Graphic design, socialism and feminism
Graphic design, socialism and feminism was a reading group and lecture series arranged in collaboration with ABF Stockholm (The Worker's Educational Association) and Konstfrämjandet. The reading group was held twice, during the spring and fall of 2015, with about 15 participants in each group. Invited lecturers were Margareta Ståhl, Berit Sahlström and Olivia Plender.
From the course description:
“In this reading group we will look at the graphic design history in relation to socialist and feminist ideology. Through six thematic moments we approach the rise of the labour movement, the womens rights movements and anti-colonial movements. How have visual communication historically taken different forms, what has been captured in the history books and the collective memory, and how? How can we today understand and practice graphic design from a socialist and feminist standpoint? The reading group welcome students, professionals, and others interested in the fields of visual culture, image production and graphic design.”
The reader included the following texts;
– Årsbok för Typografiska kvinnoklubben 1904–1939 (excerpt), Elin Johansson
– Vår enighets fana (excerpt), Margareta Ståhl
– Wages for Facebook, Laurel Ptak
– Design and Reflexivity, Jan van Toorn
– The Ecstasy of Influence, Jonathan Lethem
– Messy History, Martha Scotford
– Rör inte mitt bokomslag, Jesper Weithz
– Nyttigt arbete kontra onyttigt slit, William Morris
– Hur jag blev socialist, William Morris
– Anarkism, konst, arbetsdelning och medeltid, Rasmus Fleischer
– A comment by Kleines Postfordisches Drama
– Den endimensionella kvinnan (excerpt), Nina Power
– Some aspects of design from the perspective of a woman designer, Sheila Levrant de Bretteville
– Manövrera runt och slå sönder, MYCKET & Alexandra Falagara & Brita Lindvall
– Affischer – Reklam, konst, politiska verktyg, handelsvara, Susan Sontag