Formgiving to Feminist Futures as Design Activism
Maryam Heidaripour, Laura Forlano · Proceedings of DRS · 2018
Design activism is the enforcement of positive socio-political change by intervening in daily lives. In this paper, we argue that ‘formgiving’ to futures--design interventions such as physical objects, embodied experiences, and affective engagements--is an activist practice with the unique qualities of engaging participants and facilitating the co-creation of alternatives. Central to our exploration is the question of how to participate in the work of generating new ways of conceptualizing, materializing, and experiencing alternative futures. Drawing on feminist theory and, in particular, its profound commitment to social justice, we discuss three core dimensions that are relevant to the practice of ‘formgiving’ to futures in design: temporalities, subjectivities, and hack-abilities.