Victor J. Papanek’s book Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change is widely understood as the seminal text of 20th century design activism. This lecture traces the origins of Papanek’s design activism and highlights the urgent need for a broader historical and theoretical analysis of the historiography of social design.
Dr. Alison J. Clarke is Professor of Design History and Theory, at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and Director of the Papanek Foundation. She holds a Masters in Design History from the Royal College of Art and Victoria and Albert Museum, and a doctorate in social anthropology from University College London. She is the author of Design Anthropology: Object Culture in the 21st Century and appears as a design expert for the BBC television series Home and The Genius of Design. She is currently completing a monograph for MIT Press on Victor Papanek and design activism.
Brought to you by MICA's MA in Social Design Visiting Scholar Program, Supported by the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation
