from the DeepMind of Josh Plough

Bring me back to the Collective DeepMind

25.

Trepanning Radicality

If we wanted to be really ‘radical’, we wouldn’t interact with an institution in the first place.

A quick note on Radicality, on being radical. A lot has already been written on the word and its relationship to design and its education. It walks a fine line between the wet fart of PR Mission Statements and the intentions of designers to work towards recognising the unsustainability of our structures. The reason it’s introduced here is because it came up during conversations the laureates were having about design in the time of Covid. Not just its response project-wise, but its display, its communication and its ability to reach people.

Our graduates have the capacity to become leaders in their fields, produce outstanding creative work, and dare to disturb.

Below is a fleeting reflection on the use of it. Radically Radical in the face of Radicality. Empty words filling a hollow, yes. But no, if we address intentions. Its ubiquitousness has become a major aspect of a small part of the discipline. From academies, to publications, to huge institutions and small indie spaces. Where radicality lingers, criticality skulks. They are again, two sides of the same coin.