design activism

I’m Ann Thorpe, an American (lately also a Brit) based in London. These pages stem from my work on sustainable design, particularly my book, The Designer’s Atlas of Sustainability, which suggests to me that to design effectively for a cause, such as sustainability, designers have to become activists to a certain extent. Explicit activism has been largely taboo among designers, but these pages explore design as activism and its relationship to sustainable design.

I define activism as some form of intentional action to bring about change, often in relation to a contentious issue (eg how we should stabilize the climate). Further, I’m concerned with activism that consists of actions that are visibly public in nature, rather than the day-to-day, behind the scenes administration of groups. And finally, my interest is in activism that makes a claim for change (either cultural or political) on behalf of a wronged, excluded or deprived group.

I’m currently doing research on design activism (described in a short paper) to examine and describe how designers have been engaging with social and environmental change over the last 20 years or so.  Some questions include:

You can find out about my other publications, upcoming speaking engagements and my bio here. You can contact me via email ann [at] designactivism.net