What opportunities do young communication designers see to facilitate a dialogue about the challenges of our zeitgeist? And how can design interrogate wicked problems, creating narratives that spotlight their underlying causes?
‘Punk & Participation’ leverages research for and through design to gain insights into how storytelling can foster conversations and shed light on discussions of relevance for a generation of young designers. The topics range from very personal experiences, such as the promotion of misleading body perceptions among young women, to wicked problems, such as the fight against fake news in increasingly authoritarian systems.
The prototypical responses (and new questions raised) reveal a wide range of outputs, from physical installations to virtual experiences. All projects challenged the student researchers to rethink and integrate the elements of punk—understood as passionate protest—and participation—reflecting contribution towards societal integration—into their work.
‘Punk & Participation’ takes place concurrently with the exhibitions ‘A Seat at the Table’ and ‘Constructive Contingencies’ on the campus of the International University of Applied Sciences Berlin.
