︎︎︎Dr Danah Abdulla is a designer, educator and researcher based in London, UK

News

    The Politics of Design conference 



    Happy to announce that I will be one of the speakers at the Politics of Design conference during the Salone del Mobile in Milan on 10 April. Presented by the Vitra Design Museum in cooperation with Volkswagen Group, the conference will address questions such as:
    • In what ways can design truly contribute to solving the world’s most pressing issues? 
    • What does this mean for the practice of design? 
    • In this moment of transition, as we leave old ideas, convictions, and strategies behind and move further into the 21st century, we must ask ourselves: How can design be part of the solution and not the problem?

    Speakers include Paola Antonelli, Bruce Sterling, Jan Boelen, Claudia Chwalisz, Indy Johar, Amelie Klein and Etienne Turpin. More details can be found here.


    New book chapter published


    My chapter (many years in the making!) “The Challenges and Opportunities of introducing Design Culture in Jordan” has been published in the book Design Culture: Objects and Approaches, edited by Guy Julier, Mads Nygaard Folkmann, Niels Peter Skou, Hans-Christian Jensen, Anders V. Munch.



    A Platform for Third World Solidarity: The PFLP Bulletin


    My article on the publication the PFLP Bulletin has been published in the latest issue of the Funambulist magazine. The issue, titled Publishing the Struggle, constitutes an introspection for us, questioning the contents and forms of political publications. It features articles about historical/canonical and contemporary publications that serves directly or indirectly a specific political movement.




    November 2018


    November will be a busy month with talks/workshops at Kingston University London, Goldsmiths, University of London, and Central Saint Martins, chairing a panel at the Fikra Design Biennale in the United Arab Emirates, and another at the Decolonising Knowledge around Gender and Sexuality conference at UCL. 



    Decolonising Knowledge around Gender and Sexuality Conference



    I am delighted to announce that I’ll be moderating a panel at CTDC’s third annual conference titled Decolonising Knowledge around Gender and Sexuality, and organised in partnership with Kohl: Journal for Bodily and Gender Research, and UCL on 30 November 2018 at UCL.

    The conference will bring in a number of practitioners, students, artists, and academics from Palestine, Pakistan, Lebanon, Egypt, South Africa and Tunisia to discuss themes around decolonising discourses around gender and sexuality in academia and beyond, shedding light on feminist pedagogy, sexual liberation, reproductive justice and positionality. In addition to that, our speakers will also highlight the potential for arts-informed inquiry to decolonise methodology and will also demonstrate how imported forms of feminisms, particularly those relying on social media, are not the way forward for gender and sexual justice.

    The conference will kick off with a keynote panel discussion by Kohl editors and CTDC directors, who will explore the importance of decolonising methodologies in research and practice and in relation to Global South knowledge production. More details here.


    Fikra Graphic Design Biennale


    On 10 November, I will be moderating the pedagogy and the future of design panel at the Fikra Design Biennial 01: Ministry of Graphic Design conference. Featuring Nina and Corrine Gisel (Common Interest), Elizabeth Tunstall (OCAD University), and Mitch Sinclair(IDEO). Details and booking here.


    NAW Live: The Time for Failure is Now



    On Saturday 30 June, I will take part inThe Time for Failure is Now, hosted by the RCA School of Architecture summer exhibition. Members of the project will conduct expansive, in-depth interviews with three leading practitioners in architecture and architectural research including myself, Indy Johar and Danna Walker in conversation with NAW members. We will explore  work and issues connected to race, identity, design equity, the right to the city and more in response to an over-arching theme of failure. Booking is free.


    Criticism & Curating Summer School


    In July, I will be giving a masterclass during a one-week summer school at the Royal College of Art. The Criticism and Curating Summer School provides an immersive introduction to curatorial and critical perspectives valuable to careers in a wide range of art and design practice, from the perspective of experts who curate, research and write critically in the cultural sector. The course offers a unique opportunity to engage with London’s diverse creative scene.

    Other speakers include curator, writer and historian Michelle Millar Fisher, design historian Dr Shehnaz Suterwalla, and curator and writer Dr Ben Cranfield. More details on the school can be found at this link.


    Interactions Exhibition Tour


    On 10 May, the curator Rose Lejeune and I are giving a walking tour through Arabécédaire, a solo exhibition of Egyptian modernist painter Hamed Abdalla’s work at the Mosaic Rooms. The event is free and starts at 7pm.

    Details and booking: mosaicrooms.org/event/interactions/



    Power, Protest & Participation


    On Wednesday 25 April 2018, I will be presenting a short talk at the Power, Protest and Participation panel at the Design Museum, addressing some themes from the from the Hope to Nope: Graphics & Politics 2008-2018 exhibition.

    Details and booking: https://designmuseum.org/the-design-museum-campus/further-and-higher-education/industry-insight-talks/industry-insights-power-protest-participation


    Image: Corbyn swoosh, credit: Bristol Street War


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