“The urge to design—to consider a situation, imagine a better situation, and act to create that improved situation—goes back to our prehuman ancestors. Making tools helped us to become what we are, and design helped to make us human.” Carl DiSalvo, Adversarial Design. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012. Print.
In September 2016, ID launched the Critical Design course for its 4th year students. In their semester-long group projects, students are asked to critically interrogate an issues of their choice, then speculate / imagine possible alternatives for an intervention. In 2017, one group decided to tackle Body Positivity by imagining diversity in clothing mannequins and a Body Positive Me colouring book. They involved the MRU community by creating tape-wrapped sculptures out of generous volunteers.
Credits
Course: COMM 4650 Critical Design, Fall 2017
Students: Piper Goodfellow, Orry Roth, Payton Glagau, and Lauren Piwek
Taught by: Milena Radzikowska