Virtual Colloquium: How to Design a Revolution – Design, Politics & Speculative Futures

This semester we are embarking on a learning journey as part of the Virtual Colloquium to explore the political implications of design and our resulting role as designers in society. We are taking the exhibition and publication How to Design a Revolution: The Chilean Road to Design as our conceptual starting point, which showcase how graphic, industrial and systemic design were mobilised during Salvador Allende’s government (1970–1973) to support social transformation: democratising culture, reducing technological dependence, addressing malnutrition, and experimenting with participatory design.

Alongside this historical case study, we will invite researchers, designers and scholars to examine the role of design in transforming society. As part of our practical exercises we will use critical and speculative design methods to imagine and prototype “small revolutions” in contemporary neighbourhoods and institutions. We will explore what changes do our communities and the universities of tomorrow need? And how can design help to implement them? Furthermore, as part of the class, we will be visiting museum exhibitions to get inspired and provide a space for reflection and discussion.

Co-chairs: Prof. Dr. Gesche Joost & Žarko Dumičić
Start date & place: Thu, 22.10.2026, at 9 am online on Zoom
Colloquium time: Thursdays, 9:00-10:30h CET
Colloquium venue: Zoom (online classes) & Design Research Lab at UdK (in-person classes) + museum visits
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82954605489?pwd=VP3XBDzVogeuQtLWaXbWEFpm9ObxiQ.1

If you’d like to join the course as a listener, please send an email with your details to Žarko Dumičić at zarko.dumicic@drlab.org.

More info will follow on this website about the semester’s guests!