe Instituut spoke out as an ally for everyone who is committed to racial justice. Employees of the institute contacted parties from the network. They expressed their horror at what had happened, their solidarity in the fight against systemic racism and asked how they themselves could contribute, as individuals and as part of an organisation. In that context, the institute asked designers, theorists, artists, researchers, filmmakers and other practitioners to share inspiring projects and invited them to articulate their vision in an essay, audio conversation or video. This web magazine is a collection of their contributions.

The institute is aware that it also has forms of exclusion, which are expressed in, among other things, the organisation of the institute, the partnerships and the collaborations it enters into. Het Nieuwe Instituut translates the fight against inequality into concrete, practical steps based on shared values ​​and a code of conduct. At the policy level, multivocality - a diversity of perspectives, social and ecological - is the guiding principle that directs the activities of the institute at all levels, from programming to the process of recruitment and commissioning assignmenst. The National Collection will be enriched with stories that are currently underrepresented, for example by the research project Collecting Otherwise. In addition, employees gather and share knowledge through an (online) library and training courses such as Words Matter (RCMC) and Community Engagement.

These are steps in a long process. A process that the institute has explicitly entered into.

Do you want to contribute to the ongoing process towards a multivocal Het Nieuwe Instituut? Then please contact us by sending an email.

Het Nieuwe Instituut previously organised two editions of Thursday Night Live! (a first, with contributions from Amal Alhaag, Tabita Rezaire, Ruben Pater, Egbert Alejandro Martina and Shahab Zehtabchi, on September 29, 2016 and a second with Ramon Amaro on January 5, 2017), which were given the title Decolonising Design in consultation with stakeholders and speakers . At the time, it was the most appropriate name for the two events. At this point, years later, the term still covers the meaning of what we envision with the content of this magazine.

We are aware that an international collective (Ahmed Ansari, Danah Abdulla, Ece Canli, Mahmoud Keshavarz, Matthew Kiem, Pedro Oliveira, Luiza Prado and Tristan Schultz) is publishing resources, opinion pieces and backgrounds under the same name on the Decolonising Design website. We admire and value the work of these individuals and organisations, as we also like to be inspired and motivated by the work of others who are at the forefront of decolonising design.