Design Activism
Written for the Bachelor of Design (Interior Architecture)(Honours)
September 2021 - Contemporary Design Issues
by Darshana Thapa
Birrarung (Yarra River) https://violadesign.com.au/environmental-justice-australia-2/
Design Activism uses design as a tool to create positive change for a range of “social, political and environmental issues” (Micheli, 2021). It is up to “the designer to use spatial and material means” (Thorpe, 2011, p.10) to articulate the message (Thorpe, 2011).
Communication design advocates for a vital environmental issue.
Melbourne-based communication design studio, Viola Design, developed The Re-imagining Birrarung (Meadows & Lindsay 2017) booklet, for the not-for-profit legal practice, EJA (Environmental Justice Australia) (Viola Design, n.d.). EJA played an integral role in the introduction of a new law called The Yarra River Protection Act 2017, which secured vital protection and maintenance for The Birrarung / Yarra River (EJA Comms, 2017), ‘Greater Melbourne’s most important green corridor’ (EJA Comms, 2017, para. 7).
The booklet is a design tool used to highlight several grave concerns for the river system in its current condition. Too much water is extracted and sent to reservoirs to be treated for drinking water, which causes the natural ecosystem to suffer. Runoff from stormwater sees oily muck from roads and debris enter the river system, resulting in poor water quality not considered safe for swimming (Meadows & Lindsay, 2017). Outlining these issues ‘publicly reveals or frames a problem’ (Thorpe, 2011, p.6), which Thorpe noted was one of the ‘four basic criteria to define design as activism’ (Thorpe, 2011, p.6).
Once the booklet framed the problem, it made a ‘contentious claim for change’ (Thorpe, 2011, p.6) by offering some radical suggestions to restore the river. These included, boosting the Yarra’s flows with desalinated water from the Wonthaggi desal plant’ (Meadows & Lindsay, 2017, p.10), improving water quality by creating a network of wetlands to filter stormwater before it enters the Yarra’ (Meadows & Lindsay, 2017, p.10), and revegetation of the riverbanks (Meadows & Lindsay, 2017).
Thorpe’s table 2 (2011, p.9) listed several different types of activist work. Advocacy was described as ‘working on behalf of others often without their direct involvement’ (Thorpe, 2011, p.9), commonly seen in ‘eco-design, advocating for nature’ (Thorpe, 2011, p.9). This ties in closely with another of Thorpe’s criteria, ‘works on behalf of neglected, excluded or disadvantaged groups’ (Thorpe, 2011, p.6) Thorpe considered ‘nature and ecological systems as excluded groups’ (Thorpe, 2011, p.12). This description encompasses Viola Design & EJA’s advocacy work for the Birrarung.
Community members roll up their sleeves to save the Birrarung
Thorpe noted the disruption of ‘routine practices’ (Thorpe, 2011, p.6) as being another criterion of design activism. The Re-imagining Birrarung (Meadows & Lindsay 2017) booklet, was published in November of 2017 revealing to the public the problem, claim for change and neglected ecological system. This disrupts the status quo and encourages people to band together with the Birrarung community, to bring about real and positive change for The Birrarung.
References
Booklet:
Meadows, J., & Lindsay, B. (2017). Re-Imagining Birrarung. Environmental Justice Australia
Online Article:
Thorpe, A. (2011) Defining design as activism. [Manuscript in preparation]. Teaching Fellow, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.
Web Pages:
EJA Comms. (2017). A new law to protect the Yarra River. https://www.envirojustice.org.au/a-new-law-to-protect-the-yarrariver/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20Yarra%20River%20Protection%20Act,for%20river%20and%20its%20surrounds
Viola Design. (n.d.). Environmental Justice Australia. https://violadesign.com.au/environmental-justice-australia/
Viola Design. (n.d.). Our Story. https://violadesign.com.au/about/
Audio Visual:
Micheli, M. (2021, September 3) Design Activism [Lecture recording]. Canvas@Swinburne University.
