Designers are usually seen as problem solvers. Their function is to make a product better or more beautiful; or to make a process more efficient. But what if; instead of solving problems; they posed them? That is the premise behind Critical Design. The objective is not to design products to be sent out into a slightly uncertain future but rather to imagine how that future might be entirely different. The result is a series of scenarios that help to illuminate moral; ethical; political and aesthetic problems. The course offers a tour through an emerging cultural landscape of design ideas; ideals; and approaches looking at projects through the lens of fine art; design; architecture; cinema; and photography. The course draws on futurology; political theory; the philosophy of technology; and literary fiction.
