Decolonial Design in Practice: Designing Meaningful and Transformative Science Communications for Navakavu, Fiji. (3rd May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Taboada, Manuela B.; Rojas-Lizana, Sol; Dutra, Leo X.C.; Levu, Adi VasuLevu M.
• Is Part Of: Design and culture. Volume 12:Number 2(2020)
• Page Start: 141
• Page End: 164
• Publication Date: 2020-05-03
• Subjects: decolonial design -- collaborative design -- decolonial thought -- Fiji -- design activism -- science visualization -- community-led design; Design -- Philosophy -- Periodicals; Design -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; 745.4
• DOI: 10.1080/17547075.2020.1724479
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1754-7075

Abstract

Abstract: Design practice, at its contemporary state, contributes to replicating a homogenizing ontology that subjugates aesthetic, functional, and cultural values of non-Western design. In so doing, it becomes an instrument of colonialism and reaffirmation of a Western-centric view of the world. Decolonial Design arises as a reaction to this, proposing the integration of decolonial thought into design theory and philosophy. This study proposes a collaborative approach to design that brings the philosophy of Decolonial Design into practice, positioning design as a vehicle for rethinking problems through creative processes and initiatives, and as a transformative tool through which design can decolonize itself (and designers) while in action. This approach is demonstrated through a case study in the Yavusa Navakavu, Rewa Province, Viti Levu, Fiji, where researchers, designers, and the local community co-designed initiatives to promote the environmental conservation of their protected marine area.